The protégé’s own ‘World’

From the moment J. Cole was signed to Roc Nation/Columbia and appeared as Jay-Z’s protégé, the buzz surrounding him has been enormous. The waiting and uncertainty made his debut even more highly anticipated.

On his debut album “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” he lives up to the hype. His lines are crisp, truthful, well-articulated and crafted in such a way that his key demographic feels and lives the music.

Cole treats fans to a loaded album with 16 tracks, two bonuses and high-profile guest spots.

The verses are of the usual high quality fans have come to expect from Cole. They center around real-life issues like unwanted pregnancy, the struggle to make something from nothing, high crime rates in poor areas and, of course, complicated relationships.

There are also a few party tracks, like “Can’t Get Enough” featuring Trey Songz.
He doesn’t rely on synthesized techno beats and auto-tune to hide ignorant lyrics and a lack of substance. He spits clean, edgy words over simple drums, throbbing bass lines and colorful instrumentals. His tone is gritty and forceful and pulls the listener into his story.

The only regretful part of the album is the lack of those stylistic breaks that melodic hooks provide. Most of the hooks are “sung” by Cole, who realizes that he is not a singer. The album could have used a strong R&B presence from commanding female vocalists like Keri Hilson, Adele or Lauryn Hill. Even powerful samples from old R&B songs like Kanye West used to implement would have made the album.

Overall, it was a great debut and few fans seemed disappointed, but with better hooks, it could have been epic.