Similar to what I said recently about A$AP Rocky, J. Cole is an artist who really needs no introduction. He is one of the most successful and impactful rappers of all time, and his career has been a testament to his immense talent. He is someone who has always been heavily scrutinized, but has always come back gracefully and intelligently. Over the last couple of years, the reception and narrative around J. Cole have been interesting. When the Drake and Kendrick beef was hot, J. Cole was sort of thrust into it. He has always been considered one of the big three of his generation. When he had a chance to assert himself, though, he sort of fell back. This left a bad taste in the mouths of many Hip Hop fans for months. J. Cole has long alluded to retiring from making music, and recently that has seemed to be becoming a reality. He first put that idea into the world around the release of his record The Off-Season in 2021, then reiterated it on the mixtape Might Delete Later in 2024. The rollout for this new album, The Fall Off, has been pretty interesting. After dropping the intro track to the second half of the project as a single a few weeks ago, he put out a mixtape called Birthday Blizzard last week. It was entirely produced by DJ Clue and featured classic New York beats. In it, he addressed some of the controversy regarding his career over the last couple of years. On February 6, J. Cole finally released The Fall Off. If it is truly J. Cole’s last album, he gave fans more than enough content. The album is two discs, totalling 1 hour and 41 minutes as a whole; it is a long and worthwhile listen, for sure. Below, we are going to highlight our favorite tracks from both Disc 29 and Disc 39, then give some overall thoughts on the record to close things out. Please let me know in the comments what you think of this potential last record from J. Cole!

DISC 29

TWO SIX

‘Two Six’ is the opening track to this project, and it gets this album going on a raucous note. This track is an absolute banger. In fact, it is a banger in the fashion that I did not really think was possible from J. Cole. This song has a gritty and dirty Hard Trap sound that will inject energy anywhere it is played. The melody for this track is very negative and melancholy. The bass that drives this track pounds and buzzy, making the song feel so huge. As good as the instrumental is, I would say J. Cole’s performance is even better. On the hook, he interpolates Sexyy Red’s ‘SkeeYee,’ which is pretty damn awesome. His flow switches up constantly throughout this track, and his tone fits the energy of the instrumental so well. On ‘Two Six,’ J. Cole raps about how his come-up, his dominance over his rivals in the rap game, and his attitude of destroying anyone in his way. 

RUN A TRAIN (FEAT. FUTURE)

‘Run A Train’ is one of the songs from Disc 1 that is really popping off, and it is easy to see why. This is a song with a sound that kind of stands out for both Future and J. Cole. The instrumental actually has a classic underground Soulful sound. The melody is very light and inviting, driven by a guitar riff and angelic synths. The beat is pretty light and low-key, and it goes very well with the instrumental. J. Cole’s flow and tone fit on this instrumental very well; he really leans into the calm feeling of the track. Future really stands out on ‘Run A Train,’ though. The way he strains his vocals on the hook goes so well with the emotional sentiment of the track. On ‘Run A Train,’ J. Cole raps about losing the passion for his career and how proud he is of himself considering everything he has been through. 

POOR THANG

Out of everything on the first half of this record, ‘Poor Thang’ is the track that feels the most like a classic J. Cole track. This song immediately brings me back to the era of songs like ‘Love Yourz’ or ‘False Prophets.’ The instrumental has that classic and sophisticated sound that feels timeless. The melody has a very Soulful yet melancholy feeling to it, and it is complemented by some pitched-up vocals that add emotion to the track. The beat has a laid-back Trap tempo that fits the melody well. J. Cole raps his ass off on this track. His flow is so crisp and bold. He adds so much emphasis to the feeling of the song with his tone and multiple cadences. On ‘Poor Thang,’ J. Cold raps about the come-up and how much he has made it through. He calls out anyone who tries to be hard to clout as well. 

WHO TF IZ U

Like the opening track of the project, ‘Who TF Iz U’ has an intense and bold sound that one may not necessarily expect from J. Cole. The instrumental for this song is pretty cool. At some points, it is subdued and quiet, and at others it is harsh and in your face. The bass that permeates at points in this track gives it a very intense feeling. This bass is prevalent on the hook and in the back half of the verses. The best in the first half of the verses is pretty soft, which makes the points where the bass kicks in hit harder. ‘Who TF Iz U’ also has a beat switch towards the end of the song, which switches the song from having a modern Trap sound to having an old school Dirty South sound to it. This is easily the most dynamic track of the record. It really brings a raucous energy that I love. J. Cole’s rap performance on this one is not the most riveting on the project, but he does match the energy of the instrumental throughout. On ‘Who TF Iz U,’ J. Cole raps about being around trappers and what it is like to live in the trenches. 

THE LET OUT

‘The Let Out’ is the most polarizing song on this whole project for me probably. I will admit that when I first listened to this one, I was truly not into it at all. It has quickly grown on me over the last week, though, and now I appreciate how cool this one is. The instrumental has a true Country Western Trap sound to it. The melody that drives this one has a cold and mean Country Rock sound to it. The guitar riff that drives this song is so frigid and has such a retro Country feeling. ‘The Let Out’ has what is probably J. Cole’s most ambitious Rap performance of the whole project. He sings throughout this whole song and is constantly switching up his cadence. Regardless of opinion on the instrumental, one has to admit J. Cole kills it on this song vocally. On ‘The Let Out,’ J. Cole raps about being outside and worrying if the streets are about to pop off on your way home. 

DISC 39

THE FALL OFF IS INEVITABLE

‘The Fall Off Is Inevitable’ is the aforementioned song that J. Cole released in anticipation of this project. This one got so many fans very excited, because it has the typical J. Cole sound that so many people came to love. Like ‘Poor Thang,’ this song has a sound that is reminiscent of J. Cole’s biggest hits. The melody that drives this one has so much soul. The guitar riff has a level of emotion that is palpable, and the synths amplify that feeling. J. Cole more than matches the emotion of the instrumental with his rap performance. This is the kind of track that makes J. Cole incomparable. He raps his whole life in reverse, starting in the future with his grandkids at his funeral and ending with his mom birthing him. He raps about his career, his wife and kids, and his own father leaving him. This kind of storytelling is what so many people love from J. Cole, and it makes ‘The Fall Off Is Inevitable’ a highlight. 

THE VILLEST (FEAT. ERYKAH BADU)

Due to the feature on this song, I knew I would be into ‘The Villest.’ That feature comes right through from the very start of the song from the way the instrumental sounds. The instrumental for ‘The Villest’ sounds a lot like a classic Erykah Badu track. It has that kind of Neo-Soul sound that is so reminiscent of the 1990s. The song is driven by a groovy bassline complemented by a very warm guitar riff. There are some synths that come in and out as well that add to the warmth and soulful feeling of the track. J. Cole’s flow is so smooth and laid back; it pairs with the energy of the instrumental nicely. Erykah Badu’s soft and sweet vocals give the song such an endearing element as well. On ‘The Villest,’ J. Cole raps about perseverance and achieving his dreams. 

LIFE SENTENCE

I could see ‘Life Sentence’ ending up being a sleeper hit from this record. It just feels like a Pop-Rap track that is going to pop off. Like many songs on the second half of this record, the 1990s influence on ‘Life Sentence’ is so prevalent. The instrumental for this one is driven by a classic sample; it comes from ‘How It’s Goin’ Down’ by Faith Evans and DMX. It really just feels like a modern version of that classic track. The bass on this one pounds which makes it feel fresh, but it does stay true to the feeling of the original track. J. Cole glides on this track. I like how his tone is lower at times, as it makes the brightness of the instrumental hit more. On ‘Life Sentence,’ J. Cole talks about his love story, describing how he and his wife got together and flourished. 

THE ONLY YOU (FEAT. BURNA BOY) 

As I have stated on this blog before, I am always going to gravitate towards a song with Burna Boy. ‘The Only You’ is no different in this regard. Once again, it feels like the 1990s are just so prevalent on this project, as it shines through here once again. This feels very inspired by retro Alternative R&B music. The guitar riff that drives this one is so free and whimsical. The low-key and calm beat adds to that atmospheric feeling of the track. J. Cole leans into the R&B sound, as he sings throughout this track. His vocals are nice and soothing and fit the track well. Burna Boy provides texture with his verse and his range adds a level of emotion to the track. On ‘The Only You,’ J. Cole and Burna Boy sing about the true love and infatuation they have for their partners.

AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS THE VILLE

Although it is technically not the final song of the record(as there is a bonus), ‘And The Whole World Is The Ville’ feels like a worthy closing track. The soulful elements that have reigned supreme on this project are as heavy as even on this one. ‘And The Whole World Is The Ville’ is driven by a classic sample, ‘Love Put Me On The Corner’ by The Isley Brothers. The instrumental feels like a modern version of that track. It carries the original piano and the vocals on the hook, complemented by some synths and vocal pitching. I love J. Cole’s delivery on this track. His delivery has an in-your-face feeling to it, and it makes the sentiment of the track hit really hard. On ‘And The Whole World Is The Ville,’ J. Cole shows love to his hometown, reminiscing on his child and congratulating everyone he grew up with who made it out of the struggle.

As with any other record as anticipated as this one, The Fall Off was always going to have unattainable expectations. Not only was this J. Cole’s first official album in several years, but it has also been stated to be his last album(at least under the moniker J. Cole). At 24 songs and an hour and 45 minutes in length, if this really is his last album, J. Cole sent his fans off with an insane amount of content. Now, with any album this long, it would be almost impossible for there to be full consistency throughout it. There were always going to be some songs here that are not for everyone. I will say that there does not seem to be a ton of filler, however. I do not think there is anything that is necessarily out of place or anything that was thrown on here to make the album longer. Not every song is my favorite, but they all do fit the theme. Speaking of themes, the album does seem to have two separate directions. The first half of the record feels a lot more intense, and has a lot more content of J. Cole calling out peers and asserting his position in the rap game. These tracks address some of the rumors about him and disdain for the hierarchy in Hip Hop, with J. Cole making sure other rappers know that he is still on top of the game. The second half of the album addresses more of J. Cole’s personal life. He raps about his relationship with his wife and kids. He also raps about where he is from and the love he has for his city as well as the struggles that he went through. Sonically, as a whole, I dig the direction of the second half more than the first. There are some bangers in the first half, but overall, the 1990s theme in the second half really pulled me in. As one would expect, J. Cole’s lyricism throughout this record is awesome. He proves time and time again that he has as many bars as anyone, and shows why he is considered one of the greatest. I didn’t go over specific bars in this review, but if that is your thing, there’s so much you will love on this album. The Fall Off is not a perfect album, but it is great nonetheless. J. Cole raps his ass off and gives fans more than enough music to sustain them. It is a worthy send-off for one of Hip Hop’s greats. I hope this isn’t the end for J. Cole, but if it is, I appreciate the effort he put in to close things out.