Fluxblog
December 10th, 2014 1:14pm

I Don’t Wanna Wait Forever


J. Cole “Hello”

I didn’t expect much from J. Cole’s new album because his last one, Born Sinner, was so awkward – the music wasn’t bad, but his verses oozed a very off-putting level of insecurity and desperation while being mostly focused on him telling you how talented he is. The record was split between chasing radio hits, being a bit too open about his need for approval, and insisting that he’s the next Kanye. This new record, deliberately released with minimal promotion, is the first J. Cole record that sounds like the sort of thing he was talking about on the last one. It’s concise and focused, and seems like the work of an actual uncompromising hip-hop auteur. He’s still very reverent of hip-hop’s history, but this time around he doesn’t seem so self-conscious about it. He’s still boasting, but this time he’s following through. He’s being vulnerable, but not in some staged, phony way. He’s learned how to signal melancholy without it seeming saccharine, and he’s figured out how to slow things down without sounding like he’s trying too hard to be serious. He’s just got the balance right all the way through, and the result is a confident, emotionally powerful rap record that doesn’t just finally make good on his promise, but exceeds expectations at points. He’s gone in hard on a sorta Chance the Rapper-ish sing-rap style on some songs, and that suits him well, and draws out a soulfulness that wasn’t quite there on Born Killer. You hear him on “Hello,” and you don’t even need to pay attention to his words to pick up on that potent mix of regret and self-loathing in his voice. He’s just got it now.

Buy it from Amazon.

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