At 10 tracks and 44 minutes, this largely featureless album is compact, disciplined, and low on flash.
Listen to a playlist of the best singles of the year on YouTube and Spotify.
Cole’s palpable sense of responsibility is matched by his slick but convincing critiques of hip-hop’s culture of conspicuous consumption.
J. Cole is the only one nominated for best new artist that we can’t see winning.
The only thing Cole World really wants for is the kind of out-of-the-park highlight that would pull the whole album together.
Next month, perennial rap-rookie-of-the-year contender J. Cole will finally drop his major label debut.