Made With Music: Cole World: The Sideline Story

So this week I decided to kinda review an actual album instead of giving a playlist. This is because one of my favorite artists came out with his debut album last Tuesday and I wanted to share it.

J. Cole, whose real name is Jermaine, is a 24-year old rapper from North Carolina. He graduated from St. John’s University and was one of the first artists to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label and has quickly acquired a solid reputation and huge fan base.

He is, in my opinion, one of the freshest new faces on the hip hop scene today. Although his album just came out, he is by no means a new artist. Fans have been anticipating the drop of his album since last year, as he has delayed it numerous times.

Here’s the tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Dollar and a Dream III

3. Can't Get Enough (f/ Trey Songz)

4. Lights Please

5. Interlude

6. Sideline Story

7. Mr. Nice Watch (f/ Jay-Z)

8. Cole World

9. In the Morning (f/ Drake)

10. Lost Ones

11. Nobody's Perfect (f/ Missy Elliott)

12. Never Told

13. Rise and Shine

14. God's Gift

15. Breakdown

16. Nothing Lasts Forever

17. Work Out

18. Who Dat

19. Daddy's Little Girl

My favorite tracks from the album were

Can't Get Enough (f/ Trey Songz)

Nobody's Perfect (f/ Missy Elliott)

God's Gift

Can't Get Enough is just a chill song. It has an island vibe and just makes you bob your head. Not to mention the fact that Trey Songz is on the track. On Nobody's Perfect, Missy pulls some old school and sings on the track, which matches perfectly with J. Cole's voice. And God's Gift just goes hard.

I love this album, but was actually expecting a little more. All his songs meet the hype, but after all the tracks he’s released and mixtapes he’s come out with, I was expecting a few more songs to be on the album. The three songs that I wanted to be on the album were

Neverland

Return of Simba

Heavy

But it’s ok since he has made all of his songs and mixtapes prior to the release of his album easily accessible and downloadable for his fans.

If you like his album then downloading his mixtape Friday Night Lights is a must. Though it’s not his first mixtape, it’s definitely his most popular one and for good reason. Unlike many mainstream rappers, who rely on a overly produced beat to get listeners, J. Cole uses his songs to tell a story and give expression to his life. There are rappers and there are lyricists and J. Cole is the latter.