Friday Night Lights should have been Cole's debut album.

[Mike the Executioner]

Whoever told Cole he didn't have any hits and forced him to make FNL a mixtape was setting him up to fail. This was everything Sideline Story tried to be.

Premeditated Murder

2Face

Blow Up

See World

In the Morning

 

[Jaguar93]

I agree I was so disappointed in sideline story

 

[mikishere]

yup. the warm up and friday night lights were mixtape classics. its the reason why i was so disappointed in trash ass sideline story.

 

[2ATMsYouSteppinOrWhat]

Fold

 

[hitmonlee]

he def let nas down with that trash ass sideline story album

 

[Jaguar93]

Kendrick had the best debut album outta the big 3.

 

[spliz]

Whoever told Cole he didn't have any hits and forced him to make FNL a mixtape was setting him up to fail. This was everything Sideline Story tried to be.

Premeditated Murder

2Face

Blow Up

See World

In the Morning

I still feel like Enchanted is a top 3 Cole song.

 

[Busby]

It WAS suppose to be his debut album. With the exceptions of the freestyles, “Best Friend” remix, and the G.O.O.D Friday joint.

A majority of that mixtape was intended for his debut album. But Hov/Roc Nation shot down a majority of the records because he didn’t have that “big 1st single” in their eyes.

Thats we ended up with “Sideline Story.”

 

[Ziggiy]

It WAS his debut album. Hov told him he was staying on the shelf until he made a hit. He tried with Who Dat but it flopped and in desperation he made Work Out, which was a hit and got him a release date.

Before Work Out he dropped FNL to keep his buzz going.


What Hov and a bunch of other Label Heads and A&R’s didn’t realize was that those very same mixtapes that got them signed WERE these artists debut albums. So Far Gone was already Drake’s debut album. The Warm Up was already Cole’s debut album. The fanbase was already there and ready to support. There was no need to force radio hits.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

honestly haven’t enjoyed a cole project as much since. He’s had a disappointing music career coming off those two mixtapes imo

nikkas have been generous with giving him FHD classic status

 

[Renegade47]

that was a time when they tried to “polish” mixtape rappers it always failed.

then you’d call them out and they’d say some scripted shyt like “they dont want to see you grow” naw nikka we dont wanna see you put out garbage

 

[spliz]

It WAS his debut album. Hov told him he was staying on the shelf until he made a hit. He tried with Who Dat but it flopped and in desperation he made Work Out, which was a hit and got him a release date.

Before Work Out he dropped FNL to keep his buzz going.


What Hov and a bunch of other Label Heads and A&R’s didn’t realize was that those very same mixtapes that got them signed WERE these artists debut albums. So Far Gone was already Drake’s debut album. The Warm Up was already Cole’s debut album. The fanbase was already there and ready to support. There was no need to force radio hits.

Yea Hov fukked Cole over wit that.

 

[Soymuscle Mike]

This why BORN SINNER is basically his Fukk Hov album.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

its funny cause even when cole got super popular it seems like jay never really acknowledged him like that. And they both got dreads and fake deep so im not sure what the disconnect is

 

[No1]

It WAS his debut album. Hov told him he was staying on the shelf until he made a hit. He tried with Who Dat but it flopped and in desperation he made Work Out, which was a hit and got him a release date.

Before Work Out he dropped FNL to keep his buzz going.


What Hov and a bunch of other Label Heads and A&R’s didn’t realize was that those very same mixtapes that got them signed WERE these artists debut albums. So Far Gone was already Drake’s debut album. The Warm Up was already Cole’s debut album. The fanbase was already there and ready to support. There was no need to force radio hits.

I disagree, I would’ve done the same thing - this is hindsight. In real time, no artist has ever blown up and sold 200k first week just off mixtapes without a hit for their major label debut. You were asking those labels to bet on the unknown with artists they had invested in heavily. Hip hop has never produced a superstar who didn’t have hit records first.

@spliz Cole fukked himself over. He could’ve dropped FNL with Work Out and Hov would’ve put out the album. No one told him to drop the whole album. Dude could’ve just put out the Drake record and sat on it to see if it was moving and if the label would out money behind it. He acted emotionally and didn’t understand the business. You can even see it in how he runs Dreamville - dude hates promotion and has to be forced to do it.