Following up from 2016’s 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Cole is back with his new album titled KOD – a title that has several different interpretations, including Kids On Drugs and Killing Our Demons. Released on 4/20, KOD follows J.Cole as he observes the troubling behavior of individuals around him and in society who have been involved with drug use. The central themes in J. Cole’s message mostly revolve around the aforementioned drug use, overmedicating, and the obsession with opioids within hip-hop culture.
Like his last two albums, J.Cole doesn’t have any features on KOD – his only feature is himself, as his alter-ego titled “KiLL Edward.” He quickly addresses the absence of features on the second track “KOD” when he states that artists “ain’t worthy to be on my shit.” KOD is almost exclusively produced by J. Cole, with the exception of “Kevin’s Heart,” produced by OVO’s T-Minus. Similar to the vibe of 4 Your Eyez Only, KOD doesn’t contain any hard-hitting anthems. Instead, KOD‘s instrumentals carry R&B and soul inspiration, allowing J. Cole to showcase his heavy, introspective messaging without distraction.
With the absence of punchy instrumentals, KOD‘s laid-back vibe puts more pressure on J. Cole to deliver vocally – and he doesn’t disappoint. Aside from the dense lyrical content heard on each song, J. Cole is clearly at the height of his musical inventiveness with KOD, showcased in his fast-paced delivery and his “classic” slow-paced rhymes. J. Cole’s use of these unique styles highlights the emotion and depth in his storytelling. Key tracks that deliver on this masterful use of pacing are “KOD”, “ATM”, “Photograph”, and “FRIENDS”.
While hundreds of chilling, insightful quotes can be pulled from KOD, one of the most memorable tracks is “1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off).” This track is a narrative of his rise as an artist, weaving in his thoughts on the current state of today’s hip-hop culture. “1985” contains some of the most memorable lines on the entire album, including the following verse: “These white kids love that you don’t give a fuck/’Cause that’s exactly what’s expected when you’re skin black/They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a pill/they wanna see you tatted from your face to your heels/And somewhere deep down, fuck it, I gotta keep it real/They wanna be black and think your song is how it feels”.
Early standout tracks from KOD are “Photograph,” “ATM,” “Brackets,” “FRIENDS,” and “1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off).” The course of time will be the ultimate answer for how KOD compares to J. Cole’s previous projects, and how the overall reception will sway. With that said, KOD could possibly the best album J. Cole has ever made – from the impeccable instrumentals and production to his tight delivery, to his impactful story-like messaging within the highly-conceptual album. KOD makes it clear that J. Cole is at a place in his career where he doesn’t need approval from the music industry. This freedom of expression means that he doesn’t feel obligated to make a project sound “mainstream” to appease the industry or his peers. KOD is, quite honestly, an album we should have gotten a long time ago, as the album reminds me of why people love J. Cole to begin with: his soul/R&B-style instrumentals, expertly paired with his socially conscious storytelling – and a distinctive style that will live on in hip-hop for years to come.
Overall Grade: A
Listen To KOD From J. Cole
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