Jermaine Cole (J. Cole) is a popular rapper, known for being honest and using his platform to express his opinion on serious issues going on in the world. He speaks on racism, drug abuse and women’s rights throughout all of his music. All of his albums are worth listening to, especially in his most recent album, KOD (Kids on Drugs, Kids Overdosed or Kill Our Demons). The entire album reflects on J. Cole’s beliefs about drug abuse and how the effects of his mom’s drug addiction made him the person he is today. Something really respectable about the artist is how open he is and isn’t afraid of backlash. This album, unlike others, give listeners something to relate to. Here are some of the most powerful songs on the album:

KOD

This song probably stands out the most to me. Cole discusses how people want him to include features of other artists in his music, and he makes it very clear he wants to have his music be his and only his. This left people confused on who “kiLL Edward” is. “kiLL Edward” is Cole’s alter ego who is featured in “FRIENDS” and “The Cut Off”. I appreciate how the rapper is so different from other artists because he speaks about things others usually don’t. I respect J Cole’s honesty, he gives the truth that people don’t want to hear. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to be as honest as he is with such a big audience.

Kevin’s Heart

On this track Cole talks about how it’s difficult for a celebrity to resist all the women who are after them when they’re in a relationship. The artist explains how celebrities wish they could be loyal to their fully eligible partner, but they just can’t resist the temptations they face due to fame. This song definitely shows the more honest side of J. Cole, but I would say it doesn’t send the right message. He typically uses his platform for good, yet he uses this specific song to try to defend people for cheating on their partners. Cole is known for being a controversial artist. I appreciate his honesty but I can also see how someone could get the wrong message from this song, yet the music itself is good. 

Once an Addict – Interlude

Cole opens up in this track and talks about how his mother is an addict and an alcoholic. He wanted to escape from her so he didn’t have to feel the pain, he wonders why his mom would do this to herself. The artist also says that there are other ways to deal with pain. You can really hear Cole’s anger, frustration and pain come out in this song. Cole is very brave for pouring this much emotion into a song and putting himself out there, especially in the rap industry.

FRIENDS

This song was written to call out Cole’s friends who are struggling with addiction. He expresses the reason why many people end up on a bad path is because of the trauma they faced during childhood.  A message that stood out in the song was to meditate instead of medicating, “ Meditate, meditate, meditate, meditate. Don’t medicate, medicate, don’t medicate, medicate” The artist is trying to say that drugs aren’t a good way to cope with depression and that drugs will just take someone down into a deeper depression. I really appreciate how Cole uses his platform to speak about issues like addiction unlike many other rappers. This rapper is very open with his music and isn’t afraid to call out fellow artists for what they’ve done. I don’t like the soundtrack on this song, but I do like how the artist uses his platform to help others.

Window Pain – Outro

I’ve talked about how J Cole is honest and unapologetically himself, and how that separates him from other rappers. Something that really separates him though is how much emotion he put into this track. Cole includes an honest self reflection and owns up to his mistakes throughout life. The rapper shares that his goals in life is to take care of the people he’s surrounded by, mainly his family, and after all his hard work and struggles to celebrate his success. The artist stays humble by recognizing all of the blessings he’s been given compared to others. Cole does an excellent job on this track, you can tell the amount of emotion he put in the song. If you’re looking for a good song to cry to, this track is worth a listen.

1985 – Intro to “The Fall Off”

The song 1985 has been taken by people as a diss track talking about the rappers nowadays. Cole talks about how the rappers nowadays are always rapping about subjects that aren’t important, although that was his mindset at that age. You can see the egotistical side come out in Cole with this song, which isn’t the best trait.This song has a good beat and is very catchy, but I don’t like how Cole makes an argument statement, but then defends the other side. His opinion is very unclear in this specific song, therefore it is my least favorite track on the album.

My overall rating on the album would be four stars out of five because the tracks on this album are sending mixed messages. Cole talks about peace and love in one song, and in the next he’s bashing people very publicly. I wish his messages were more clear in specific songs but overall J. Cole did an excellent job telling his stories.