With the exception of Kendrick Lamar, it’s been a rough year commercially for hip-hop, at least in terms of the lack of hits that have been produced in the genre. Last fall, Billboard reported that for the first time in 35 years, there were no hip-hop songs charting within the Top 40. In an effort to turn the tide back in hip-hop’s favour we have J. Cole, one of the genre’s most respected artists of the last decade, back with a new album, The Fall-Off, an album that he says will be his last.
Positioning his The Fall-Off as his final statement instantly raises the stakes, not just for his fans but for hip-hop as a genre. In an era where rappers rarely take any time away from the studio or the spotlight, Cole choosing closure almost feels a little radical. He’s not retiring from lack of relevance, if anything he’s on track for some really high first-week sales numbers. He’s simply reminding us that sometimes the most powerful move an artist can make is knowing when the story is complete (for now). I take this with a grain of salt of course as this wouldn’t be the first time that an artist claims a body of work is their “last” when it indeed is not. Barbra Streisand has gone on the record many times that she was retiring and she just released a new album last year. Lily Allen also has suggested she’d retire from music and now just released one of the most successful albums of her career. For all we know, Cole may be back in a few years with a “never mind”, but for the time being he has said that he intends for this to be his last project - “intends” being the key word here.
After the slew of controversies he faced two years ago during the Kendrick and Drake beef, many fans were intrigued to see if he’d address it on the album, and he does on a few tracks. The one that stands out to me is “I Love Her Again” where he uses a romantic relationship as an analogy for hip-hop and his relationships within the genre. He uses a cheating girlfriend choosing two lovers over him as a representation of hip-hop choosing his “two homies” who “started beefing”, which many fans believe is Kendrick and Drake. Is it just fan lore? Could be, that’s the beauty of dissecting new lyrics, it really can mean what you want it to mean. It’s a subtle yet direct approach to acknowledge a situation that did more damage than good for almost everyone involved. That’s the thing about the most famous rap beefs, it’s the ones with the worst outcomes which become the most known.
Next week’s street date is the day before Valentine’s Day so there’s a solid selection of music for all the lovers. Charli XCX drops the soundtrack to Wuthering Heights andBrent Faiyaz is releasing his new album after scrapping it entirely last September. I’m most excited for Jill Scott’s new album To Whom This May Concern, because no one does music for love better than Jill. This week along with J. Cole are new releases from ZAYN, Tame Impala with JENNIE, Charlie Puth with Kenny G, and FISHER. Plus, a Madonna deep cut from the Erotica album has a moment on Tik Tok.
Listen on…
MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK
“Two Six” by J. Cole
The album starts off on a very strong note with the banger “Two Six” that instantly catches your ear in the same vein that his past hits like “Work Out” and “No Role Modelz” do. He released an accompanying music video to the song which follows a black-and-white old school aesthetic along with some colour shots interwoven. Many quick cuts of his poetry flash along the scene, as well as him in front of historical landmarks in his hometown of Fayetteville. The video is a representation of his roots and how far he has come since his time in North Carolina. The title of the song “Two Six” is a symbol for one of the nicknames that Fayetteville locals have given to a military base there, with the number still being used as a jail code. Cole has referenced his hometown in his music before, as his 2014 album 2014 Forest Hills Drive was the actual address of his childhood home that he shared with his single mother. For a lead single from an album that is intended to be his last, “Two Six” is a strong representation of the origin story of one of this generations most talented MCs.
