Although, something that can be viewed as a negative was the neglect of any guest vocalists on the album, especially considering Cole’s production style that often caters for such artists. Macklemore beating Kendrick Lamar to the 2014 Grammy for ‘Best Rap Album’).Ĭole, as was the case on his previous album ‘Born Sinner’, chose not to have any verses from other rappers on his latest album, which is not necessarily a negative trait. Cole remarks that white artists that make music of black origin are often favoured in terms of how successful they can be, specifically with regards to the awards they receive (e.g. Cole’s aggressive flow as well as the gritty production helps to grab the listener’s attention, and the same can be said for ‘Fire Squad’ where his much-publicised lyrics about the success of white Hip Hop & R’n’B artists included mentioning Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Iggy Azalea and Macklemore. This, of course, mirrors Cole’s own situation that he faced growing up and he creates a vivid picture of such. On ‘A Tale Of 2 Citiez’ Cole speaks of the differences faced between a young man staying in his hometown trying to make money by any means, and another young man attempting to move on to bigger and hopefully better things by seeking higher education in a different city. This cannot be said for ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’, as listeners are treated to a explosive change of direction from Cole, on back to back songs ‘A Tale Of 2 Citiez’ and ‘Fire Squad’. Criticism of his previous albums that only included production from Cole himself, came from the feeling that the bodies of work did not include enough peak points, allowing the record to just drift unnoticed from start to finish. Cole album, the cohesion of the record is not affected, and people may argue that it is in fact improved because of it. Despite calling on a number of different producers, which is a first on a J. The opening track, ‘January 28th’, is a typically smooth introduction from the North Carolina wordsmith, soulfully setting the overall tone of the project, similarly to the way he began his acclaimed 2010 mixtape ‘Friday Night Lights’. The title of the album derives from the address of the house that Cole used to live in as a child, and subsequently throughout the album he revisits moments from his childhood that have affected his life. Cole returns with the succeeding project ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’. Following the release of his second studio album ‘Born Sinner’ just last year, J.
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