Arriving at a time when electronic music had recently bled over into hip-hop, Cole struck gold with a gorgeous beat courtesy of Major Lazer. Cole dropped this gem in September 2012, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story. If it had, “Farewell” might be remembered differently: a fitting curtain-call to the first chapter in J. Cole delivers two stream-of-consciousness verses while reflecting on how he’ll be remembered when he’s gone, rapping, “ Will they say I was a sinner or pretend I was a saint?” Cole’s deep-thinking questions force the listener to get lost in a fascinating alternate reality, one where Friday Nights Lights－as initially intended－serves as his official debut album.

Having spent nearly all of 2015 operating in the shadows while peers Drake and Kendrick released career-altering projects, the song felt like Cole’s return address, a public service announcement of sorts for fools still sleeping on him.īacked by a haunting instrumental that spells impending doom, J.

One year removed from going Platinum with no features, Cole reminded doubters that success hadn’t diminished hunger with “Folgers Crystals,” the opener from Dreamville’s second compilation mixtape Revenge of the Dreamers II. Project: Revenge of the Dreamers II (2015) In hindsight, the track is a prelude of sorts for “1985” and “Middle Child,” both of which find Cole playing big brother to the SoundCloud rappers he allegedly attacked on “Everybody Dies.” 18. Cole shared a pair of promo singles with the masses: “False Prophets” and “Everybody Dies.” While the former grabbed headlines for its not-so-subliminal shots at Kanye, the latter was a warning shot to the entire rap game. In the week leading up to the release of his fourth studio album 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Centered around a topic that every twentysomething is familiar with－returning home after an extended period of time－listeners can’t help but sing along as Cole effortlessly delivers his verses with a catchy cadence. Cole’s skill as a storyteller, we have a habit of focusing strictly on heart-wrenching tracks such as “Lost Ones,” “Breakdown,” and “4 Your Eyez Only.” However, coming-of-age songs like “Wet Dreamz” and “‘03 Adolescence” are equally as good from a storytelling perspective, though neither is as catchy as “Home for the Holidays,” the most underrated song on Friday Night Lights. In hindsight, “Kenny Lofton” is essentially a prelude to “No Role Modelz,” as Cole raps about how people only care about black people if they’re successful athletes or rappers. Backed by a flip of The Manhattans’ ‘70s R&B hit “Hurt,” Cole gets contemplative and delivers social commentary, while still flexing lyrically, of course. If his guest spot on 21 Savage’s “alot” reminded you that no one sounds better rapping over soulful beats than Cole, do yourself a favor and revisit “Kenny Lofton,” a cut from his 2013 EP Truly Yours 2.

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