Albums J. Cole - The Off-Season (Discussion Thread)

[Mike the Executioner]

Weird that he says this because he’s been fukkin wit Kendrick from jump. Giving him beats and all kinda shyt. Same with Drake. He been doing songs wit Drake since before he had his official first album. So it’s weird to hear that that was his mentality.

I think it makes sense. He never hated or even disliked them, but there was a time where in the back of his mind, he might have looked at them as threats. Cole seems to apply a competitive attitude to a lot of what he does, so that made it more fun for him. At the end of the day, he would go back to that mentality where he's trying to kill you, regardless of how he feels about you.

It wasn't until he got older and started competing with himself more that he understood that Kendrick and Drake aren't people that he needs to try and go through. The unspoken competition disappeared.

 

[Ziggiy]

Weird that he says this because he’s been fukkin wit Kendrick from jump. Giving him beats and all kinda shyt. Same with Drake. He been doing songs wit Drake since before he had his official first album. So it’s weird to hear that that was his mentality.

Well he hasn’t worked with either of them officially in about 7 years so it makes sense.

Drake was on Sideline Story (though the song itself predates the album)


Kendrick was on Born Sinner (Though that was just a hook)


Then he went for dolo and had NO features on any of his last three albums so it would indeed seem like he took the competitive nature of Hip Hop to heart. He just didn’t announce so heartily and publicly the way Kendrick did on Control.

 

[Music Fiend]

I also don’t like the mixing on this , I think it’s bringing down the album a bit

i felt like that initally too.

Weird that he says this because he’s been fukkin wit Kendrick from jump. Giving him beats and all kinda shyt. Same with Drake. He been doing songs wit Drake since before he had his official first album. So it’s weird to hear that that was his mentality.

shyt is weird, but I guess I've never competed at that level. Always felt like none of em were close.

But this also makes me feel like before they all retire they are gonna do something together if they are all talking now

 

[spliz]

Well he hasn’t worked with either of them officially in about 7 years so it makes sense.

Drake was on Sideline Story (though the song itself predates the album)


Kendrick was on Born Sinner (Though that was just a hook)


Then he went for dolo and had NO features on any of his last three albums so it would indeed seem like he took the competitive nature of Hip Hop to heart. He just didn’t announce so heartily and publicly the way Kendrick did on Control.

But the way he spoke in that vid. Was like he didn’t mess wit them too much on a personal level too heavy because of his competitive nature and now he genuinely wants to be cool wit them. Which like I said. Makes no sense if ur actually familiar with his history with these 2 cats. nikka literally fought Diddy over Kendrick. And it was about the Control verse. nikka had a collab album in the works with Kendrick. He gave Kendrick beats. He’s collabed with Drake on more than one occasion. shyt Kendrick said he came up with TPAB after a conversation with Cole on a flight. Cause his direction for that album was completely different initially. Which makes sense cause it was after Control. Cole and Kendrick swapped beats and did freestyles over them as well from FHD and TPAB. I know for sure I always felt Kendrick was the one who stifled the collab project with them and Kendrick actually blamed himself in an interview while Cole said it’s scheduling issues on why it will prolly never happen. I just had a feeling they messed wit eachother heavy on a personal tip especially Cole and Kendrick.

 

[dubsmith_nz]

Well he hasn’t worked with either of them officially in about 7 years so it makes sense.

Drake was on Sideline Story (though the song itself predates the album)


Kendrick was on Born Sinner (Though that was just a hook)


Then he went for dolo and had NO features on any of his last three albums so it would indeed seem like he took the competitive nature of Hip Hop to heart. He just didn’t announce so heartily and publicly the way Kendrick did on Control.

Kendrick was on "Under The Sun" on the Dreamville album last year and he was also on the hook of the track he did with Jeezy. They did those Black Friday freestyles a few years ago as well.

I still hope they release "Temptation" one day.

 

[Ribbs]

Bas wants to be James Fauntleroy so bad. I just saw they added the features, didn't realize it was him

 

[Big Boss]

But the way he spoke in that vid. Was like he didn’t mess wit them too much on a personal level too heavy because of his competitive nature and now he genuinely wants to be cool wit them. Which like I said. Makes no sense if ur actually familiar with his history with these 2 cats. nikka literally fought Diddy over Kendrick. And it was about the Control verse. nikka had a collab album in the works with Kendrick. He gave Kendrick beats. He’s collabed with Drake on more than one occasion. shyt Kendrick said he came up with TPAB after a conversation with Cole on a flight. Cause his direction for that album was completely different initially. Which makes sense cause it was after Control. Cole and Kendrick swapped beats and did freestyles over them as well from FHD and TPAB. I know for sure I always felt Kendrick was the one who stifled the collab project with them and Kendrick actually blamed himself in an interview while Cole said it’s scheduling issues on why it will prolly never happen. I just had a feeling they messed wit eachother heavy on a personal tip especially Cole and Kendrick.

Good points

 

[Big Boss]

Well he hasn’t worked with either of them officially in about 7 years so it makes sense.

Drake was on Sideline Story (though the song itself predates the album)


Kendrick was on Born Sinner (Though that was just a hook)


Then he went for dolo and had NO features on any of his last three albums so it would indeed seem like he took the competitive nature of Hip Hop to heart. He just didn’t announce so heartily and publicly the way Kendrick did on Control.

Didn't kendrick and cole have that black friday freestyle a couple of years ago???

 

[spliz]

Didn't kendrick and cole have that black friday freestyle a couple of years ago???

Yup.

 

[A Pimp Named Slickback]

Video dropping at 1pm eastern

 

[Piff Perkins]

Weird that he says this because he’s been fukkin wit Kendrick from jump. Giving him beats and all kinda shyt. Same with Drake. He been doing songs wit Drake since before he had his official first album. So it’s weird to hear that that was his mentality.

It makes sense to me. He did songs with them early, including an entire (unreleased) album with Kendrick. But much of his early major label career was spent establishing himself without features so working with them wasn’t a priority. And now they’re each so big that it’s probably not gonna happen.

Dreamville and TDE (Kdot and Q) are on Interecope so they’re around the same people all the time. Reason has done a lot of work with Dreamville, Kdot was on Cozz’s album and Cole worked with TDE producers on his album (Tae Beast) as well as the compilation album (Kal Banx). That was all within the last few years.

Plus Kendrick played DAMN for Dreamville’s artists before it came out.

 

[thatrapsfan]

The more I listen to this the more shallow it feels.

It's a good album. Good beats, Cole is rapping well. But it's all a little....i dunno...empty. A lot of generic bars and a lack of true inspiration. His music just lacks personality to me. He raps well and the beats are enjoyable but I need more than that if you want to put Cole on a pedestal as a truly great artist.

I think the point of the album was to showcase that rapping ability, but if anything his previous albums were built entirely around particular themes/concepts IMO.

As mentioned earlier, his next albums in the pipeline will probably go back to that.

 

[CrimsonTider]

I think the point of the album was to showcase that rapping ability, but if anything his previous albums were built entirely around particular themes/concepts IMO.

As mentioned earlier, his next albums in the pipeline will probably go back to that.

He needs to stick with this style

This album is perfect

 

[GoldenGlove]

He needs to stick with this style

This album is perfect

We gonna get some more Kill Edward features

 

[CrimsonTider]

We gonna get some more Kill Edward features

I don’t even understand what these people are claiming this project lacks?

the “substance” they talk about is there