The Rundown: J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive
A breakdown of The N.C. emcee's third major label release.
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The Rundown: J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive - J. Cole takes us through a time capsule of his life with his third release 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Paying tribute to his childhood home (which his family eventually lost to foreclosure), the North Carolina MC discusses the hardships that gave him his drive as he encourages us to keep love constant because material possessions can come and go. Check out the track-by-track breakdown.— Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA) (Photo: Roc Nation)
Photo By Roc Nation
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'Intro' - Jermaine Cole opens up his third outing by putting you in a laid back, hypnotic trance with a relaxing piano riff as he asks what's your definition of happiness and advocates being proud of your successes, no matter the levels. "I said do you wanna, do you wanna be, free/Free from pain, free from scars/Free to sing, free from bars/Free my dawgs, you're free to go."(Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for American Eagle)
Photo By Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for American Eagle
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"January 28th" - Cole picks his birthday to give his rundown on why he feels he's the God MC. Addressing the value of a Black man's life in America and the heart and soul it takes to rise above the traps set for him in the process, he spits truths like, "What's the price for a Black man life?/I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight/I turn the TV on, not one hero in sight/Unless he dribble or he fiddle with mics."(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)
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"Wet Dreamz" - With his third project dealing with a specific time in his life, in particular his adolescent years, Cole takes us back to when he lost his virginity and shares the fears of many young males before their first sexual experience. "You know that feeling when you finna bone for the first time/I'm hoping that she won't notice it's my first time/I'm hoping that my s**t is big enough to f**k with/And most of all I'm praying, 'God don't let me bust quick.'" (Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Mountain Dew)
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"'03 Adolescence" - J. Cole takes us back to his teenage years here when he was pondering what path to take in life. Being temporarily blinded by the allure of the street life, he relives game that a partner of his dropped on him. "If you wasn’t my mans, I would think that you a clown right now/Listen, you everything I wanna be that's why I f**ks with you/So how you looking up to me, when I look up to you/You 'bout to go get a degree, I'ma be stuck with two choices/Either graduate to weight or selling number two..."(Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
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"A Tale of 2 Citiez" - Evolution is the theme on this one as Cole talks about surviving and rising above the streets of Fayetteville and NYC on this Vinylz's drill-type beat. Despite the harshness of their realities, he credits them with pushing him to pursue his goals as he ponders, "Last night I had a bad dream/That I was trapped in this city/Then I asked is that really such a bad thing?/I look around like do you wanna be another n***a, that ain't never had things?/What's the value of a thing?"(Photo: Splash News)
Photo By Splash News
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"Fire Squad" - Jigga’s top recruit proclaims his current boss status but warns that this small prize is just smoke and mirrors so the art form can be enslaved. Ruffling a few feathers with an LOL at the end, the North Carolina MC spits, “History repeats itself and that's just how it goes…/Same thing that my n***a Elvis did with rock 'n' roll/Justin Timberlake, Eminem and then Macklemore/While silly n***s argue over who gone snatch the crown/Look around, my n***a, white people have snatched the sound.” (Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Mountain Dew)
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"St. Tropez" - Cole switches the vibe with this carefree track as he puts you in a feel good mood over a reworking of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan's classic "Hollywood." Sitting back and enjoying the best of what life has to offer, Jermaine vibes out with bars like, "Roll up and smoke my sins away/I'd like to go to St. Tropez/Maybe I'll go maybe I'll stay/Maybe I'll stay..."(Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Free The Children)
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"G.O.M.D." - N.C.’s finest explains the lows of fame and how he feels when he doesn’t get the respect he feels he deserves over thumping African war drum beats here. "Get Off My D**k" applies to the haters back home too as he sends shots like, “Man f**k them n****s, I come home and I don't tell nobody/They getting temporary dough and I don't tell nobody/Lord will you tell me if I changed, I won't tell nobody/I wanna go back to Jermaine, and I won't tell nobody.” (Photo: PA PHOTOS/LANDOV)
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"No Role Modelz" - Cole wrestles with his normal issues of trying to turn a THOT into a housewife and trying to find saving grace in every hoodrat he sees with "No Role Modelz." The hook even warns him of his achilles heel: "Don't save her/She don't wanna be saved."(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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"Hello" - Jermaine drunk dials his ex on this hand-clapping uptempo jam and makes the best out of a bad situation as he's forced to move on. With his heart overtaking his mind on this one, he sings over the piano riffs (yes, he sings), "And I thought about you today/And I thought about the things you used to say/And I thought about the things we did/And I thought about your newest kid/And damn that makes two now/Oh, what do I do now?"(Photo: Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic)
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"Apparently" - The Roc Nation MC lets his wings sore as he explains that hip hop is his canvas and he can paint it how it sees fit while paying tribute to his biggest fan, his mama Kay. Explaining the significance of 2014 and making it his home once again, Cole rhymes, "Think back to Forest Hills, no perfect home/But the only thing like home I've ever known/Until they snatched it from my mama and foreclosed her on the loan.../Had no clue what you was going through/How could you be so strong?"(Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for American Eagle)
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"Love Yourz" - Cole lets his introspective brilliance run all over this track while he encourages you to count your blessings and warns that success comes with its problems too. With it’s theme of not letting wealth determine your happiness, he spazzes with bars that include, “It's beauty in the struggle, ugliness in the success/Hear my words or listen to my signal of distress/I grew up in the city and though sometimes we had less/Compared to some of my n***s down the block, man we were blessed.” (Photo: Larry Marano/Getty Images)