By SAMUEL HOOD – Sports Editor
J. Cole’s third album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, marks a significant progression in his career.
On Dec. 9, Jermaine Cole, better known as J. Cole, released his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Compared to his two previous albums, this one holds more sentimental value. This 13 track album is entirely Cole–no featured artists–and the album’s title refers to Cole’s childhood home in Fayetteville, N.C., which he purchased in 2014.
The album starts off with a soft, soothing melody in “Intro” and Cole then begins to question human motives with lyrics such as “Do you wanna, do you wanna be happy?” and “Do you wanna, do you wanna be free?”
These lyrics hint that Cole understands that everyone has different reasons for living. The question Cole wants to answer is, “Are you willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal?”
After all, he is.
“Intro” really sets the tone of Forest Hills. Spare “Note to Self”, each song could definitely stand as its own single, and that is the beauty of the album. Even though a slower tempo than expected drives a majority of the songs, it’s easy to enjoy and understand each song without having to listen to the track before it.
Cole’s lyrics are another factor that separates him from other artists. The events and hardships that Cole mentions are easy to relate to no matter who you are.
In “Hello”, Cole dedicates the first verse of the song to reminiscing about the girl he used to have, “And I thought about the games you used to play / And I thought about that little kids / And I thought about the things we did”.
The constant use of “and” shows that he never truly forgot about the girl and that when he’s prompted to talk about her he can’t stop. Little details like these appear throughout the album and really highlight the intricacies of Cole’s songwriting.
Sadly, singing isn’t one of Cole’s talents. The song “Love Yourz” definitely proves this. The verses in this song are beautiful, but the hook hides their potential. If Cole was to have some contrast between the verses and the hook, sales would exponentially grow compared to right now.
All in all, Forest Hills is excellent and is arguably Cole’s best album. Every song is enjoyable and tackles everyday issues with which his fans can easily relate.
There’s been a rumor that this might be Cole’s last piece, but let’s hope it’s not. Listeners have not seen his full potential, and it would be sad to see him cut his own career short.
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