ARTIST: J. Cole
ALBUM: Cole World: The Sideline Story
LABEL: Roc Nation/Columbia
RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2011
Once A Dream
Photo by Roc Nation
Written by Jeremy Weeden
Sometimes dreams do come true, and North Carolina’s J. Cole is here to remind people of this via his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story. J. Cole was a struggling underground artist trying to get his music heard when he unexpectedly received a phone call from an associate letting him know that someone was interested in his music. That someone happened to be none other than hip-hop legend and entertainment icon, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. J. Cole then became the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s new record label, Roc Nation, in 2009.
J. Cole has since dropped the highly esteemed mixtapes The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights leading to anticipation of his first studio album, even without steady radio play in most markets. The Sideline Story is thus far getting J. Cole more radio play, as there are more friendly radio cuts than most have grown accustomed to hearing from him. This may disappoint a few fans, but J. Cole is likely to gain more fans than he loses with the added attention and radio play. Lead single “Can’t Get Enough” follows the popular and oft-repeated formula for success with a Trey Songz-featured chorus, but its results cannot be argued as The Sideline Story came in at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. The Sideline Story is not one of those instant classic debuts like Reasonable Doubt, Get Rich or Die Trying, or College Dropout, but it is a solid album that hopefully is a harbinger of things to come.
The Sideline Story is one of those albums where it seems as though the artist is struggling with the divergent paths of what they have been and what they want to become, or need to become to be a mainstream popular artist. J. Cole is at his finest, delivering driven, heartfelt, honest rhymes about his life and struggles. “Lights Please” and “Lost Ones” are good examples of this and are two of the better songs on the album. These songs come off in a more natural manner, and are the type of songs his long-time fans will be looking for. Other songs seem more forced, such as “Can’t Get Enough,” “Work Out” and the Jay-Z-assisted “Mr. Nice Watch,” a song that seems it would have fit better on Watch the Throne. J. Cole handles most of the production on the album himself and also has only a few guest appearances, with the likes of Drake, Missy Elliot, Trey Songz and Jay-Z showing up.
The Sideline Story is a good debut album, but it is not the classic many fans were anticipating or hoping for it to be. Sometimes hype can be a bad thing, as this album would be a better debut if J. Cole were not seen as the future of the funk, the next Kanye, 50 Cent-type or hip-hop superstar. A lot of hip-hop fans saw J. Cole as the future of the force and savior of hip-hop with his lyricism and skill. The Sideline Story shows J. Cole is not quite ready to be mentioned in that upper echelon of instantly great artists, but there are flashes on The Sideline Story that show he could possibly reach that level one day, possibly with a little more focus and direction. Only time will tell if he truly is Luke Skywalker or simply Anakin. Either way, J. Cole has true talent and will be a force to reckon with in hip-hop for years to come.