Dec 15, 2024

Yes, yes and yes. Welcome of The Warm Up is what made me a fan.

 

Dec 15, 2024

Truly Yours 1 and 2 are a must

 

Dec 15, 2024

We getting hits baby. It's such an emphasis of the Inevitable series and he's clearly very proud of the songwriter he's become. I have to assume the best songs him and T-Minus have made have been held for the album too. I think The Fall Off is getting to the apex of all aspecets of his artistry.

 

Dec 15, 2024

100% yes. All of em are on streaming. Easy access. FNL a classic.

Lotta Cole gems throughout such as Before I’m Gone, Back to the Topic, 2Face, See World, I Get Up, Welcome, Heartache, Grown Simba.

 

Dec 15, 2024

Thanks for the recommendations guys I’ll check it out

 

Dec 15, 2024

Got the Bills game on mute listening to music. This is beautiful

 

Dec 16, 2024

Aight he's my Cole debut. I've been messing around with it since TWU came to streaming.

Talez From the Sideline

It's a two part concept where the Sideline is a double entendre. It's nonlinear and starts out in present time with Cole on the sideline of the industry. The main conflict is how does Cole blow up without losing himself in the process. This part of the story ends with Farewell. "When, it's over send me back, I swear I'm not gonna change a thing". It's open ended whether he did or didn't lose himself while blowing up. In the second part he goes back to Fayetteville with Cole on the sideline of street life, poverty, broken homes, dreams etc. Almost like the Ghost of Christmas Past. He's observing the past and can't change it. This second part serves as an explanation of Cole, his upbringing and where his values come from. Why it's so important to him to blow up but remain himself and share his hopes and dreams to the widest possible audience. This part ends with Cole leaving the Ville in I Get Up, a triumph of his dreams where he promises his mom that he's going to overcome and blow up. Chronologically the next song would be Too Deep for the Intro.

1. Too Deep for the Intro
2. Grown Simba
3. Blow Up
4. Can't Get Enough
5. Work Out
6. The Autograph
7. Premeditated Murder
8. Hold It Down
9. Farewell
10. Before I'm Gone
11. Dollar and a Dream II
12. Enchanted
13. 2Face
14. The Badness
15. Lights Please
16. Breakdown
17. I Get Up

 

Dec 16, 2024

Yes some of his best work. Listen to Before I'm Gone and you'll realize you need to listen to it all

 

Dec 16, 2024

The site crashed?

 

Dec 16, 2024

It crashed for me the other day. Today it’s been slow

 

Dec 16, 2024

Who else is watching the live stream?

 

Dec 16, 2024

When the show start?? I just exit out lol. The DJ part was dope..

I’m guessing the s--- start at 9:30?

 

Dec 16, 2024

I’m tuned in bro!

 

Dec 16, 2024

Live stream was dope, felt like it was the FHD tour again

 

Dec 17, 2024

I loved the whole thing but Hello sounded niiiice

 

Dec 17, 2024

New music he said for Dreamville Fest

 

Dec 17, 2024

The Fall Off. I think the window for It's A Boy has now passed. If The Fall Off is after Dreamville Fest then they'll need to do another one the following year lol. I think that's the deadline.

 

Dec 17, 2024

This is my personal album and mixtape rankings at this time. I can't really mix them together. Feel like it's too apples and oranges. This has changed over the years but here we are as of today. I'll do mixtapes later.

1. 2014 Forest Hills Drive
A classic that's stood the rest of time. This is the album he always intended to make and we always wanted as fans. This album hit commercially, creatively and culturally. It's a classic album of the era whether media admits it or not.

2. KOD
Probably controversial. I love this album. His vocal performance and the way it's mixed is the best of his career. The sonics, sound choices, artwork, everything, perfectly match the concept of the record. There's no skips and some extremely high highs. It's a great capsule of that moment and I think the record that set the stage for him to have this level of longevity. Broke him out of the box creatively.

3. The Off Season
No skips. Great beat selection. The best rapping he's ever displayed on an album. A triumph in every way. This is an album of "feature Cole". On this album, I think he fully realized that he's a "layup line" hitmaker. Which suits him best. It's below the other two due to the lack of concept. The Cole that gives you goosebumps is my favorite and that's just not what this record is aiming for.

4. 4 Your Eyez Only
Possibly his highest highs on albums. 4YEO (the song) is an all time rap song. Change is outstanding. Really great stuff and I think he largely nails the concept. It's just a little spotty on the execution for me. I don't hate the downbeat jazzy stuff but he doesn't knock it out of the park the way I think he could now.

5. Might Delete Later
His best rapper alive tape was overshadowed by shooting himself in the foot by releasing a diss song he didn't believe in. That aside, this is a carefree album where they just hit record on him when he was reaching the summit. No overthinking. Not much polish. No rhyme or reason for why the songs are together. But the beats are universally hard and Cole's rhyming is top notch. Doesn't hit super high peaks but also doesn't have any bad songs either. This is sonically his most versatile record, showing off everything he is now capable of executing.

6. Born Sinner
The best music that he made outside of his comfort zone. It's largely well executed. Good production. Good rapping. There's just no soul there to me. It doesn't feel true to his artistry. I still like it, though.

7. Cole World: The Sideline Story
Kind of a disaster. Piecemealed together with songs clearly made at different times and under different circumstances. Lost Ones, Breakdown on the same album as Cole World and Mr. Nice Watch is kind of nonsense. When I did my debut in the post above there were only 3 songs from this album on there. Can't Get Enough and Workout are legitimately good, though.

Bonus: ROTD 3
Not really a Cole album but qualitatively I'd put it in the KOD/TOS range. It's a great record.

 

Dec 17, 2024

Aight here's my mixtape rankings. This will be controversial but no hot takes. This is just how I feel.

1. Truly Yours Series
Cheating a little bit and putting these together. These songs show the very best of Cole. The storytelling, emotion, empathy and wisdom are turned up to 11. The production is lowkey and matches the tone and vibe of the lyrics perfectly. Can I Holla At Ya, Crunch Time and Kenny Lofton are among his greatest songs to this day. It didn't have the impact culturally of The Warm Up or Friday Night Lights but the music is superior IMO. An absolute classic and a shining light in a dark time of his career.

2. The Warm Up
A blended mixtape of originals and freestyles that is a h--- of an introduction to him as an artist. The freestyles are hard but it's the original songs that shine. I Get Up, Grown Simba and Lights Please are "10 year vet" level of polish and made many of us believers. This mixtape was a moment and upon revisiting it heavy these last few weeks, has absolutely stood the test of time. It's status as a classic is deserved.

3. Friday Night Lights
This is a classic mixtape, regardless of me ranking it third. This was Cole's first big moment and raised the stakes for his debut that he ultimately couldn't deliver on. This is where the B*** of the Fayetteville stories that should've made up his debut ended up. It's just rock solid all around. I rank it below the other two because it doesn't hit the same highs but it's more consistent overall. It's some more refined production away from being a classic debut album.

4. The Come Up
Gotta be last because the format of mixtapes at that time is dated. Having said that, I've really enjoyed listening to it the last few weeks. He is a prodigiously gifted rapper and is showing off how smooth he is on the mic. It's lacking the great original tracks of the other mixtapes but it's a worthy debut and solid for what it is.

 

Dec 18, 2024

Yall know a dope debut album name cole could’ve had??? “MOHAMMED’S CRIB”

damnnn, wish I was on Cole’s team lol, some s--- I would’ve suggested back then lol..