The Off-Season by J. Cole
Sharp pen, needed features and updated production
This is an adaptation to English from the original story in Portuguese.
In the last decade there are three main figures of the rap world when we put the lyrics, the technique, the consistency, the solid fanbase, the commercial success and the cultural impact on the scale. This trio consists of Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J. Cole. Drake is always hitting the charts, making astonishing numbers and Kendrick stands out for one of the most critically acclaimed discographies. A project like “The Off-Season” is key for Cole to remain part of this conversation and even get the crown from many of the listeners.
“Like, ‘Why would I work out with this n*gga? … I’m trying to destroy this n*gga.’ That was kind of my mentality early on. But as I’ve gotten older, I realize… no one is truly my peer or can relate to what’s going on in my life better than these people right here — just in terms of whatever pressures there might be… nobody can really relate to that like these dudes, and I really genuinely fuck with these dudes...” — said J. Cole on Kevin Durant’s podcast about his relationship with Drizzy and K-Dot.
The album was highly antecipated, with a phenomenal freestyle on the radio program LA Leakers and a documentary called “Applying Pressure” posted four days before the album’s release. In addition, the artist was announced by the Rwanda Patriots — team of the brand new African Basketball League — and featured the cover of the most famous American basketball magazine Slam.
The album has 39 minutes and is fresh in some ways when compared to the rest of the rapper’s catalogue. Highlight for the presence of features that have not happened since Born Sinner and for the large amount of producers involved in the 12 tracks — including Cole himself and big names like T-Minus, Timbaland and Boi-1da. These collaborations were defining for a wide sound which differs from his other homogeneous projects.
The concept behind the album is right in the title. Off-Season is the term used in American sports for the time span between seasons. It is during this period that athletes develop their game and learn new tricks to reach a higher level when they come back. The focus here is to show that after years in the rap game, he continues to invest time to polish his talent and perfect his craft.
The first words from the intro “95 South” are not from Jermaine Cole, but from certified legend Cam’ron icon of the 2000s. Decade in which Lil Jon also dominated — main figure of Crunk, Trap’s predecessor — whose powerful shouts, taken from “Put Yo Hood Up” from his work with the East Side Boyz, end the track.
The music produced by Boi-1da works very well as the open act full of heavy punchlines, flexing lines, clever references and a very heavy sound overall. Empashis on the sample from the classic “U Don’t Know” by Jay-Z and the title that refers to the interstate road that connects New York — where Jermaine attended college — and his hometown in North Carolina.
The second track “Amari” was the first to get a video and is also the first moment of the project in which the rapper takes a risk in a modern aesthetic with the use of autotune and a smooth melodic flow. The beat was taken from one of the live broadcasts made by the goat producer Timbaland on Twitch. The lyrics tackle Cole’s rise from Frayetteville (his hometown) to stardom:
“Imagination turned a Honda into Wraith”
In the third track, “My Life”, the subject also is the come up and the first features of the album show up. The chorus has the voice of, also North Carolina upcoming artist, Morray and then there’s a solid 21 Savage verse. The soul sample and overall vibe recall the sound of “A Lot”, Cole’s first feature with 21. Morray’s chorus that steals the show comes from the hook of “The Life” by Styles P featuring Pharoahe Monch.
After that, with the same name as the doc that shows the album’s production process, “Applying Pressure” keep the tracklist going. The atmosphere and boombap beat produced by the MC himself was reminiscent of the early “Fire Squad” that went off about the whitewashing of Hip Hop culture on his second album 2014 Forest Hills Drive, but this time the criticism is directed at broken rappers who are pretending to be rich in their songs.
The fifth track is “Punchin’ the Clock”, the intro and the outro of the shortest song on the project are clippings from NBA star Damian Lillard. The owner nicknamed “Dame Time” for hitting decisive baskets is also known for the celebration in which he “points to the clock” by hitting his wrist. Cole does not waste time or lines on his single verse. In closing, Dame talks about the need to work hard in the offseason to achieve success — perfect fit for the album concept.
“One hundred mil’ and I’m still on the grind”
This is what the chorus of the sixth track “100 Mil’” says. J. Cole discusses with a singing flow the need of keep improving and evolving as an artist after reaching success. The song also features vocals from Bas, Cole’s crewmate and artist on his Dreamville label since 2013.
“Pride Is the Devil” features the same sample of “Can’t Decide” by Aminé — both songs were produced by T-Minus. To rhyme about the dangers of pride, J. Cole call up Lil Baby— who addresses the struggles to stay on top and also talks about his addiction to promethazine. The perfect transition from the bridge to Lil Baby’s verse was one of the great moments of the album and stood out in the reactions made on Youtube and Twitch.
Track number eight is the introspective “Let Go My Hand” with a 4 Your Eyez Only style and with the features in the bridge and the chorus of Bas and 6lack — artist with which J. Cole had already made “Pretty Little Fears” in 2019. In the lyrics, Cole reflects on his career, his life and also on his son. In addition, he discusses his disagreement with Puff Daddy in 2013 after the MTV Music Awards and it is precisely a speech by Diddy that ends the track.
“Interlude” was released on May 7 as the project’s second single, with a single verse that works as a great overview of the album’s thematic: the ascension process, the experience of being at the top without forgetting to put a light on the reality experienced by him and his people. The beat produced by Cole and T-Minus is one of the most outstanding on the record, exploring a neat blues loop with voices from co-producer Tommy Parker.
The experiences lived by Cole and his friends are also part of “The Climb Back”, the powerful tenth track is the one that has been out the longest — since July 2020. Here are definitely some of his best bars:
“More death than World War II caused
Around these parts we pour the brown just to drown these thoughts
Of black corpses in county morgues, Lord, those images hauntin’
I ain’t been asleep yet, it’s ten in the mornin’”
The song originally would be part of the artist’s next album The Fall Off, when it was released in 2020 together with “Lion King On Ice”. Plans changed and it became the first single from The Off-Season. Despite the change, the fit with the album proposal and the themes covered in it was perfect.
“Close” is the number eleven track and pays tribute to the late MF Doom sampling his instrumental sound “Valerian Root”. Jermaine shows his already known ability to tell stories vividly, with an impeccable rhyme scheme about a friend who distanced himself and followed the path of crime that ended up with his death:
“Gone are the days we was close
Now when I see you, I look at you just like a ghost
A shell of your former self, so caught up with that dope”
But the closing of the album is due to “Hunger on Hillside” which has another Bas feature doing a great job on vocals. Cole show up again with a singing verse and many flow changes. The focus of the lyrics is to deal with success and remain the same as before:
“The money might fade, but respect don’t
Still gon’ be me when success gone”
For now, J. Cole’s success seems far from over. The-Off Season is the 36-year-old rapper’s sixth album to reach the top of the Billboard. Four of the songs debuted in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States: “My Life”, “Amari”, “Pride Is the Devil” and “95 South”. On launch day, 62 million streams on Spotify were added, breaking the record for streaming in one day of the platform in 2021.
The Off-Season is a solid project and much more complete than its monochromatic predecessors: 4 Your Eyez Only from 2016 and KOD from 2018. The flow transitions, rhyme schemes and punchlines are very well crafted. There is a balance in aggressiveness, egotrip, storytelling and moments of social criticism, without sacrificing sound or sounding preachy. About the final sound, Cole benefited hugely from the collaborations of other artists and producers.
Since his interview with Lil Pump and his feature marathon in 2018, J. Cole seems to have established himself as the mediator in the scene. This position he called “Middle Child” in the 2019 song in which he went about how it was like to be in the middle of two generations.
The Off-Season fulfills exactly this function of being the bridge between lyrical and conscious rap with the most commercial and pop sound. A move that may seem obvious, but has its risks: at the same time that it increases his reach and pleases a new audience, it can displease the more conservative audience that does not like the most modern aesthetics of Hip Hop. These fans are still waiting for an undisputed classic in the MC’s catalogue to put him in the hall of fame.
Expectations now stand for Jermaine Lamarr Cole’s next two projects that have already been announced: It’s a Boy and then The Fall Off.
