“I wish someone made guidelines/on how to get up off the sidelines”
So we’ve finally gotten our chance to hear J.Cole’s long anticipated debut ‘Cole World: The Sideline Story’ and with all the pressure on him being the first artist off Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label. J.Cole was able to able to handle it all like a champ and deliver a masterpiece that has not been seen in a long time. For people who love real Hip Hop music and not just cookie cutter rap songs with a hot beat, hook and below average lyric, Sideline Story is the album you’ve been looking for.
Cole who handled the majority of the production on the album which I believed help him craft this album into something that not only he’ll be proud of but also his fans. Too often new artist try to cater to one part of their fan base or go in whole different direction from what their fans were expecting (Drake) that you wonder when you like them in the first place. So it was breath of fresh air to see a artist deliver a album that you expected them to deliver. Hard beats and lyrics to match.
The album boast a lot of standout tracks such as the title track “Sideline Story” that tells the story of a young guy trying to make something out of his life while trying to avoid all the obstacles facing a lot of black males. Staying with the same subject matter “Dollar And A Dream III” is another song that shows the struggle in making your dreams come through. For anyone that has a dream of doing more with their life than the normal these are two tracks that will help you keep going when everything is trying to pull you down. Other tracks that you should look for are “Nothing Last Forever” which talks about the struggle of becoming famous and how it affects the girl you’re with. “Lost Ones” deals with abortion and trying to figure out what’s the right thing to do when you’re young and broke with a baby on the way.
There is not really any bad song on this album but there are some I would rather see not on the album or put as bonus track. Songs such as “Lights Please” and “In The Morning” featuring Drake should not be on the album. They’re very old song that most of J.Cole fans have already heard. Neither one are bad tracks but the album would just be fine without them. The song featuring Jay-Z, “Mr. Nice Watch” that could have been left off also. This song seems like Cole was catering more to Jay-Z than having Jay Cater to him on his album. This song would be perfect on Watch The Throne or any of Jay’s albums.
Another thing about this album that makes it different that the vast majority of rap album out now or been out the past few years, is the one constant theme. Most rap albums now are all over the place with their subject matter and no central theme. Not with Sideline Story it has one theme throughout, working to make your dreams come through.
With all of that side I would give this album 4/5 muses.
