2014 Forest Hills Dr.

J. Cole recently dropped his latest album entitled "2014 Forest Hills Dr." This album was hugely anticipated and in my opinion did not disappoint. The album was named after the address of his childhood home in North Carolina and features multiple songs making reference to his childhood, mother, and growing up. The album features no other artists. I think that was mainly because J. Cole wanted this to be one of those personal and conceptual albums. As far as my favorite songs from the album I think my favorite by far is track number nine, "No Role Modelz" this song starts out with him talking about his Uncle Phil who passed away but was the closest thing J. Cole had to a father, and from there goes into talking about which girls really are there for people and which aren't. The reason I appreciate this song this much I think is the production and the message Cole is trying to send. My second favorite would have to be a tie between either "Apparently" or "Wet Dreamz". "Apparently" talks about J. Cole's faith, dreams, and the times his mother struggled to pay the bills and he did nothing to help. Through listening to this album I learned some pretty interesting facts about J. Cole like the fact he was actually born in Germany but raised in North Carolina. He also graduated with good enough grades in high school that he earned a college scholarship but knew his real dream was in hip-hop so he packed up his things and moved to New York City to accomplish those goals. If you are looking to get into a new type of music or are just looking for something different to listen to I definitely recommend J. Cole. When you think of rap and hip-hop a lot of people just assume it's all about girls, partying, and violence but that's not true at all. J. Cole is not like that at all. Whether rapping about his father being absent from his childhood, or his mother struggling to pay the bills, or trying to achieve his goal and dreams J. Cole does it all with grace and humility that a lot of other rappers lack. So over this break whether you're just bored and want something to listen to or are actually out looking for music I definitely recommend you give "2014 Forest Hills Dr." a listen. (402)