J. Cole - Sideline Story

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So, after years of releasing killer track after track and accumulating thousands of high-school female fans, Cole finally drops a non-mixtape...and yet, two of the album's best songs we've heard before. Cole World: The Sideline Story is kind of a disappointment. I was expecting some of Cole's finest production (in the mold of "HiiPoWer") and what I got was nothing special. No doubt Cole will get heavy rotation in Euro Pop Clubs with "Mr. Nice Watch". This track was supposed to show us what Cole and Jay could do, but all it really does is show us what Timbaland will sound like in 20 years. Sadly, that may be the most creative beat on the album. I mean, the track "Lost Ones" has pretty much the same beat pattern as Cole's old hit "Lights Please"!

With that being said, Cole World as a whole isn't really worth the computer space. Throughout the entire album, one track really caught my ear:

Sideline Story

This is the type of beat that's playing in the background while you're treating your girl to some shrimp and lobster (or something that's NOT a 2-for-20 deal) at her favorite restaurant. Nevermind the lyrics, the music is just classy.

Mac Lethal Vs. Janye Zest?

So while I and pretty much the rest of the world Watched The Throne the other night, a single thought repeatedly crossed my mind as I hastily skipped through the tracks; "This entire album lacks passion". I already knew people would still go nuts over the Janye Zest collabo, but I had to wonder if all the hype is truly deserved.

And this is where Mac Lethal comes in. The Kansas City native impressed with me his latest effort, North Korean BBQ so I decided to go through his earlier releases and one track really stood out from all the rest. 'Backward' is a whirlwind of Mac's emotions, and it was an extremely refreshing listen compared to the boring flows/content most "mainstream" rappers have to offer (I'm looking at you, Mr. Carter). I'm not comparing Kanye and Jay to Mac as artists per se; I'm comparing songs dripping with swag (Ni**a's In Paris, really?) to songs bursting with raw emotion. You be the judge here...

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