![]() ![]() One of the more ambitious ones was “Rise and Shine.” After an excerpt from a Jay-Z interview on why he signed a young Jermaine, Cole gets right to work with standout rapid-fire raps. ![]() During the wordplay galore, Cole rattles off the rounds of bars regarding his lust for rap game success and desiring to be the proverbial “king.” An example of his writing prowess comes in the second verse as he raps “Lord, please let my problems disappear like Ron Mercer/I’m a star Converses/Conversin’ with them girls with them curves like cursive.”ĭespite the album’s formulaic hits being met with criticism, The Sideline Story was filled with introspective, rap-game conquistador deep cuts that satisfied Cole’s core fanbase. The police obviously found nothing and the song bangs nonetheless.įrom a technical standpoint, “Grown Simba” is one of Cole’s best displays of rapping. His neighbors suspected him and his friends of running a drug dealing operation out of their house which consequently conjured a SWAT raid. While the beat was trap oriented and enthusiastically contemporary, Cole got into his good old-fashioned storytelling bag to detail the police raid on his North Carolina home. ![]() We also got a taste of Cole’s singing voice that would obviously become a staple in his coming projects.Ĥ Your Eyez Only got hit with criticism of monotony but “Neighbors” was widely considered the project’s most replayable song thanks to reversed chords from “Forbidden Fruit,” knocking 808s and snappy snares. His inventive production and standout assist from Miguel on the chorus made “Power Trip” a very re-listenable hit that anchored his sophomore offering. He had gotten the “debut single” monkey off his back on The Sideline Story and could take his time with Born Sinner’s lead single. In many ways, “Power Trip” was the smash hit Cole had always dreamed have making simply because he made it on his own creative terms. He wraps up the skillfully patronizing track by declaring his own prominence in the game, claiming: “I’ll be around forever ’cause my skills is tip-top/To any amateur n-s that wanna get rocked/Just remember what I told you when your s–t flop/In five years you gon’ be on Love & Hip-Hop.” He sternly gives the new generation a rapping-to with some backhanded advice sprinkled in. In a pseudo-response to disses made by the likes of Lil Pump, Cole put his thoughts about hip-hop’s generational gap on wax and addresses some his younger peers. The outro to Cole’s Kod album was what sparked most of the conversations surrounding the project. Not to mention the duality between making something Nas would approve of and something the “radio could jam.” Plus, Nas released a remix titled “Made Nas Proud” which brings the whole story happily full circle.ġ3. 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. 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. 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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