The chilly Miguel collaboration “Power Trip” just might be the catchiest song about stalking someone since Rockwell dropped “Somebody’s Watching Me” nearly 30 years ago. The gorgeous-sounding “Chaining Day,” meanwhile, explores the consequences of keeping up lavish facades: “Money short so this jewelry is like a weave,” Cole raps, “Meant to deceive/ And hear niggas say, ‘I see you.’” “Trouble,” “Runaway,” and “She Knows” investigate this subject consecutively the last of the three is the most compelling, with Cole conjuring scenes of strip-club temptation involving civil rights leader (and confirmed adulterer) Martin Luther King, Jr., all to the coos of a muffled Cults sample. Cole now focuses his attention on more pressing moral topics: namely, that ever-persistent struggle between a decadent hip-hop lifestyle and the permanent satisfaction to be found in a committed relationship. Having devoted the past six releases outlining his “dollar to a dream” story in great detail (though, make no mistake, you’ll be reminded of it plenty on this album), J. As it turns out, that holds true for the vast majority of Born Sinner. But seriously? Would Tupac Shakur (or his hologram) call someone a “faggot,” briefly offer a disclaimer that he means no offense by using the word “faggot,” tell the person he called “faggot” that they shouldn’t be mad for being called a “faggot” (because being upset at being called “faggot” suggests a latent homophobia, in much the same way as people who get upset for being called an “retarded” share a collective disdain for people with disabilities), and throw in a stale words-as-weapons metaphor, all in one verse? There are some solid points buried deep down in the wreckage of Cole’s seven-bar pileup, but you’ll have to sift through a great, big, ambivalent pile of solecisms in order to get to them. Okay, so to some extent, maybe openly acknowledging rap’s latent homophobia is “keeping it real ” in the ‘Pacian sense.
Just a little joke to show you how homophobic you are.” That’s between you and whoever else’s dick it is No more than 90 seconds pass before this lofty mission encounters its first hurdle.Īnd I don’t mean no disrespect whenever I say faggot, okay faggot? To recap: Born Sinner is going to cover some heavy stuff, and it’s going to solidify Jermaine Cole’s rightful seat at the hip-hop pantheon alongside Hov, ‘Pac, and Nas (more on the last one later). “Sometimes I’m real like ‘Pac.” There you have it - the two themes of Cole’s sophomore album, laid out front and center.
“Sometimes I brag like Hov,” the original Roc Nation signee goes on to boast. Or, at the very least, we’re not in “Workout” territory any more. But as ominous orchestral peals rumble in the distance and a clattering beat picks up steam, it appears that we may have the baby-faced underdog mistaken. Cole warns us listeners that “it’s way darker this time.” The ground trodden thus far by the North Carolina rapper has been muddy, to be sure - rags-to-riches disillusionment, collegiate heartbreak, materialistic malaise - but comparatively spotless, when considered alongside the conscience-crushing narratives offered up by peers like Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., and even Yelawolf. In the early seconds of “Villuminati,” Born Sinner’s opening track, J.
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