Halfway through November, J.Cole announced that he would be dropping 2014 Forest Hills Drive on December 9th. With limited promo, no press runs, no supporting singles and an overall unconventional rollout, J.Cole released his third album. Named after the house he grew up in Fayetville, North Carolina 2014 Forest Hills Drive is an album that walks us through J.Cole’s journey as a young man growing up in the ‘ville to a young celebrity in New York and LA. We are painted a picture of Cole struggling with the challenges of keeping up a celebrity persona, dealing with the industry expectations and his return to his roots. This review goes through every track individually to breakdown everything from production to themes, closely looking at J.Cole’s evolution as an artist who’s disconnecting himself from Hollywood and is returning home. Check it out below.
1. Intro
Right from the gate, Cole sets the tone of the entire project with the intro. Over somber but elegant key strokes, Cole sings, “do you wanna be happy, do you wanna be free”, almost as if he’s asking the listener and himself. The intro gives us a glimpse into the interpersonal reflection that takes place throughout the album. In the video below, you’ll see humbled J.Cole ride around the city on a bike which he confirmed is how he chooses to get around after selling his car.
2. January 28th
“The real is back, the ‘ville is back, flow bananas – here, peel this back” Cole spits as he kicks off track number two. Jumping straight into the bars, January 28th is track where Cole stunts over his own production rapping about his come up and where he is now. There are a ton of quotables in this song alone and right before the beat plays out, Jermaine raps “or you might be Drizzy Drake or Kendrick Lamar, but check the birth date nigga, you ain’t the God”. As you may have guessed it, January 28th is Cole’s birthday, which is a clear nudge to his peers letting them know that he is the current rap god.
3. Wet Dreamz
Yeap. This is exactly what you think it is. Though a lot of rap cats would shy away from being this real, Cole definitely does not. In one of the best displays of storytelling, Wet Dreamz is a track in which J.Cole takes us back to high school where he tries to score with his crush. Throughout the entire song, Cole paints a picture of his younger self transitioning from flirting with his crush, to practicing putting on condoms, to finally having sex. The way he puts the story together seems almost effortless and it flows perfectly. The hook’s simplicity and repetitive nature serves as a great way to close out the song when in the last verse Cole finds out that his crush is also a virgin. From her perspective he raps, “I gotta get something off my mental, I could tell you a pro, but baby be gentle cause…I ain’t never did this before, no”.
4. ’03 Adolescence
In 2003, Cole was an eager 18 year old wanting new clothes, money and women. This track guides us through his adolescent years as a high school senior with low self-esteem who looks up to his homeboy selling dope. We learn that Cole always wished for more “tie my shoe up, wish they was newer, damn need something newer, in love with the baddest girl in the city, I wish I knew her” and as the track progresses he describes a conversation with his friend who puts life into perspective for him learning to never take what he has for granted.
5. A Tale of 2 Citiez
Produced by Vinylz, ‘A Tale of 2 Citiez’ is a lot more than just bars over a grimey beat. The song is inspired by the Charles Dickens novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. In the novel, Dicken’s explores the financial disparity between the rich and poor in London and Paris during the French Revolution. J.Cole’s version delves deep into similar issues and how he deals with them as he grew up in Fayetville and as he lives on his own in NYC. The dark beat, in combination with hook that makes you act like you’re pulling back the hammer on a gun add to the overall ambiance of this joint, “last night, they pulled up on my nigga at the light like, ugh, nice watch – run it”.
6. Fire Squad
You probably have already heard this track or heard about it. Though Cole has recently shut down claims of alleged “shots” against the artists mentioned in the track, ‘Fire Squad’ is still one of the hardest rap records out. In a recent interview with Power 105’s Angie Martinez, Cole talked about how the mainstream media blew the lines about Iggy Azalea out of proportion without listening to what he is saying about the commercialization of hip hop. On this track Cole solidifies himself as one of the best, lyrically shining throughout the whole track: “My inhibition’s fighting my intuition, premature premonition, showing me the demolition of these phony niggas, so ahead of my time even when I rhyme about the future I be reminiscing“. Bars.
7. St. Tropez
“He’s on his way, he’s ’bout to get paid, he’s on his way to Hollywood“. There are very few bars on this song, but it still does a good job of bridging the album together as the next few tracks have him realizing what life is like after achieving a level of celebrity.
8. G.O.M.D.
One of the best tracks from the album ‘G.O.M.D.’, showcases J.Cole production chops. He has always been known for dope production but this track shows us that Cole is just as serious on the boards as he is with the pen. The beat builds with a chopped gospel-like sample that merges with light drums. After four bars, the drums switch to a heavy bass bounce and as soon as he introduces the strings the song begins to take shape. Cole describes his transition from becoming a Hollywood rapper to going back to finding his roots. “The breakup” and “the makeup,” all heard before certain beat breaks and verses, both indicate that the track is split into chapters. The chant-like hook is also a major highlight of this track. “Get off my dick” will likely become a more popular phrase after this song makes its rotations.
9. No Role Modelz
‘No Role Modelz’ continues with the theme of Cole achieving his “B list celebrity” status in Hollywood as he struggles with trying to find a real relationship and love with the women in LA. In his interactions with women, Cole learns that the people of Hollywood are fake and seek to only benefit themselves. The irony of the track is that it is definitely something that can catch play in the club thanks to the chant-like hook and the beat, all while it calls out all the girls up in the club who are shallow.
10. Hello
A continuation of the previous track, ‘Hello’ is a track where Cole tries to reach out to a girl from his past. In the words of the song as well as his voice you can hear sincere emotion. This song is Cole searching for something real after he learns everything in Hollywood is fake.
11. Apparently
As Cole get closer to his roots, ‘Apparently’ is a song where he thanks his family and friends for believing in him through his evolution as a man and artist. Reliving his guilt through his lyrics, J.Cole tells us about how even when his home on Forest Hills Drive was foreclosed and seized from his mother he was still chasing women and success in New York. Soon after reminiscing on his family life, Cole grabs a hold of the second verse and ups the tempo with some serious bars: “Waiting on thanks from a few, cause without me you wouldn’t exist, you know that shit, gave you the blueprint don’t forget, Cole is your phone on zero percent, going off, now niggas showing off, niggas swear they hard but they flowing soft, I’m taking off like boing on a big ass Boeing, getting head like a coin toss, too easy.”
12. Love Yourz
Though he’s not performing lyrical acrobatics on ‘Love Yourz’, J.Cole eloquently tells his listeners to love their lives. By way of sharing his experiences going from a middle class kid to a young rich celebrity, Cole raps, “beauty in the struggle, ugliness in the success, hear my words and listen to my signal of distress” and “think being broke was better, now I don’t mean that phrase with no disrespect, to all my niggas out there living in debt.” Soon after, Cole gives us some insight on why it’s important to love who and what you have: “Always gon’ be a bigger house somewhere but nigga feel me, long as the people in that motherfucker love you dearly.” This song does a great job of letting us further into Cole’s life as he comes to learn what life is really about.
13. Note to Self
The last track of the album begins with Cole rapping over a simple beat backed by a piano and choir like vocals that indicate a triumphant close to the album. At around the 3 and a half minute mark, J.Cole simply runs through a list of people he wishes to thank and actually hits on a few points that resonate with any J.Cole fan. This album is J.Cole returning to what he does best; making good music. His approach to the whole project, from the limited promo and irregular launch, to the “Fuck Money, Spread Love” tour are his way of disconnecting with the commercial rap he may have previously tried to create and release and reconnect with his roots and fans. On this 14 minute track, Cole addresses record contracts, his relationship with Roc Nation and his rap peers such as Drake, Kendrick and Wale letting them know that there are no more crowns and kings in the game.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is truly a great album. With this project, J.Cole has shown us that he can put together a concise body of work that takes the listener on a real journey. Even with only a few weeks to promote the album, J.Cole has earned himself another number one record selling an estimated 300,000 units in his first week of sales. Personally, I love the album and am not afraid to put the classic stamp on it because this album really delivers. You can stream the album in its entirety below and purchase it here.
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