But his verses are well-greased machines that are often forgettable (Kendrick Lamar somehow packs more personality into a halfhearted hook on “Forbidden Fruit” than Cole gets in the song). “Crooked Smile” is soulful and rousing (even if he’s too hard on his perfectly acceptable orthodontics), and “Power Trip,” his bleary duet with the R&B Lothario Miguel, has small-hours gauziness. ![]() But the moody tune is short on specifics of the encounter, and a good idea for a self-interrogating story-song is wasted.Ĭole’s not an especially charismatic MC, but he has a welcome self-awareness and good taste in backdrops. It’s a smart gambit for a song - he gets to be humble and imply a place among the greats. ![]() Take “Let Nas Down,” where the North Carolina-based Cole recounts an incident in which his idol, the rapper Nas, didn’t take well to one of Cole’s singles. Cole’s “Born Sinner” is at the other end of the universe from Kanye West’s latest - a quieter, self-examining rap record that’s short on audacity but long on workman-like singles. ![]() If the self-mythologizing of “Yeezus” is a little much for you, how about a rap album where the MC is bummed that he disappointed his hero? J.
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