J. Cole - KOD (Discussion Thread)

[gluvnast]

It's not my fault that you think that matters when we have content and music to judge them by.

J. Cole's body of work isn't touching Kendrick's so even with your argument being that Cole calls his own number and releases whatever, whenever... it hasn't resulted in him putting out superior projects than Kendrick. So maybe, Cole should have somebody else's input on his projects other than his own.

That's subjective. Having a bias of who's body of work is superior over another's have zero to do with creative freedom. It just mean you like one artist's body of work than another. The only thing you stated that is a fair argument and the reason why you have label heads handle artist development and so forth is that many artists assume that anything they'll put out is going to be great and the response turns out negatively. Case in point with Kendrick and TPAB.... are creatively expansive that album was, it was still his LOWEST selling album to date. I don't think it went platinum or it barely did due to live streams. It isn't a coincidence that a blatantly more commercially accessible DAMN. was highly received. Kendrick had to make a compromising album to where you have people like Rihanna and U2 on it, have some Mike Will Made It and 9th Wonder production on it and not be as musically experimental while still maintaining his lyrical expression and honesty. The labels having a say because it is THEIR LABEL isn't a bad thing all the time. It is only bad when they aren't serving the best interest with the artist.

J. Cole, due to his consistent conflicts with Columbia records left him with a bad taste dealing with the industry machine as a whole. That's why he's been reclusive and only releases music when he feels like. He is totally free to do so, because once he finished his label obligations he put his own label onto the same distribution deal as TDE with Interscope. So he doesn't have to answer to anyone. According to some of his artists, even THEY didn't know what J. Cole was putting out or that he even was putting out an album. You can criticize it for whatever he does musically because there's no label head that he has to answer to, but it is still the fact that he is totally free to do so whenever he and only he feels like it.

 

[leoc]

i remember reading that theory about the album before it dropped that edward was used because its a "king" name. but cole's brother said that their ex-step-dad's name is edward, so that might be why its kill edward

 

[Izanami]

@GoldenGlove and @CrimsonTider do this in every topic about Cole.

Gotta put Cole down to prop up Lupe/Kendrick/Drake

Those clowns ain't fooling nobody

 

[Larry]

Imagine being this shook to express yourself

Diddy and Mase really did a number on hiphop with that PhD shyt :dayum:

If somebody doesn't like something, its a conspiracy...the times we live in

Expressing yourself, and dedicating time and effort to put down something that has ZERO effect on you are not the same. Don’t play dumb and miss the point, you’re smarter than that..



If I buy a pair of shoes from Nike and they completely fall apart, I’m not gonna spend the next 8 years continuously buying Nike products whenever there’s a new release, and ranting about how bad they are on message boards.


That literally makes no logical sense.



and it’s what nikkas who pretend to not like J. Cole yet continuously listen to his music to critique it do..


I think Michael Bay makes awful movies. Am I racing to the theater to see whatever he directs, to critique if? No. Why? Because I think he sucks. Why would I spend my time watching films from someone I clearly don’t like?


am I not making sense? Obviously there’s gonna be FAN’s with real criticisms, and those are very EASY to separate from the clear agenda driven trolling. Don’t play stupid my brother. Love

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

Heard J Cole album broke a Spotify record for most streams.

Cole owns the masters to all of it.

 

[CrimsonTider]

It was mainly workout. Cause the other songs wasnt commercial enough so he didn’t a release

He tired to push who dat and blow up as the singles. Both far from sellout songs. Then he went to the drawing board to try and craft s commercial single which was a when he compromised his sound

My point is that when we're talking about "creative freedom" from J. Cole and Kendrick, it's evident that Cole's has made more compromises in his catalog in comparison. I didn't even list shyt like Crooked Smile and Wet Dreamz which are just cringeworthy for me.



@gluvnast made a claim that Kendrick has less creative freedom than Cole, and I'm saying based off of the content they've dropped, I don't agree.

Cole has never had to comprise his sound or creativity.

Wet Dreamz and Crooked Smile are not "label records"

Just cause you think they are bad songs doesn't mean that they weren't Coles idea

 

[Ribbs]

I liked it. Had my doubts but he came through and drop a p dope project. Didn't feel too Joe Clark with the ruler when it came to the "diss record", it was cool but I'm not really here for this passive aggressive shyt (like when he rapped about Wale on Everybody Dies). Unfortunately, it's unclear who he's talking about because so many of these young rappers all rap about taking drugs heavily and have funny names lol.

He didn't reinvent the wheel but he said some shyt we haven't heard enough of. I'll keep listening.

 

[GoldenGlove]

I liked it. Had my doubts but he came through and drop a p dope project. Didn't feel too Joe Clark with the ruler when it came to the "diss record", it was cool but I'm not really here for this passive aggressive shyt (like when he rapped about Wale on Everybody Dies). Unfortunately, it's unclear who he's talking about because so many of these young rappers all rap about taking drugs heavily and have funny names lol.

He didn't reinvent the wheel but he said some shyt we haven't heard enough of. I'll keep listening.

I'm not sure why people are getting so caught up in who exactly he's talking to in 1985. I took it as him clearly shytting any artist that fits the description, and not anyone in particular.

 

[BigMan]

Crooked Smiles is a banger fukk what you heard

 

[MeachTheMonster]

It's not my fault that you think that matters when we have content and music to judge them by.

J. Cole's body of work isn't touching Kendrick's so even with your argument being that Cole calls his own number and releases whatever, whenever... it hasn't resulted in him putting out superior projects than Kendrick. So maybe, Cole should have somebody else's input on his projects other than his own.

And there's the reason @GoldenGlove spends so much time in Cole threads

 

[Bald Head Ba$tard]

Well it's WAY better than 4 Your Eyez Only....and on another level....VERY different than his first four official LP's (Cole World, Born Sinner, 2014FHD, 4.Y.E.O.)

Something made this nikka SNAP. That's for-sure. Gotta re-listen again.

 

[Ricky43]

Can't Get Enough
Mr. Nice Watch
Work Out
Nobody's Perfect
Who Dat
Blow Up

Who really has revisionist history?

Dude only time cole made a compromising record was workout, who Dat was something he would come out with at the time if you already were familiar with his music. You were talking about his debut I mean since then he hasn’t had any songs that you would say ain’t true to him.

Those songs you named with the exception of 2, and the 2nd one was his compromise song, are all after his major label debut and at that point it was all him after that. He was in control.

So like I said this plenty of songs stuff you type of invalid.

Kendrick has to make humble and run to mike will while Cole does what he wants.

If Cole made “Humble” people would have looked at him crazy.

What other artist besides Cole is performing their whole album front to back at arenas for multiple albums? Can anybody do that? Why he had to be the first if Drake/Kendrick Albums are that good when they drop?

 

[Tim Dripcan]

Heard J Cole album broke a Spotify record for most streams.

Cole owns the masters to all of it.

He's wise for owning all of it. Meanwhile, grown ass men in this same thread agruging over nonsense about Cole and his old albums. Like who cares. Just listen and chill. It's not that serious.


With this album and GOW game dropping. Why would you be mad?

 

[Maximus Rex]

Think I'm starting to like ATM

 

[Ineedmoney504]

Dude only time cole made a compromising record was workout, who Dat was something he would come out with at the time if you already were familiar with his music. You were talking about his debut I mean since then he hasn’t had any songs that you would say ain’t true to him.

Those songs you named with the exception of 2, and the 2nd one was his compromise song, are all after his major label debut and at that point it was all him after that. He was in control.

So like I said this plenty of songs stuff you type of invalid.

Kendrick has to make humble and run to mike will while Cole does what he wants.

If Cole made “Humble” people would have looked at him crazy.

What other artist besides Cole is performing their whole album front to back at arenas for multiple albums? Can anybody do that? Why he had to be the first if Drake/Kendrick Albums are that good when they drop?

I think Cole can put off a humble song with his fambase. But I don’t think he could pull off the energy or hype that Kendrick brought to the song.