J.Cole’s first album did not amaze both fans and critics who felt that he could do so much better than it could. The second album entitled Born Sinner just came out last month and it has already made waves. According to some critics, singles from this album will definitely reach the top spots in various charts.
Deep, Mature Content
This album, from the title itself, references sin. If you were a literal person, you’d get the forbidden fruit, snakes, temptation here and there, etc. But, he’s referring to something deeper here – materialism, love, death, the price of having everything you’ve ever dreamed of….It’s profound.
The only sad thing about being too profound is that it gets pretty tedious. Thank the Lord that the background to his words is rap beats or it would have been a real bore.
Some Good Singles, Some So-So
The first track in the album is entitled ‘Villuminati’ which features witty wordplay. ‘Chaining Day’ proves how good he is at making cool cuts. ‘Runaway’ talks about someone trying so hard to be faithful but failing. ‘Land of the Snakes’ is more laid back and relaxed. In ‘Forbidden Fruit’, you can see just how long Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole have been collaborating – they sounded perfect together.
I liked ‘Trouble’, not just because of the biblical ideas incorporated in it but due to the choir singing in the background. I got goose bumps with that.
It’s also quite interesting to hear skits in between the songs like the one that comes right after Villuminati. This records a preacher talking about God and then asking people to grab the phone and then order stuff from him.
J.Cole has grown up. But he is still quite young which makes this album, an honest story telling of his life, a really impressive one.
But wait, there’s one more. This album is practically self-produced from start to finish. How amazing is that?
If you’re not a huge fan of this music genre, you probably wouldn’t care about it at all. I’m not (I’ve said this several times) but I know lyrical cunning and this guy has proven that he’s got it in this album.
