Still don't know when anybody said the album was going to be a classic. I know for a fact it's going to better than that garbage Wiz put out. Will be better than Wale and Cole's albums too.
Who is the person at the center of all this outward projection? We still don't really know. Cole's second, attention-grabbing mixtape, 2009's The Warm Up, positioned him as an upstart unmoored from traditional conventions, an artist who could switch up flows, rap furiously and build his own hooks; Born Sinner finds himself standing in about the same place he was on Cole World: The Sideline Story, but the green room here is a little nicer.
Once in a while he can create something catchy-- the Miguel-featuring "Power Trip" almost seems like it was designed in a lab for radio rotation but the album as a whole splices together musical eras and reference without much purpose.
At its best, Born Sinner, showcases J. Cole's overall musicality, pairing his ability as a lyricist with a more broadly developed production palette. In a heat, he can rattle off some fierce rejoinders (See: "nikkaz Know"). But several releases deep into Cole's growing catalogue, we haven't been delivered the savior that Jay-Z's "A Star is Born" seemed to anoint. (The latter's current indifference to Cole has become so pronounced that Cole has to keep squashing beef rumors.) Though much has been made of Cole's decision to bump up Born Sinner's release to the same day as Kanye's Yeezus, Cole is popular to a degree that suggests his sales will be competitive with Kanye's divisive-by-design Yeezus. That popularity, which has grown through a handful of big singles, is a testament to the fans who've been with him since his come up, fans rewarded with a recent string of $1 "Dollar and a Dream" performances taking place this week. But Born Sinner didn't turn out to be a reward in itself.
Lol at y'all acting like Born Sinner was an incredible body of work. His average metacritic score was a 71. Album was average like most critics have stated. Like I have been telling y'all for years J.Cole has peaked already. Same rap topics and boring beats. No progression at all.
Both Deadendhiphop and Theneedledrop called the album average. Y'all stans can keep hyping up the album tho. Sean will easily put out a better project. Niggas gonna be in denial in 2 weeks. Keep the nosigns coming lol.
