Overall, the things I liked far outweighed any imperfections. I was really hoping for something I could digest and spend hours breaking down, but instead it was more tracks that sounded incredible and delivered individually. The themes aren’t unique or clear and there’s no real cohesiveness to hold it together. To me, this project does not reflect the 12 years of work Cole claims it took. One criticism I have is that it seemed more like a legendary mixtape than an album. “Punchin’ the Clock” best exemplifies this by rhyming the end of each line, starting with “sanity” and ending with “planned to be.” He just floats over any beat put in front of him that along with his lyrical skill make The Off-Season so enjoyable. I’m still catching new stuff each time I relisten, his creativity is through the roof.Īlso impressive is J Cole’s ability to maintain a multi-syllable rhyme scheme throughout the majority of a song. Cole made it obvious from the very first track - “95 South” - that he was coming in hard with killer bars every other line. Alas, May 14th arrived and he did not disappoint, not that anyone expected him to. Ever since he teased this predecessor to The Fall Off back in December, fans have been dying in anticipation for J Cole to finally drop something.
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