Pyrate News

By: Martin Rand, III
Date: September 28, 2011

J. Cole, Roc Nation's first artist, has finally released his long awaited debut album "Cole World: The Sideline Story." After generating a buzz and a huge following with mixtapes like "The Come Up," "The Warm Up" and "Friday Night Lights," Cole had a lot to live up to with "Cole World" and he didn't disappoint.

"Cole World: The Sideline Story" Album Cover (above)."

The first song "Dollar and Dream III" has its roots from his first two mixtapes and it's definitely the best in the series. He depicts a story of how he didn't have much to his name but still found a way to make his dream come true. Cole shows-off his lyrical ability well on this song saying "Tell me, what do you do just when you're on your last dollar, and the stress of this mess you in can make your a** holla? Do you fold, grow bitter and grow cold? No longer fightin' now the only thing you grow is old? Or do you flip that f***** dollar to a dream? Whether a scholar or a fiend, watch a pawn become a king, Cole!"

The next great song is "Sideline Story." Here, Cole stresses his determination to get the off the metaphorical "sideline" of the hip-hop game. He raps about how he didn't need Jay-Z, the head of Roc Nation, to do anything besides sign him to his contract. An analogy would be a head coach (Jay-Z) seeing potential in a young ball player (Cole) and the coach puts the player on the team. However, the player has to keep working hard on his own time to actually get in the game and show the coach he made the right choice. Cole raps,"But, you’ll never play me like LeBron vs. Jordan. Twenty years, wonder who they gone say was more important. Both changed the game, came through and made a lane. Who’s to say that who’s greater, all we know, they ain’t the same."

Speaking of Jay-Z he does make a guest appearance on "Cole World." "Mr. Nice Watch" is one of the flaws of the album. The production is good and the lyrics are okay but it doesn't fit with the rest of the album. It's like a mix of pop and techno, which contrast to the soulful mellow mood of the album. It seems like this was a last minute addition to get Jay-Z on "Cole World." While I can understand the benefit of saying one of the greatest rappers ever is on his debut album, it shouldn't come as cost to the overall quality of the album.

Along with Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Trey Songz and Drake make appearances. That's it. Not a big guest list which is a good thing because majority of the album is Cole telling you his story and not someone else telling you theirs.

The two things that will keep you listening to "Cole World" and what keeps me listening to it is Cole's lyrics and content. Majority of the songs are either about women or geared towards women but not in same sense as most other rap artist. They're quality songs about women. The content goes from making love to a woman on "Lights Please" to a woman who has to deal with being pregnant and having the man bail out on her on "Lost Ones." Cole shows the pros and cons of relationships from a woman's perspective as well as the man's.

One minor flaw I heard with "Cole World" is Cole's flow. It's good but at times he goes off-beat and he has to catch it again. It happens a few times, not enough to diminish quality of the album, but it's noticeable. It's a rookie mistake that should get worked out as he continues on his career.

Also, Cole does a lot of harmonizing on the album. This is probably just his style and how he likes to make music but it was irritating at times for me. It works well on some songs but he does it on almost every song. As a hip-hop fan, I would prefer to hear him just rapping and not singing. Again, it's minor flaw, but still evident.

Overall, I would say this a great album. One of the best hip-hop albums of the year. For this to be Cole's first studio album, he has put together a cohesive album that covers different topics. He also shows an ability to tell stories and deliver hard hitting punchlines which is a rare combination in today's hip-hop. If you're a fan of hip-hop or just like listening to good music, I would recommend listening to "Cole World."