J. Cole unveils a masterful twelve track album with a few surprises in ‘The Off-Season.’
Wow, just wow. ‘The Off-Season,’ to me, gives me vibes of 2010 J. Cole. Every bar, you can hear the pure hunger with every punchline. To add to that, FEATURES, yes, features! J. Cole, for the first time in awhile, has features on an album. Mainstays Lil Baby, 21 Savage, James Fauntleroy, Lil Jon, Diddy, Bas, 6lack, and new star Morray add memorable pieces to an already incredible assembly of work. Only if Cam’ron could’ve added his own verse instead of speech, but that’s nit-picking.
Not only has J. Cole once again dropped an impressive body of work, he totally exceeded expectations. What really sold this album to me was the perfect synergy Cole had with the producers. To be realistic, with names such as T-Minus, Timbaland, Boi-IDA, and many more incredible audio engineers, of course, Jermaine would put trust into their talents.
Thus, Cole can flow freely and do what he does best in music; come through with some of the most memorable punchlines in modern-day music. A couple of familiar names came up in his bars. Some memorable ones include Diddy, Mario, Ja Morant, and Michael B. Jordan in an LP full of repeatable verses.
Some critics might chalk Cole’s latest offering as more of a mixtape feel, but pure nostalgia won’t allow me to make that a negative. From start to finish and about fifteen times over, J. Cole wowed me. Not only because it’s another offering in a living legend, but it’s arguably one of his best.
Like LeBron James playing elite basketball for nearly two decades, Cole is still curating quality rap at an all-time great level. Add another championship ring to his shelf, only this time, like Anthony Davis to LeBron; Cole got some needed help. Did he need it? No, but it only made it better, and it’s embellished ‘The Off-Season’ effortlessly.
Final Verdict: 10/10 Platinum! A Masterpiece.
Pros:
- Bars, bars, and more bars!
- Surprise feature fit seamlessly into the album.
- Perfected production from legends match the musicians.
- Nostalgic but not stuck in the past, it fits the modern day. To put it simply, ‘The Off-Season’ appeals to anybody.
- J. Cole shows a solid mixture of growth and dominance in this latest offering.
- Seriously, a Lil Baby feature really caught me and probably everybody off guard in a good way.
- Perfect project length of thirty nine minutes.
- No Cons’
- Favorite Tracks: “Let . Go . My . Hand,” “my . life” Ft. Morray & 21 Savage, “pride . is . the . devil” Ft. Lil Baby, and “hunger . on . hillside.” Ft. James Fauntleroy.
