Yeah, I know. I said this would be the third review last week, but I just didn’t get around to it. Been a huge J. Cole fan, so it’s always nice to see artists you’ve been into for years finally put together and release their debut LP. Not to mention, sell 217,000 copies of it.

Hit the jump for the review and don’t sleep on this record. Just don’t.

-grizzly

Artist: J. Cole
Album: Cole World: The Sideline Story
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Record Label: Roc Nation

History does repeat itself. In 2011, J. Cole is releasing his debut LP, Cole World: The Sideline Story as a 26-year-old signed to Jay-Z’s imprint label, Roc Nation. Coincidentally enough, Jay-Z released his debut LP, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996 as a 26 year old too. Even with this immense co-sign, it’s hard to feel that it was a gift without a curse. Sorry, that was way too easy.

Was J. Cole destined for the same super-stardom as his label head? Will he be just another ‘XXL freshman’ who releases a slew of mixtapes, builds a buzz, sells some albums and finds himself saturating the mixtape market again? After hearing Cole World, it’s currently a lean towards the former. Simply put, Cole’s released one of the best rap debuts, putting him far and above the rest of his “freshman” peers and classmates.

J. Cole is a personable, level-headed rapper with a college degree in mass communications who has also plotted out his every move since the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up. He spaced out the releases of his mixtapes (including successors The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights), got on the right tours, put out the right tracks and released the right beats. Up until this point, he seemed to have a formulaic grasp of production, as his mixtapes were loaded with beats that seemed to be rehashes of his other beats.

And now, you’ll be hard pressed to argue against the display of his production on Cole World. Whether it’s the full marching band, horn-fueled arrangements on “Rise and Shine,” or the live piano and percussion on “Sideline Story,” the album is layered and arranged seamlessly and skillfully. It seems as though he’s taken a page from the book of Kanye West, and saved the best beats for this particular LP, releasing anything that fell short of that caliber free on any number of his mixtapes.

Cole’s diverse background entails that of the most ‘rags to riches’ rappers out there, but he maintains a certain level of poise and intelligence, delivered through his brainy lyrics and penchant of storytelling, not unlike the styles of 2pac and Nas. And I’m sure you’re wondering how an East Coast and West Coast legend get lumped together in the “Recommended if You Like” section of J. Cole’s musical profile. Being from Fayetteville, growing up on 2pac albums and going to college in the Northeast are just a handful of circumstances that led to this record. On “Lost Ones,” Cole brings you into the life of a couple amidst a quarrel about unplanned pregnancies and pending abortions. An unlikely topic for a debut LP, but not unlike the tales of infidelity on “Never Told” or even the anecdotes found within his album interludes.

And as far as guest spots go, J. Cole takes the road less traveled and didn’t over saturate it. Instead, he limited cameos to hook duties, a meager verse from Drake and a show-stealing verse from bossman Jay-Z on the Watch the Throne-esque “Mr. Nice Watch.” We’ll chalk that up as payback for what J. Cole did on Blueprint 3’s “A Star is Born.” Outside of that, you have a record-label prerequisite pop hook from Trey Songz on “Can’t Get Enough,” along with a rare appearance from Missy Elliott, who forgoes emceeing for melody on “Nobody’s Perfect.”

For all intents and purposes, this is one of the few true debut LPs that have come out in the last few years, as its sole focus remains not on who’s featured, but on J. Cole – both for his rapping and producing. The last guy who walked this path dropped The College Dropout in 2004, and has released 4 other critically-lauded albums since. And while J. Cole’s career is only beginning and has yet to be explored further than a few successful tours and a debut LP, The Sideline Story is a perfect jump-off.

Grade: 9.0/10