Dear J. Cole (re: Friday Night Lights)
DOWNLOAD: J. Cole - Friday Night Lights
I've said it numerous times, and I'll say it again: Basketball and hip-hop are closer akin than most would like to believe. Both are team sports (check this post, if you're unsure as to what that means), both require intense practice and tutelage, and both are very unforgiving. Most players only get one chance, and most of those players either thrive or don't get a second chance.
J. Cole, this is your third mixtape. By industry standards, and for how famous you are at this juncture, that is about 2 mixtapes more than most make in their lives. The first one was 'The Come Up', or the work leading up to the game. The second one was 'The Warm Up' or the practice right before the game, and the subsequent introduction to fans of a wider variety. Now that it's your third mixtape, those 'Friday Night Lights', or more aptly put, the limelight is on you and is waiting for your performance. Keeping in line with the athletic motif, it's obvious to see why you will be an All-Star in hip-hop for years to come. This mixtape is as complete of a game as one will find today, with an array of different facets of your game for admirers and opposing players to marvel at. From thought provoking tracks, to love songs, to songs for the ladies, to pure beat-knockers, to those 'damn I can relate' songs, there's something for everyone in this work.
One of the things that impressed me so much with FNL is that you were able to seamlessly integrate the features you did into the mixtape. Your first two mixtapes only had 2 features on them altogether. This third one had not only your imprint-mate Omen and your Roc Nation kin Wale (on 'You Got It'), but Drake on the bedtime ballad 'In the Morning'. I point to this namely because you held your own on a track that could have been a massacre for you. Cole, I won't lie. Your style of rap doesn't lend itself to being soft, even though feelings are a great part of your lyrics. That said, Drake is the king of emotions in hip-hop today. That you could go bar for bar with him on a song about the fairer sex and your erotic escapades with them is nothing short of practice gone perfect.
Another part of FNL that made the work so memorable was how honest it was. The best works of music are an accurate portrait of the artist's internal and external reality at that point in time. That means the artist's understanding of what's going on around him and how he and those around him are affected by those goings on. Albums like Illmatic, Ready to Die, and Lifestyles ov da Poor and Dangerous (to name a few) are instant snapshots of what their respective makers were going through at that time. Hip-hop is a barometer for the masses, which is why most great works aren't recognized until well after they happen. Your work on FNL is no different, although you deal a lot more in the ruminations of a college graduate/rapper, rather than a drug dealer/rapper. Tracks such as 'Home for the Holidays' talk about the trivialities of coming home from a semester at school to the ills of the ghetto, while 'Too Deep For the Intro' delves into the troublesome standard that black women adhere to.
Cole, your penchant for telling stories is well seasoned and well-worn in this mixtape, as well. Where other rappers simply describe situations, you inscribe your understanding into the listener's mind without flinching. While you have interesting discourse as to the conundrums that plague the black community, you never hesitate to say 'niggas', just as a reminder that while you are from that environment, you are not of that environment. That's especially evident on songs like '2Face' and 'See World'. It's eerie to see such a dichotomy in hip-hop, especially considering the juncture that a great like Jay-Z is at, commenting on the state of black America, all while embracing that he is a part of that reality. Not to liken you to Jay-Z (we don't need to add fire to that Jay/Nas - Cole/Drake argument), but you seem comfortable dealing with a range of topics and being able to expound on them without it getting corny.
Finally, the best part of FNL is how well-delivered your verses are. Delivery is something that few rappers can master, and you're well on your way to that. The 'Back to the Topic Freestyle' was a perfect example of that, with how easily those multi-syllabic lines seemed to roll off your tongue. In terms of breath control, enunciation and syncopation, there was little lacking on that song or on the mixtape. It's a testament to the perfectionist in you, and those skeptical fans who thought you could come harder... I remember on 'The Warm Up' when you re-did your freestyle to 'Dead Presidents' for that same reason. 'Friday Night Lights' is the equivalent of dunking on that fan with 2 seconds left and the game on the line. You practiced your craft, and are now in a position to display your talents on a wider scale. There's nothing more organic than that, in basketball, hip-hop or life, for that matter. That we're seeing your maturation on wax is a beautiful thing, and something very warm and fuzzy as we prepare to enter your 'Cole World'...
