Named after the address of his childhood home in North Carolina,
J. Cole
's third studio effort was released with no supporting singles, and there are no featured artists, either, because
2014 Forest Hills Drive
is one of those personal, conceptual, and "heavy" albums. Most importantly, it's admirable bordering on excellent, sure to inspire returning fans to herald it as a classic even if it doesn't woo the skeptical, casually wandering out of its intro with two smooth and soulful numbers that are so free, they're just shy of being clumsy. Key cut "January 28th" puts gut-wrenching hard truths of the
Pusha-T
type ("What's the price for a black man's life?/I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight") next to wobbly wordplay that could have been lifted off some old
Digable Planets
LP ("Flow is bananas/Here, peel this back"), while "Wet Dreamz" finds
the producer offering a beat that's rather
Alchemist
or
9th Wonder
inspired, and then slathering it in plush strings for a perfect single on an album that refuses singles. Later, "No Role Modelz" mixes a tribute to the late actor James Avery ("Rest in peace Uncle Phil"), with a bubbling beat that's a variation on cloud-rap (co-produced by
Phonix Beats
and
Cole
), and a snarky, snappy set of put downs that are like an elevated
Fergie
("I don't want no bitch from reality shows/Out of touch with reality hos"), but all these flights of fancy fly freely since the album lacks an anchor.
comes off as a great, experimental, and advancing mixtape, but it's insider to a fault, as slight as that fault might be. ~ David Jeffries