At 21 tracks (including interludes), Born Sinner should offer enough music to last fans for quite some time. 'Born Sinner' starts off with the song 'Villuminati,' which is a reference to the 'Ville' or Fayetteville, North Carolina, Coles hometown, and the Illuminati. 'Born Sinner' was released on Jby Dreamville, Roc Nation, and Columbia Records. He also offers a measure of maturity that does resemble his heroes like Nas, even though some of it feels like he’s a student trying to be the master yet. The title of this album pays homage to one of the greatest of all time, The Notorious BIG.
Cole offers the meaty content people scream they want on the radio and in their iPods. Born Sinner is a road map for a generation. So, he feels like good guy that got caught up here and there and wrote songs about it. The only drawback seems that Cole at times comes off as if he’s trying to be a bad boy, unlike Chief Keef who really seems to be the genuine article. So, the song is cool, yet a bit disappointing.
Cole acts as if Nas is his pops or something! But, the song is dope, albeit a bit too respectful for a future legend purporting to have a sinner side. “Let Nas Down,” is one moment on Born Sinner that this writer didn’t particularly like (but admits most people do). Even 50 Cent pops up on the deluxe version of the album. The songs that are included in the Standard version of the album are indicated at the top of the back, and lower down the Deluxe tracks are highlighted. Songs like “Miss America” and “N***az Know” break the mold with a more abrasive texture than the rest of Born Sinner. He manages to diversify beats and present songs as intricate tales. Cole oversaw the production on the album and he takes care of himself. Still, Cole – like Kendrick – has an inter-generational quality that often escapes most rappers out now.īorn Sinner is very, very good and could emerge as a classic album, as time rolls on. Cole sounds like a natural with his song writing, something that often escaped the rappers he came up on. Songs like “Power Trip (with Miguel),” “She Knows,” and “Forbidden Fruit (with Kendrick Lamar)” delve into the complexities of a young man’s relationships. Clearly, the North Carolina native isn’t gunning for every Becky and Brad to fall in love with his music, but if they want to come, its all the better. Straight up, Born Sinner is a hip-hop album that has the potential to enter the popular side of life. On his sophomore release, we find Cole World in his ever expanding lane. Cole is rapidly emerging as one of the enduring talents that hip-hop has to offer.