Album Review 1

In this first blog, I’m going to be explaining primarily what my blog will be

about. Week by week, I am going to be reviewing some of my favorite past rap albums and explaining some of the meaning behind certain songs.

First up on the list we have 2014 Forest Hills Drive by rapper Jermaine Cole, also known as J. Cole. This album was released December 9, 2014. It was Cole’s 5th album and 3rd major studio album. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is undoubtedly Cole’s most successful. What makes this album so successful is the story that Cole tells to his audience. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is a breakdown of various points in Cole’s life. “03’ Adolescence” brings about how Cole felt insecure and lacked confidence as a youth. Cole talks about how he always felt like everyone else was much better than him and he talks about how he dealt with his confidence issues. Another song that represents a major point in Cole’s life is “A Tale of 2 Citiez.” Cole raps about his transition from moving from his small hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina to New York City. He raps about how different NYC life is because of the obsession with materialistic goods. In “No Role Modelz,” Cole tells us about how he learned how to grow up without a father figure in his life. He talks about having no one to look up to and how he used Television character to help become a better man.

In conclusion, this album is so successful because of Cole’s ability to

make it relatable to the average person. He doesn’t rap about how rich he is, he talks about his past struggles and how he got through them. I would definitely recommend listening to this album if you haven’t before, not just because of the great music but also because of the relatable message Cole puts out.