Tracklist:
- 9 5 . s o u t h (prod. Boi-1da, Maneesh & Colemxn)
- a m a r i (prod. J. Cole, T-Minus, Sucuki & Timbaland)
- m y . l i f e (feat. 21 Savage & Morray) [prod. WU10 , J. Cole & Jake One]
- a p p l y i n g . p r e s s u r e (prod. J. Cole)
- p u n c h i n’ . t h e . c l o c k (prod. Mario Luciano & Tae Beast)
- 1 0 0 . m i l’ (prod. J. Cole & T-Minus)
- p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l (feat. Lil Baby) [prod. T-Minus]
- l e t . g o . m y . h a n d (prod. WU10 , J. Cole, Frank Dukes & DJ Dahi)
- i n t e r l u d e (prod. J. Cole, T-Minus & Tommy Parker)
- t h e . c l i m b . b a c k (prod. J. Cole)
- c l o s e (prod. J. Cole)
- h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e (prod. Boi-1da, DRTWRK & Don Mills)
J. Cole has come out of the shadows in the rap game to deliver his 6th studio album The Off-Season. His last album KOD came out in 2018 to mixed reviews. And to add to that, his production on a lot of his older albums have felt out of touch with the rest of the rap game. This was due to Cole being the main producer on his albums and not wanting any features on his albums. Anyone remember the famous joke “J. Cole went double platinum with no features”? Well that mindset for Cole was detrimental for his albums over the years. Lets be real, Cole’s singing in some of his older albums left a lot to be desired….. Fortunately for this album, Cole has embraced other artists and producers to make for a better result.
The Off-Season is a short and fresh album that doesn’t have many throwaway tracks. We were given some more melodic beats along with some soul beats that Cole seamlessly raps over. The album starts with a bang with “95.south” that hits hard with some tough bars and a punchy flow from Cole. This song also provides the most well remembered line from the album (Mario/Luigi line) – which I still can’t determine if its fire or trash. The next three songs on the album all are great listens with “amari” being my favorite song on the album. This song has a great melodic feel to it – along with Cole switching up his flow and delivery within the song. One interesting tidbit here is that the beat was actually a “throwaway” from Timbaland from a Twitch stream. Timba didn’t even save the beat from the Twitch session – Cole rapped over a YouTube clip of the beat and asked Timba to recreate the beat!
While the album starts off with a bang with the first four songs, the middle starts to lose that high energy. 100.mil’ my least favorite song on the album that sounds similar to some of his older songs on his last few albums. Many complaints about Cole are that he is boring – well this song certainly falls within the boring category – along with an annoying whistle being played throughout the song. This song seems out of place with the rest of the album and could’ve easily been left out in place of another song in his archives. The middle part of the album is saved a bit by the p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l. This is a dope beat with a knocking chorus – along with 21 Savage contributing a satisfactory verse. i n t e r l u d e was released as the only single for the album – which is a low key flex to have your lead single be an interlude. Cole knows his skills are top in the game and just wanted to let everyone know.
Another favorite song of mine on this album is the last – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e. A simple sample chop sets the tone for a serious and reflective song. A perfect ending to this album that leaves you wanting more from Cole – will we see that soon or will it be another long wait? Cole has seemed hungrier in the past couple of years and has shown his willingness to work with more artists and producers recently. Let’s hope his future work is more in line with this last album, if so he will cement his legacy as one of the greatest to do it.
Verdict: The Off-Season is a very good album that lacks just a bit that prevents it from being a great album. But in comparison to his previous albums this is a clear step up in quality.
Rating: 8/10 – Fire
Favorite Tracks: 9 5 . s o u t h, a m a r i, p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l, h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e , i n t e r l u d e
Meh Tracks: 1 0 0 . m i l’
TrashFire 