J. Cole released his debut project in 2007, and now, almost two decades and six consecutive US No.1 albums later, the North Carolina MC is still wrestling with the weight of the expectations that he has, in part, thrust upon himself. Since it was first teased on the closing track of his 2018 project KOD, this album has slowly taken on a life of its own. Allowing fans’ hunger for an album to grow completely out of control is, and always will be, the most surefire way to kill its chance of success.
To get away from that pressure, Cole turns inwards and focuses the lens on himself. The album is split into two distinct halves: Disc 29 and Disc 39, representing his state of mind during two visits back to his hometown at those ages respectively. The track list is organised to present a classic tale of his evolution and decline as an artist, father, and friend.
As on previous projects, J. Cole pays tribute to the history that inspired his artistry. ‘I Love Her Again’ is a nod to Common’s ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.’. ‘The Fall-Off Is Inevitable’ is clearly influenced by Nas’ 2001 Stillmatic track ‘Rewind’. ‘Bunce Road Blues’ takes lyrics from Usher’s ‘Nice & Slow,’ but through all these references there is a struggle to offer anything unique.
His commercial success easily quantifies him as one of the most acclaimed rap artists of all time, and yet that level of success has never secured him a comparable level of cultural relevance or legacy. There are many plausible explanations for this, but it’s certain that J. Cole’s over-reliance on including cultural and historical references dims his ability to stand out on the merit of his own talents. Cole remains defined not by achievement, but by potential — driven by the idea that his technical brilliance has never quite translated into a legacy-cementing body of work.
While plenty of moments on The Fall-Off are reminiscent of the thrill of his early mixtapes, the earworms of his 2010s hits, or his more experimental work on KOD, none of these feelings materialise in any meaningful quantity here. Looking past the hype and the external narrative, it feels like just another J. Cole album.
“J. Cole” by DeShaun Craddock is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.