To the chagrin of me and other non-J. Cole fans, J. Cole decided to release a rap album this week. J. Cole is not a bad rapper by any means, but he is grossly overrated by his fans. Once upon a time, he was one of my favorite rappers and I still love his verse on "Beautiful Bliss" by Wale, but now, not so much. I mean on this album, the man made a song dedicated to folding laundry, but I digress. My opinion on J. Cole is not well-received by my friends, but I believe in my heart I am still right. Here are a few reasons why J. Cole is just average to me.
His music is like doing homework
Whenever I listen to J. Cole, I often end up looking at how much time is left in the song. It may seem dramatic, but listening to his music makes me think of being in lecture hall. Music is about being entertained or inspired, but J. Cole does neither of that for me most of the time.
His music has as much flavor as bread
I do not know if it his voice or his topics, but he seems fairly flat in most of his songs. Sure, his lyrics are conscious, but he often fails to grab my attention with his songs like he used to. On his mixtapes before his first album, he seemed really energetic and full of life, but now I do not feel that same spark. People joke about his lyrics putting them to sleep, but my friend played him on a road trip and I was out. I thanked her for playing J. Cole to help me snooze (she was not amused by my answer though).
He does not have enough features
Yes, I know J. Cole went double platinum with no features and that in itself is incredible. Sometimes you get tired of listening to someone’s voice, so you want someone else’s voice, but not with J. Cole. You only hear him throughout the album, with his boring voice and all. Maybe if somebody came in on the second verse with something different, I would have the capability to finish his songs easier, but that will not happen.
His fans have a complex
Those who criticize J. Cole’s naysayers often dismiss his criticism with smug remarks. They either say you are not intelligent enough to understand his music or that you are simple-minded and like stereotypical rap music. Every time you criticize J. Cole, they immediately assume your favorite rapper is Young Thug, Lil Yacthy or Lil Uzi because you cannot comprehend his music. All entertainers have their obsessive fans, but his have to be up there with Drake’s for the most sensitive. As someone who slanders every rapper that has ever existed, I only get opposition on my comments whenever it is one of those two. Still, J. Cole fans prop him up like he is near Kendrick’s level, which is certainly not true. It is as if people listen to J. Cole just to say they listen to J. Cole.
