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May 29, 2018Though it's no surprise that Cole's consciousness leads the album, his unabashed statements regarding the direction of rap music and its current megastars are gutsy.
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May 7, 2018As the value of Cole's witticisms, and the intellect required to decrypt full meaning of his verses, continues to be debated, the increased strength in his clear-cut writing evinces promise of greater work ahead.
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May 4, 2018While there are moments where Cole comes off more as a condescending high school principal than earnest older brother, KOD is an overall strong effort that connects of emotional trauma, mental health stigma in the Black community and the real problem of drug glorification.
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Apr 26, 2018From the onset of the album, we know what we're in store to receive. Whereas DAMN. finds Kendrick Lamar twisting and turning through wickedness and weakness, wrestling often through the same issues found here, Cole delivers it straight.
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Apr 25, 2018His thematic consistency can be hard to stomach, especially since his tracks are stripped down, with minimal melody and the spotlight focused on his harsh, truth-telling words. Such dogged persistence that makes K.O.D. a magnetizing albeit difficult listen.
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Apr 25, 2018KOD, his fifth album, has the feel of a casual placeholder between bigger ideas--it has neither the grim purpose or intense emotional acuity of his 2016 LP “4 Your Eyez Only,” nor the cohesion of the prior one, “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” the record that set the terms for his new direction.
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Apr 24, 2018Cole’s incisive, mic-dropping end to KOD reiterates his importance to the rap game in 2018 and, if you’re the speculating type, could even serve as a taster for an imminent full-length follow-up.
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Apr 24, 2018There might not be any outright smash hits ready for radio and curated streaming playlists, but it’s a well-paced album with strong replay value. Cole doesn’t sacrifice any inch of rhythm or melody while detailing his cautionary tales.
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Apr 24, 2018KOD, with its stripped-down production, snare-drum flows, and focus on virtue and vice, can feel like a pale shadow of DAMN. Unlike the Pulitzer winner, Cole is far more predictable and accessible.
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Apr 24, 2018J. Cole’s raps, but KOD sounds like someone who is either unfamiliar with drug abuse, or is completely unsympathetic to the dynamics of drug abuse in America.
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Apr 23, 2018It’s a commendable effort, with Cole putting himself in a creative territory to respond to critics, peers and progeny. His messages are timely despite the fact that they continue, rather than conclude, a larger conversation.
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Apr 23, 2018J. Cole has a gift in turning tears into teaching tools and KOD is a concise, leather-bound audiobook of invaluable life direction goals.
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Apr 23, 2018KOD’s sound exists in a curious, appealing area somewhere between beatifically stoned and slightly unsettling.
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Apr 23, 2018He doesn’t finesse his points; he douses them in gasoline and blows them up. And that’s great! We could all do with more fiery explosions in our music. Sometimes Cole gets wacky, but thankfully he’s never dull.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 248 out of 321
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Mixed: 56 out of 321
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Negative: 17 out of 321
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Apr 23, 2018Not as catcy as 2014FHD but the lyrical content is so dense and relatable. Definitely one of his best albums.
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Apr 23, 2018
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Apr 23, 2018