Wasn't that special at all. That was the first mac project i decided to check. Peeped the talent. Kanye wasnt interested in challenging j cole. Born Sinner was average at the time but aged beautifully. Def a top 10 album of the 2010s (rap album). Yeezus was one of the worst moments for a rap legend

Oh one of those "my opinion is fact" online losers. Thanks for contributing!

Yeezus first and foremost. still remember the first time i listened to that album, i felt mind f***ed

complete classic

mac got outshined that day sadly, but that album is far better than Born Sinner, and aged more gracefully

Yeezus is still on top tho obv

setting him up on the first page

a******

Watching Movies with the Sound Off

Bottom line. All 3 albums were great. KTT Cole haters are corny

Mac won that tbh
Cole was second.
That summer was f***in amazing with these albums tho

It's the opposite for me I really loved Born Sinner (I preferred it over Yeezus) but now it sounds so dated and like a huge missed opportunity

J. Cole was aiming for a classic he wanted a Grammy and wanted to have GKMC acclaim that's why he had classic rap samples in it (ATCQ and OutKast) and the whole "I Used to Love H.E.R." inspired concept

It's a love letter to hip hop but the execution was so lacking, he wasn't enough of a good producer to produce an entire album himself (best beat here is not his own) and have the only rap verses on it (Kendrick only did a chorus)

Absolutely cringey lyrics that aged badly (best example is the intro Villuminati) and it's not groundbreaking in any way, not lyrically, not production wise, not emotionally, not concept wise ("hip hop = girl" metaphor), utterly forgettable

The best songs in this are the singles, ironically because he didn't want to settle and make it a pop rap album like the debut

He got way better since with 2014 Forest Hill Drive and 4 Your Eyez Only, way more emotional, lyrically capable, ambitiously produced, and relatable than Born Sinner, as "mid" as you think they are they aren't as mid as Born Sinner, it's just nostaglia

Yes you could. His last 3 albums are no where near as distinctive as his first 5 or even his first 3. I don’t think that can even be argued

The "Truly Yours" songs which are leftovers from Born Sinner were better too

Born Sinner his best projcet

People still hating Yeezus is insane but we can’t all have good taste

Yeah lol I disagree with all of this.

I highly doubt Cole was chasing Kendrick with Born Sinner. Lyrically, Born Sinner was his best album until KOD.

J. Cole was chasing Kendrick with every album

2014FHD is also like GKMC (coming of age concept album)

4YEO is like TPAB (jazz / funk influences and high concept)

KOD is like DAMN (mainstream / trap inspired with a twist)

Even ROTD3 in a way is a label compilation like Black Panther

U can't put God is right next to ITAKY, and next to Fade. I'm sure u can try the same way u could try putting songs on the first 3 next to eachother but it wouldn't really mesh.

I get ur point, his last 3 aren't as distinct as his first 5 but they're still distinct enough from another. An album as weird as pablo, to a stripped down and bare album as ye to a full gospel record with Jik.

Cole was already making music like that before 2014 fam. Sideline story is exactly that.

Nah, don't see this at all.

That's not him chasing Kendrick that's him adjusting to the current times because everyone was doing that fam.

Cole has been conceptual and a storyteller from day 1 you can't just ignore this nobody would say kendrick tried chasing cole when cole was the first star to establish himself doing this. And you can't chase an artist you are bigger than. Cole was a bigger name in rap until 2017.

3 classics

Post-GKMC Cole was always behind Drake and Kendrick

Born Sinner was less popular than GKMC and Kendrick had bigger impact ever since

Can't tell me this isn't TPAB influenced

Nah this a reach

FHD and GKMC coming of age story is widely different from each other and not something new. It's been done in rap many times.

Cole was making songs like 4yeo since forever, a portion of the songs that made 4yeo were made in FHD sessions.

Kod is a legit one

Rotd3 is a label compilation like any other label compilation lol

Born sinner sold nearly 300k fw. GKMC did sideline story fw numbers.

FHD sold 350k first week while being a surprise release. TPAB sold like 320k. Cole was bigger than Kendrick until 2017. Impact is a wash.

Yeezus was a stolen album

This song sounds like it could have came out in 2010 with how J cole makes music. Kendrick doesn't even use female acts nor structures his hooks like this at all or ever raps on a beat like this lmao you are reaching.