Rap is in a bit of a weird spot these days. One on hand you have artists like Kendrick Lamar releasing socially conscious projects like DAMN, which recently made history as a Pulitzer winning album. On the other hand, you have Lil’ Xan starting beef and exchanging diss tracks with comedian/Pepperman Jon Daly. But if dealing with memes like Lilliam Pumpernickel means we get new albums from people like J. Cole… well, I’ll take that trade.
Released with very little promotion or lead time, J. Cole continues his trend of personal, intimate, conscious albums with KOD, an abbreviation with three meanings. He takes possession and puts the album on his back, having no featured artists beyond KiLL Edward. His vocals are the hero here, with simple, almost understated beats that seemed a little further down in the mix than typical productions. That’s not to disparage them, however. The beats are solid, but they refuse to step on the lyrics. Cole is here to pass along a message, and he’ll be damned if you don’t hear it because of mixing.
As far as what that message is, KOD has something to say about pain — feeling it, sources, healthy and unhealthy ways to deal with it, and more. Each song approaches a different aspect with honesty and introspection, from the isolation and hangers-on that comes with success in The Cut Off to the lack of government relief in poor areas and infrastructure failing to support POC in BRACKETS. Cole isn’t just lashing out though, and is aware of self-sabotaging tendencies like those under the microscope in Kevin’s Heart.
KOD is sincere, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and coherent. There’s effective theming and a through line so it works as an album and not just a collection of songs. It’s engaging, and promises more to come by including 1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”), a song that indicates the next album will be about the fleeting nature of fame. But, as the song itself discusses, when the trend-riders fade away, J. Cole will still be standing. The man is here to stay.
KOD Final Score: 9/10
-George Heftler
