didnt he help produce 7-8 joints on this

lol

thank god i threw those s***s in the trash a long time ago. they're way too harsh when it comes to poorly mixed / mastered music.

Just listened to it..

Cole real for the Hideo Kojima line lol

J. Cole's voice on 'let go my hand' reminds me of Em..

Fr not to mention they sound too congested...my new headphones are miles better

let go my hand my favourite song

My Review:

Title - Restoring the Feeling.

Sometimes, it's good for rappers to be creative and try different approaches to the game. Other times, fundamentals work perfectly and reflect the game in its best form. You can't find one person who would argue Duncan is not a good player. Cole choses the latter with this project and it works perfectly. If you are a fan of lyricism, this is a project for you.

In this project, Cole embodies an athlete who has received a significant amount of warranted criticism and decides to do what any great athlete does: get better. Go in the gym and work harder. He's hungry on this project and it shows from the intro. Furthermore, he throws out the humbleness and decides to drag his nuts, leaving no room for anyone to say he's lost it. In fact, he openly admits rapping is too easy for him and he has no competition.

"Vivid memories, niggas start to squeeze, we duckin' down
So many shells left on the ground, it make the Easter Bunny proud"

This is one of my favorite lines from the album. Cole is clearly a fan of battle rap lol.

The intro track is stellar and adding Cam only adds to Cole's bragging on the album given that Cam was a braggadocious rapper in his prime. It's also a nice ode to the Mecca of basketball. Cole maintains his southern roots with the production, but occasionally adds a bit of modern boom bap that is accessible to most hip-hop fans which is a plus. Adding modern stars from this generation was needed on a Cole project which shows he's in touch with the current climate. 21 and Cole are definitely rap's unorthodox duo in this era. I highly doubt anyone thought they could work given their styles, yet they mesh perfectly. Lil Baby steals the show once again proving he can rap with anyone. It's hilarious how people sleep on him given his feature run and solo verses. He's rapped with Cole, Wayne, and Drake, and never looked out of place. Yes, he does outrap Cole on Pride is the Devil. Applying Pressure gives me young Simba vibes. Punching the clock is an ode to Wu-tang. The cadence, rhyme pattern, and inflections are undeniable. The influence of prime Em is clear on Let go of my hand. The interlude sounds better when you listen to the album from top to bottom and The Climb Back is still an amazing song (First verse is insane).

I must say it again: fundamentals work perfectly. A rap album doesn't always have to be a piece of art or some conceptual project. This is important to understand for any rap fan. You don't have to have a GKMC in order to be a great MC. You can simply rap your ass off and produce quality music. illmatic is an example of this. Marshall Mathers LP. Ironman. Carter II. That's how it was in the past and it worked for three decades. Cole does this and still uses melodies and light content for his fans. This was a project rap desperately needed. I've often felt like his generation got too complacent with their styles because fans were contempt with the music and the blog era/early 10s was a breathe of fresh air. However, it can easily be stated that a lot of rappers weren't rapping their asses off during this era. Cole included (post-FNL). I haven't heard a project like this from a mainstream rapper in a long time. I'd argue the last time I did was prime Wayne. This is the best PURE-rapping from the big 3 on an album from top to bottom. I wouldn't be surprised if most veteran MCs decide to go back to their roots after this and start this trend again. Only time will tell if this is a classic, but it definitely has the quality of a Rap Classic.

Final rating:
4.5/5 Mics

Favorite Songs:
95 South, Applying Pressure, Let Go of My Hand, and Punching the Clock

if you a cole hater you gotta watch this

the production is something else on this

Are there any links for the vinyl?

So we not gonna talk about how f***ing dope punchin the clock is, if he kept going for another minute or two with that flow, it’d be right up there at #1 cole song for me

Or the sign of a Stan

I like this album, but there’s been a lot of better albums than damn since it dropped

My least favourite two as well

Same

Daytona & Bandana out now

This is a good album though. Solid 7/10

6/10

I love this s***

This. Everytime i get to that track i wish it was 2min longer

That beat and flow just too good

I hope this does at least 400k first week . Hip Hop needs this

Hyperbole!