J. Cole: the sound of a conflicted success

 

A few years ago J. Cole emerged as one of the freshest voices in hip-hop. And even when he has been often compared to Jay-Z in terms of his phrasing and inventiveness, J. Cole offers a very distinct discourse indeed. Born sinner (2013), his latest LP, deals with the challenge any young artist faces after achieving success: turning that initial naïveté into relevance. J. Cole is simply rapping about enjoying notoriety without abandoning integrity. If success represents a struggle, then Born sinner comes out definitely as a triumph. This is a very good album in terms of its coherence, tone and structure. It also features the rapper’s impressive potential as a producer. J. Cole may have found glory, but he remains loyal to his original ambition: to offer a unique sound within a genre that’s always threatened by the menace of predictability.

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