What makes this cut so important is the recognition of idol adoration and the hunt for their approval. Cole details his struggle with finding a marketable lead single for The Sideline Story and all the while finding out the selected pop-driven track disappointed Nas, obviously an idol of his. One of Cole’s most unique storytelling tracks recounts the story of how his debut album’s single “Work Out” ended up letting Nas down. This song is one of the first instances where listeners learn that Cole’s motives for success aren’t as materialistic as one would assume. Instead of opting for riches and success in the rap game, he details his desire for his friend’s freedom, help for his friend’s addicted mother and for his own mother to engage in healthier romantic relationships.
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It’s this song in particular that sharpened Cole’s pen as a long-form storyteller.Ĭole drops an in-depth hypothetical track that force listeners to think what they would do if they were in that same situation. “Can I Live” drags listeners through a rollercoaster story of Cole’s come-up circumstances, which get bookended by a loose recreation of the Jay-Z song of the same title. Cole’s career with plenty of tracks leading him to become a versatile artist and, of course, his Roc Nation record deal. The Warm Up was the most contributory project in J. He also heat checks white rappers in the game that are allegedly “stealing the sound.” He bobs and weaves through a menacing beat he produced with Vinylz which opens with, “Ain’t a way around it no more, I am the greatest.” It’s a memorable instance not only on the album but in Cole’s career where he tells fans, critics and his contemporaries that he’s the best. One of Cole’s more screwfaced cuts was birthed the through the creation of “Fire Squad.” For starters, Cole quite literally lines up his competition and guns them down. Of course, Cole doesn’t choose a side, leaving listeners with more introspective questions than answers. “Runaway” is perhaps one of Cole’s most relevant deep cuts that asks the age old question dive into a committed relationship or continue “running through b-–s”? The specific insight he provides into his own back-and-forth psyche sheds light on the mental mayhem that many men and women deal with when faced with the same love-or-lust choice. Cole has done so well since he picked up a microphone was tell stories that young people can relate to.
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It’s one of Cole’s most balanced songs with strong lyrics alluding to an overarching message while at the same time being an infectiously catchy, bass-heavy, pulsing synth smash hit. One of those outright sing-alongs is “No Role Modelz.” The track hones in on the dichotomy between men and women who grew up without role models. Cole fans that claim 2014 Forest Hills Drive is his best album to date thanks to the plethora of bangers on his heralded project.
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Not to mention the cleverest line on the entire album appears on this show-stopping second verse: “One thing about the men that’s controlling the pen/That write history, they always seem to white-out they sins.” Cole breaks down the issues he sees in the current American taxation system and how it can commence a domino effect of ghettoization. Kod had a lot of important messages but perhaps none more important than on “Brackets.” The late comedian Richard Pryor intro ushers in Cole’s smooth singing and delicate opening verse while the second verse hammers home the reality of taxes.
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