J. Cole was crowned as the next-level “MC” to carry on Hip Hop music’s tradition in spite of wacky trends and pop crossover blends at the top of last decade.
Looking back at his initial 10-year run, it’s safe to say he’s has handled the pressure fantastically.
In fact, the first-ever Roc Nation artist released his sixth studio effort The Off-Season on May 14, but was cooly nowhere to be found on the traditional promo circuit. The 36-year-old from an American elbow in Fayetteville, North Carolina became a professional athlete through the Basketball Africa League, a NBA subsidiary.
J. Cole's 'The Off-Season' Crashes Spotify With Features From Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Cam'ron & More
The unprecedented flex brought full circle the basketball “shtick” that permeated much of J. Cole’s early stage act, most notably on early mixtapes The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights. By mirroring the hard-work ethos the hardwood requires in addition to his own lyrically detailing of his own tumultuous upbringing, the journey of Jermaine Cole became relatable with an entire generation, arguably just as much as Drake’s — no matter what the awards say.
Which makes The Off-Season such an intermediate affair.
One on hand, J. Cole fans will not only rank some of the album’s nimble lyricism amongst some of his most crafty but on the other, especially after a three-year album hiatus, the paltry 39-minute runtime doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of any of its scattered topics.
Things kick off with the “95.south,” the album’s most energetic track and a nod to Cole’s North Carolina travels. However, in the midst of the weird Cam’ron + Lil Jon mashup atop the rousing post-crunk beat, (the year 2004 would never), Cole’s drive feels more obligatory than inspirational. While he ensures to delight with his bars (“I be stayin’ out the way, but if the beef do come around/Could put a M right on your head, you Luigi brother now), the subject matter feels like his well-documented material of the past — a theme that lapses much of the project.
Feeding into Hip Hop’s current short-song circus on “punchin.the.clock,” Cole delves into a rhyme labyrinth that spirals nowhere; highlighting by Dame “D.O.L.L.A.” Lillard’s soundbites gaslighting the Mario Luciano & Tae Beast-scored track to sound more motivational than it really is. The ruminative “l e t . g o . m y . h a n d” (named after witnessing his young son gain independence) revisits the infamous Diddy fight five years too late in an effort to give the album bite.
Much like the song motifs, The Off-Season’s score is largely understated and undertone. Cole, ever the capable producer, has also experienced his fair share of fan flak for not pitting his intuitive lyricism with equally talented producers. The Timbaland-assisted “amari” proves the magic ultimately falls on the beatpicker as the Verzuz co-creator, T-Minus, Sucuki and Cole all combine for a relatively limp staccato blitz of guitar loops.
Despite the casualness of everything, The Off-Season still earns buckets from the level of microphone craftsmanship he’s developed for himself and the melodies it brings. He lyrically dribbles on beat on the self-produced “applying.pressure,” a b-boy banger if there was ever such a thing. He gets teachy on the otherwise catchy “p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l” while breaking his featureless streak with a red-hot Lil Baby verse.
Dreamville artist Bas also serves as an unsung hero, providing melody to flesh out tracks such as the aforementioned “let.go.my.hand” and 4th quarter finisher, “h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e.” While the latter record finds Cole once again lamenting over his past opposition like he’s not Mt. Rapmore royalty but also brings out the Young Simba through a flurry of verbal exercises that reward the listener sticking out the project.
After quite the year in 2020, a rap star like J. Cole was but expected to set the latest standard in Hip Hop music. The Off-Season lives up to its name: the warm-ups never fully come off and the stakes feel relatively low, if nonexistent altogether.
J. Cole Earns 6th No. 1 Billboard 200 Album With The Off-Season'
While the subsequent The Fall-Off album may complete the puzzle, The Off-Season feels like J. Cole’s most unimaginative project to date but still can warrant repeat listens.
That’s how much he’s lapped his competition.
Repeat Me:
Fan Feedback:
yo you guys didn’t even mention my. life and have the nerve to call this an ablum review lol give you guys a 1 out of 5 for this review
The one that sounded like a lot? That song sucked
U don’t know about classic,in fact the album is for the lovers of rap
Album is fire
5/5
I only like 2 songs. The one with puffy and the one he just put a video out for. The rest is meh.
This album was very bad are u kidding me?
Boring ass garbage. Kendrick, please take a shit on everyone real quick!
This album ain’t boring bruh. It is for you because you ain’t trying to actually listen to the artist. The first thing you thought about when you saw his album, before listening to it, was Kendrick. In your subconscious you done already put the man down. Your opinion is trash to me. This manz is doing his shit, and doing better than a lot of the niggas out here. This album wasn’t perfect but it was definitely fire
This album is not his best, maybe. But it is lyrical fire. It may not break new ground, but that’s not a pre-requisite to be a good to great album. It’s highly entertaining for listeners concerned with more purist hip hop, this is a good to great album.
I’ve never understood the hype around this dude, he’s average at best imo
Me either. No hate, I just never felt him like apparently everybody else does…
5/5 Some of his best work yet
Def one of the best Cole albums!
This review reads like a backhanded compliment
Facts. The disrespect was evident. Credibility of this site is down the drain.
Hip hop ex is officially garbage
First half stronger than the second half. Lyrically this is Cole’s best album hands down. Production could be better but ultimately it’s nothing short of great.
Smh. Lol@ anyone not giving this album at least 4/5.
I get it though. What constitutes hip hop these days aint what Cole was on with this album, but then again it is. He talked about a good bit of what the mumble rappers talk about, he just did it in a way where one could understand.
I’m not going to get into the nuances of the album, too many young goofies on here to even acknowledge the tomfoolery that exists in rating this album less than a 4.
He’s in my top 5 hands down
This is NOT Cole in his lyrical prime. I liked the album and played it all the way through a dozen times and now have 1-2 songs I go back to. All you guys calling it a “masterpiece” or “classic” are nut riding fan boys who would say that about anything he dropped and probably said the same thing about KOD! Which was below average!
Umm… what! 3???
I didn’t woo over it. I’d say 3 too. Hold your fire, though. I have only listened once. But normally an album makes me
Want to come back to it. That album made me rush to finish it. I’ll try it again
I have my opinions but. Mainly I’m confused how Everybody silent about the burning KKK cross, refashioned as a basketball equipment Psy ops. Like what? How is this woke (since y’all wrongly constantly lie saying he is conscious)
This shit was fire. Production was great, the melodies on most of songs was just beautiful. The lyricism was definitely in his pocket at all times on this whole album. This is better than anybody’s shit out right now. Idk what y’all talking bout whoever giving this album under 4/5
I been trying to enjoy j coles music for years now, but his flow and beat selection just wasn’t for me. For some odd reason though, i really like this album, idk if j cole changed or my taste did, but album is fire!
All of them are heat
Will be played for ages
Solid 4 out of 5. I did not like it at first. Now I kind of do. I just need to be in the mode for this. Other than that I prefer Dreamville for a everyday listening. Way more fun.
5/5 without question
Lyrically, Cole went HAM on this album, the beats were a bit lacklustre on a few of the songs, for example with “amari”, we want to hear Jermaine on a Timbo beat, not a Timbo beat repurposed for J Cole…that being said though, he was rapping rapping. I like the brevity of the project, feels it leaves us yearning for more, and Cole did say, this was an appetizer as he warms us up for “The Fall Off”….only other criticism was even though he was being super lyrical, I feel he focused more on the wittiness of the bars rather than deliving deeper into the substance of the songs if that makes any sense….but overall solid project, I enjoyed it
5/5 no doubt
I’ve listened to all of Cole’s projects from the Come Up, The Warm Up, FNLs to today. I like his stuff but I just don’t get this classic, greatness talk. Even if you compare him to his contemporary in Kendrick, K.Dot blows cole out of the water in every category. Cole doesn’t have no Swimming Pools, King Kunta, Dying of Thirst, Backseat Freestyle, DNA, Humble, Mortal Man, GKMC. I’d even argue Krit has better bars and production. So calling this a classic is just crazy to me. A classic means it’s on the same level as College Dropout, 808s, Bluprint, Illmatic, Food & Liquor, Marshall Mathers LP, GKMC, TPAB, Chronic 1&2, Ready To Die, GRODT, The Documentary, Doggystyle, All Eyez on Me. Albums that sounded like nothing else at the time and stood the test of decades. I don’t believe in 20 years people will be reciting J.Cole’s lyrics the way they do the GOATs, I don’t hear anybody reciting them now, but this generation gives a f about lyrics so maybe thats why, maybe thats why the bar is set so low that this project is heralded as Great smfh
The fact that you say Kendrick is better in every category makes everything you said null and void, it’s cool you like k for more but cannot discredit the incredible career Cole has had and the fact that he one of the best to ever enter the rap game. Kendrick and Cole are both in the top 3 for the past decade of rap.
Amazing album definitely running for Album of the year or best Rap Album of the year. Best Rap album easily so far. I think it’d be tough for him to beat 2014FHD till maybe “The Fall Off”, but this is his second best easy and he sounded so hungry from the first song till the end and the features crazyyyy!!!!!
This after 3 listens is heat
I love j. Cole
This is the first J Cole album I didn’t like. Some songs feel incomplete and I certainly didn’t like the features of this album. I don’t know maybe I had too high expectations I was disappointed
I look at the off-season as a platform that made j Cole come out of his shell , because for so long we never got to hear or listen to this type of J Cole and the fact that he stepped out of his comfort zone and still delivered ,Man that’s what truly makes him great . J Cole the goat
Yow comparison is the thief of joy ,stop comparing things. Stop comparing Cole’s previous projects with the present one learn to enjoy music for what it is , The off-season is a great album when you stop comparing and enjoying it for what it is
Great album
Only kids praise this shit
What a stupid assessment only kids? Fuck does that even mean dude?
Bars
One of the best new releases I’ve heard in awhile.
The usual boring J Cole album. The man can rap is cranium off, but his production is always horrendous and his albums unimaginative. Long live King Kendrick.
I’m out.
Excellent production, great wordplay and lyricism, several bangers
Trent Clark needs to be fired. This is a solid album from top to bottom. Please hire people that actually know this genre. This is probably one of the worst reviews written. 3.8…..what a joke!
Trent Clark should be fired! Terrible review
The Off-Season is a beautiful album. From production to features, this body of work is phenomenal. I think this is a prelude of what is to come with It’s A Boy and then The Fall Off… the fact that he sprinkled Bas on this album, as well as having 21 Savage, Morray, 6Lack, James Fauntleroy, Lil Baby, kicking off the album with Cam’Ron, Cole made a phenomenal album. 5/5
Wish I could give it a 4.5, this was an incredible body of work from Cole. From Intro to last track, he gave the best effort to each song. He sounds reenergize and sounds like he actually wants to be held as one of the best. He put out an album of fun, skillful, and focused rap.
Dis album wuz ?
maybe i need to listen again…..it was painful for me to get through this album…beats were almost “Trap” styled, lyrics didn’t sound as sharp has before….just all of the above. I will listen again.
This was really hard for me to listen to, will try again.
Really liked the album, lyrics are way above average and I’m glad others handled the production, not that Cole is a terrible producer, just that he improved way more on lyricism than music production.
J. Cole came back with the braggadocious bars, delivering witty metaphors, and over some amazing beats. This was the album that hiphop fans needed. No commercialized songs about love with catchy hooks… Just straight bars. Also, amazing replay value.
Would give 4.5, but I’d rather round up than down with this album.
The Off Season is the gift that keeps giving. The lyrics are so concise and sharp, every time you listen you get new meanings and symbols. The metaphors have the perfect balance of complex words and simple cultural concepts. I love that the theme of the album is literally forcing you to listen to the quality of the lyrics and evaluate his growth in skill. It really shows how hard Cole has been working to continue to evolve in his craft. If The Warm Up was the beginning of his story, FHD is the climax and The Off Season is the resolution.