Production: 4.7/5.0
Overall Score: 4.7/5.0
Words! I
love words I’m saying some now - look! You’re reading this so you must also
love words! We all love words! In fact, here’s a picture of some real life
words!
 |
| I didn't say they were English words trolololol |
But you know
who tends to not like words these days? Rappers. Rappers hate words so much
they synthesise lyrics like “p*ssy ho, p*ssy ho, she a p*ssy ho until she gives me p*ssy, ho” or “I get stacks of cash you get cashews, I go hard - statues”
and of course who could forget “she got a big booty so I call her big booty”.
But then come the true artists of words; those who use them skilfully to paint
pictures within our minds creating lasting impressions on our memories that
make us think “damn, that’s a line”. J Cole is one of those rappers, and Truly
Yours is wonderful picture to behold.
The EP kicks
off with Can I Holla At You, where
Cole goes in to tell a story in each verse with the lyrical flair and emotional
delivery reminiscent of the Friday Night
Lights Cole, rather than that of the slightly predictable Cole World Cole. Set against the beat of
Lauryn Hill’s To Zion, the song ends up providing a powerful start to the EP,
clearly setting the standard and tone for the rest of it. To me however it’s in
Crunch Time Cole reaches his lyrical
apex, adequately depicting the pressure of life, hopes and aspirations during “crunch
time” with an array of stunning lines which ring true for all likely to hear
them “Only thing worse than death is a
regret filled coffin”.
He manages
to maintain a similarly high standard throughout, pursuing the storyteller
angle in a wonderful way in Rise Above
and Stay (previously released in
2009), as well as in Tears For ODB
where Cole paints a considerably bleaker image of life against a deliciously
melancholy piano driven instrumental. Flow-wise the EP everything you’d expect
from a more classic J Cole, simple and effective with a focus on the lyrics. THANK
YOU.
The only
real problem I had with Truly Yours
was that sometimes the stories Cole covers feel like you’ve heard them before,
e.g. the woman with a baby who’s got trouble with her man, or the guy who needs
money for his kid, you know, that kind of obviously sad story. But while it
feels like explored territory J Cole’s style and (if you will) VOCAL SWAGU makes it interesting to
hear, and easy to hit the replay button to.
Photo Credits:
Words picture "Words Cloud 09/01-15/02 2009" by GRwitters
Original OMG guys (bloody legends) "OMG" by kyle.leboeuf
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