First off, I don’t want this post to come across as throwing shade at Jermaine Cole. His new album 2014 Forest Hills Drive is really, really dope. Really dope. It’s dope enough to be projected to have the best opening week sales for a rap album this year with essentially no promotion and absolutely no singles (he pulled a Beyonce…with two weeks notice). As I conclude my third listen I find myself replaying 03′ Adolescence and Love Yourz the most. J. Cole provides great production complimented by even better artistry, hip-hop music with substance, skill, drums that move you, and indepth song writing. Yet as I listen I find myself reflecting on why rappers choose to sing instead of reaching out to the many talented vocal artists they have within their reach. Ok, I get he didn’t want the album to have any features, but reaching out to co-producers is not much more different than grabbing a Miguel here or there.
Ever since 808s and Heartbeak dropped, I have wondered what the obsession is with rappers trying to sing. Although Rolling Stone just named 808s and Heart break one of the most creative albums of all time, I still haven’t completely picked up what the Stone is laying down (it is a great album, and incredibly creative no doubt). When Drake entered the game the rapper/singer craze reached even newer heights, yet I have always pondered if you can’t sing like Drake…why try and sing like Drake? The ones that have been the most successful at least with melodies and song writing have been the producer/rappers: your Kayne’s, J. Cole’s etc. As a producer myself I fully understand having creative ideas…but I also understand having creative ideas that require help from individuals.
If you check the production credits of Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive you will notice he has no problem letting others pick up where he left off. In his behind the beat of Born Sinners’ mainstream breakthrough hit, Power Trip, you will notice that he mentions at first he wanted to take the reigns of singing the entire hook. He then acknowledges that by adding an incredibly dynamic singer like Miguel, one can catapult a song to the next level.
Now while J. Cole is not a terrible singer, he definitely is a multi-dimensional artist that understands timing, melody, and pitch…he can totally rock the ‘rap sing’ element and never pulls a Mariah Carey . Yet I would go from loving this record to being blown away if a few singers blessed a some of the tracks.
This is not necessarily a 2014 Forest Hills Drive review but merely my thoughts throughout the day while bumping an album that I was hyped to hear. Feel free to leave some comments below if you agree or disagree with me! This album is most definitely worth your $9.99 and a good hour of really listening.
Stream 2014 Forest Hills Drive on Spotify
J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive on iTunes
