The Off Season - J. Cole
Intro:
J. Cole is a legacy artist that we’ve been blessed to witness in our lifetimes. The North Carolina veteran is a lot more beloved than internet critics would make it seem. Stepping in & out of the music industry for years, Cole has finally came back with the much anticipated project “The Off Season”. With all that being said, let’s dive into this potential album of the year contender.
Strengths:
This is the most confident we’ve heard Cole so far, as his voice has reached new levels of energy & power. Songs like “1 0 0 . m i l” prove that he has one of the best deliveries in rap. His singing has even improved significantly & has a better grasp of autotune. Throughout the project, Cole experiments with lots of trap flows & elements (Ex: a m a r i & his Lil Baby collab). He bars out & finds some of the best pockets in every beat on the project.
“Could put a M right on your head, you Luigi brother now”
We’re getting some of the best rapping/wordplay of Cole’s entire career. There are insane rhyme schemes present on the album & is still in his prime. The basketball themes are felt, as he references players such as: Ja Morant, Lebron & Damian Lillard (sampled). In addition, Cole reminisces on his career & old relationships a lot. Songs like “l e t . g o . m y . h a n d” contain the humbleness & vulnerability expected of Cole. There’s also lots of bragging about his status in the game, legacy & money.
“Nigga, Cole been goin' plat' since back when CDs was around”/
“What you sold, I tripled that, I can't believe these fuckin' clowns”
Strengths (Continued):
Production wise, it’s the most mainstream/accessible project he’s released. There’s lots of 808s & trap production that matches the current soundscape of rap. Cole & T-Minus do a fantastic job with the blend of worlds, and Cole continues to be underrated as a top tier producer. The sampling is beautiful on many tracks (Ex: m y . l i f e) & lots of appreciation for the NY boom bap style instrumentation. It’d be a great listen for occasions such as: basketball practices, workouts, hoop mixtapes & 2K sessions.
Lastly, the features here add as nice breaks in between Cole spazzing throughout the tracklist. Every feature is a hit, and some of the best tracks come from these tracks. Cole & 21 Savage seem to be a deadly duo, although it’s hard to say him & Bas ever miss either. I really love how easily Lil Baby fills in right after Cole on the 7th track.
Overall:
J. Cole has just released one the best projects in his discography. The pure confidence & execution he exudes automatically makes The Off Season an enjoyable re-listen. It’s great seeing Cole being more collaborative again & expanding his versatility. This is probably my favorite release of the year so far. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to the project yourself with the link below.
