On Friday, April 20 rapper J. Cole released his new album “KOD” as a follow up story to “4 Your Eyez Only” which tells the story of a childhood friend who went down the path corrupted by drugs and alcohol. In his new album, Cole preaches to his listeners not to do drugs as he tells stories about his own experiences with drugs abuse.
Cole’s album starts with “Intro” and the song “KOD” which tells the story of drugs and society he explains throughout the album. “Photograph” talks about the downsides of the new trend of online dating and how it is affecting relationships and the way people treat each other.
The rapper continues on his struggles within society in “BRACKETS” as Cole questions what the government is really here for and how they take advantage of the American people.
It was nice to hear a rapper talk about issues going on within society in their songs. A lot of artist just talk about their wealthy lifestyles so it was refreshing to have J. Cole use his strong voice to speak out about serious problems.
With the song “Window Pain,” Cole touches on the topic of gun violence as he tells the story of a young girl who watches her cousin get shot. Cole preaches that there needs to be change made and makes a cry for help from those who have been affected dramatically by something as simple as a gun.
Cole closes out his album with “1985,” a conclusion to all of the album’s content cultivating in one last and plea against drugs.
“KOD” is J. Cole’s third consecutive album where he featured no other artists. “4 Your Eyez Only” and “Forest Hills Drive” were the first two of those albums.
The artist shares his personal struggles and the other problems he has seen people face throughout their lives when they mix drugs into their daily schedules.
Although the artists did not receive the best feedback from the younger generation, myself and many reviews thought highly of the album. Any J. Cole fan should go into the album open-minded and just listen to what the songs are truly saying.
“You can always expect a lot when J. Cole releases an album so I was not surprised when KOD ended up being so good,” senior Connor Weisenauer said. “What he makes is special because it’s not only high quality music but shares a story throughout.”
I would recommend “KOD” to anyone who likes rap or R&B music in general but, even if you do not listen to those genres I think you would still be impressed with the music off this album.
