I love that album and appreciate it for what it is. Tetsuo & Youth definitely on a different level though. Whenever I revisit Forest Hills it will just be to appreciate the music as a whole. Cole really put together a cohesive, sonically diverse, and catchy album that parallels the mind set that as a young black man I can relate to and connect with.
From a rapping stand point though I can't really look at it with the same level of appreciation. Lu broke the ceiling with this new shyt and reminded me of why no one comes close.
The truth is that Cole and many other rappers came to prominence and ate best when Lupe was in album purgatory with Atlantic. Now that Lupe is free I anticipate him putting out nothing but content that will make you look at other rappers funny. Tetsuo & Youth is a statement and a reminder.
When you're a fan of a rapper like that though you gotta tone down your expectations for what other people are bringing with their bars or you'll never really check for anyone else. I'm a music fan before a hop hop fan, so ultimately I'm not gonna wanna just hear Lupe all the time. Sometimes ima check for Cole, sometimes Wale, sometimes Kendrick, etc. Sometimes I'm gonna wanna hear their themes, their voice, their music.
...not too often though
