Is it a Born Winner?

Born Sinner, J. Cole’s second official offering as Jay-z’s protégé and ROC Nation signee aims to show Cole’s true and pure talent. But will this talent be respected and upheld by his peers, and most importantly his fans?

The heavily introspective album begins with a boisterous Sunday morning-like choir singing

“I’m a born sinner, but I’ll die better than that.”

Cole’s very first words uttered are

“It’s much darker this time”

in a very somber voice, showing that he knows it is time to show and prove his talents, as if it wasn’t enough to release his album on the same day as the overhyped “Yeezus”. The album does get pretty dark but Cole ironically boasts his talent while rapping about the rocky journeys of life with lines like

“My pops was club-hopping back when clubbing Rick James was out and all I get is Trinidad James.”

Aside from Cole himself, the only other rapper featured on the album is the newly crowned king of the West Coast, Kendrick Lamar. Though Kendrick doesn’t lend of verse of his own, he adds to the melodic and simple chorus, conveying the message that nothing is forever. The smooth track samples A Tribe Called Quests’ Electric Relaxation by way of Ronnie Foster’s Mystic Brew

Often times, artists are unable to live up to the hype, resulting in a forgettable sophomore LP. However Jermaine’s situation is like many rappers nowadays who are unable mature into the single-selling, radio-playing sing-songy artists that money hungry labels profit off of and yearn for.

Cole fell victim to this system upon release of his debut album “Cole World: The Sideline Story”, when records like “Work Out” and the Trey Songz assisted “Can’t Get Enough” are the singles that the record labels forces out of him, after “Who Dat” didn’t satisfy them. Even though it sold over 218,000 copies and earned him a Grammy Nomination, Cole himself acknowledges the pitfalls of his debut album, with these sentiments shared by Nas.

Nas wasn’t completely satisfied with what J. Cole used as a single, which was the catalyst for Cole to make “Let Nas Down“, dedicated to the Queens rapper. The ode to rapper he looks up too shows his own musical insecurities, as he recounts admiring Nas at his peak

“Used to print out Nas raps and tape ‘em up on my wall/ My n*ggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw,”

says Cole over the jazzy saxophone looped beat, which also samples Fela Kuti.

Cole’s eclectic choice of samples don’t stop here, as he uses the  1990′s Outkast classic “The Art of Storytelling Pt. 1.” on the 3rd track of the album, titled “Land Of The Snakes” where Cole offers his perspective on the ever popular topic of more money more problems. As girls become less than trustworthy as his fame grows, so does his expectations of them, even mentioning how a awkward run in with an old college flame from St. John’s University, leads to her calling him a misogynist. Cole boasts this behavior, with

“My little black book thicker than the old testament”

and also delivers one of the most clever couplets when referencing Mr.Cee, one of New York’s most historic DJs being caught with a male prostitute, several times over.

“The same reason they call Mr. Cee ‘the finisher’ 
Forbidden fruit, watch for the Adam’s apple”

Cole redeems himself of this behavior with the help of TLC, on what is sure to be his biggest pop hit yet “Crooked Smile”, an ode to women around the world, as he pleads with women to accept themselves for who they truly are. Though the concept has been seen before and is a bit cheesy, Cole refuses to sacrifice his lyrical ability, with lines like,

” Oh, you a woman? I don’t know how you deal/

With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels/I feel for you/

Killing yourself to find a man that’ll kill for you.”

Crooked Smile may be the most joyful and uplifting song on the album, where Cole ironically speaks on someone other than himself.

The most somber and intimate song on the album is “Rich N*ggaz“, who J. Cole expresses his distaste for the aforementioned. The peaceful and simple beat, not made up of much more than a looped harp and the sound of rain bouncing off of nearby windows. Cole makes up for this simple beat, with some of his most touching lyrics on the album. Including the realization of his mother’s dependence on drugs and men, namely his step father, who Cole wishes no harm on, but if he were to die in a plane crash, he would be happy. The artistic imagery he references about Nas, comes full circle as Cole tries to mentally stay “afloat,”

“Try to ride the storm out and crash the boat
Could have drowned but I grabbed the rope”

The ocean references fit perfectly with the sound of water in the background and one can almost imagine J. Cole grasping onto the person that was once him.

That person is a Born Sinner, and the title track ends what seems to be a story of J. Cole reminiscing on the good and unfortunate that has occurred in his life, all in a hope to figure out where to go next, now that he has fame and money he knows that there is more in this Cold World.

The question remains, is Born Sinner a good album? Yes, it is an album filled with quotables, amazing production that shows J. Cole is honing yet another craft, and is stuffed with complex lyrics to keep any hip-hop heads or rapgenius.com connoisseur happy.

PUBLISHED ON 20SOME.COM