User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 321 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 17 out of 321
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  1. Dec 16, 2018
    4
    Incredibly mediocre album. In a broader scope, it seemed to be an attempt at examining drug use/addiction, and its causes, particularly its roots in mental health issues. However, this concept is very messily executed, Cole injects various other entirely unrelated musings about the state of love and the world at large in the digital age, as well as wonderings about where his tax dollarsIncredibly mediocre album. In a broader scope, it seemed to be an attempt at examining drug use/addiction, and its causes, particularly its roots in mental health issues. However, this concept is very messily executed, Cole injects various other entirely unrelated musings about the state of love and the world at large in the digital age, as well as wonderings about where his tax dollars go, among other tangents. Thus, the project comes off as very loose and weakly conceptualized, giving off the feeling that the listener is being subjected to the work of a technically skilled, rapper with savior complex and a vague concept in mind who just let his ADHD run wild throughout the creation process. KOD jumps from supposedly deep and faintly introspective trap imitations that come with the works: booming 808s, repetitive hooks, drug, money, and sex-related lyrical themes, that play at some great depth, which, unfortunately, Cole is never really able to realize, to tracks that overtly rebuke drug abuse and exploring its bases, to tracks tackling the current state of rap in the mainstream, to tracks that contribute next to nothing to the otherwise apparent "quest" Cole went out on in releasing this project, which undoubtedly ties in with its release date (4/20). Past the lyrical and conceptual inconsistencies of KOD, though, it is also marred by its lackluster, bland production and the altogether irritating KiLL Edward (Cole's new Madlib-Quasimoto, Mac Miller-Delusional Thomas style, helium/pitch-shift infused alter ego) "features" on The "Cut Off" and "Friends". This album also has several tracks that while not necessarily bad, are mostly forgettable and nondescript, such as "KOD", "Kevin's Heart", and "Brackets", and "ATM", one of the better tracks, is only really marginally better than them. The tracks "Motiv8" and "Photograph" are the only two decidedly bad tracks, but the only real, true highlights, "1985", "Window Pain", and "Once An Addict", don't do enough on their own to outweigh the rest of the album's mediocrity and, for lack of a better term, conceptual sloppiness. In the end, Cole's solution to the addiction epidemic, which he relays in the pre-chorus to "Friends", is "medicate, don't meditate". Yes, he builds up and dedicates an entire album to addressing one of the most pressing issues of the past 20 years, and his call-to-action, his great declaration, intended to save the mentally ill from the allure of drug abuse, is a generic saying that realistically will barely be of use to anyone who is on the verge of turning to drugs. Overall, while Cole is well-intentioned and does manage to hit on a good point or two, in his aim to comprehensively tackle drug abuse and its glorification in hip hop, as well as the "dime-a-dozen", simplistic new wave rap (trap) scene, Cole misses big, with an album that is, by-and-large an insipid, banal half-baked, trip through the woes of addiction, SoundCloud rap, the reality of falling in love online, the pitfalls of social media, taxes, and wherever else Cole's unfocused, restless mind will take it. Expand
  2. Apr 27, 2018
    5
    I feel mixed about this. While there are good sings there are also bad songs. In my opinion half of the songs are good while half are bad. Kinda split there.
  3. Jun 2, 2018
    4
    39 which rounds up to a 4. J Cole made all his fans wait since 4 Your Eyez Only for this album which was announced a week before it was released. However, this was not the Cole album I was waiting. I understand that Cole wanted to address many important issues that affect society today, hence the title Kids On Drugs, however, Cole failed to deliver this in an effective way. Starting with39 which rounds up to a 4. J Cole made all his fans wait since 4 Your Eyez Only for this album which was announced a week before it was released. However, this was not the Cole album I was waiting. I understand that Cole wanted to address many important issues that affect society today, hence the title Kids On Drugs, however, Cole failed to deliver this in an effective way. Starting with the positives, the album cover was very bright, colourful and meaningful which immediately caught my eye. The production, although heavily trap inspired, is filled with lot of decent beats which are tolerable too. However, when it comes to lyrics, the album was poorly made. Cole meant a lot and had a lot to say, however, I don't feel like he delivered this to his highest potential. He tries to adapt that flow that the new-wave rappers use through their trap beats, but this was simply not Cole's style. When I heard Photograph, I thought the beat was alright and his singing was tolerable at the beginning, however, once the album came to the his rapping, he delivers a bar that is scarily similar to that of Ski Mask the Slump God, which makes J Cole sound corny. Also, in this album J Cole drops subtle disses or "words of advice" to new artists in the rap game. However, through his trap inspired beats and flows such as "stealing" Ski Mask The Slump God's Babywipe, the message that J Cole delivered seemed somewhat ironic in nature. Especially in his alleged diss to lil pump in 1985, J Cole did not back his comments up throughout the rest of the album such as ATM, where he repeats the words count it up more than Lil Pump on Gucci Gang. Lil Pump, rightfully deserves to diss J Cole right back, for trying to adapt their new-wave style whilst talking trash about new-wave rappers. The best track was 1985, however, although it sent a good message, it feels like this album could have been written by an A or A+ student in year 10 due to its simplicity, I still cannot understand how people have the audacity to state that this is the greatest diss track of all time. The reason why sales and album charting for this album was very high, is because of the "Stan" like fan base that J Cole has, who would praise even the worst of J Cole which is very similar to Drake. This is also definitely his worst Studio Album by Far. Expand
  4. May 25, 2018
    5
    J. Cole's 2016 project "4 Your Eyez Only" was, in my opinion, a pretty great effort, featuring very jazzy and psychedelic beats mixed with lyrics concerning social issues in the U.S. "KOD", on the other hand, sees Cole opting for more nocturnal trap instrumentals, and dealing with themes of drug abuse in youths. While these are engaging ideas on paper, "KOD" sadly fails to reach theJ. Cole's 2016 project "4 Your Eyez Only" was, in my opinion, a pretty great effort, featuring very jazzy and psychedelic beats mixed with lyrics concerning social issues in the U.S. "KOD", on the other hand, sees Cole opting for more nocturnal trap instrumentals, and dealing with themes of drug abuse in youths. While these are engaging ideas on paper, "KOD" sadly fails to reach the heights set by his previous albums, already feeling inconsequential in Cole's varied discography. This is in part due to the actual music present. Some of the beats feature very catchy piano loops ("ATM") or a few colorful synths strokes ("Kevin's Heart"), but most sound very muted and washed out, leading to very boring sonic backgrounds. Cole's lyrics and delivery are still varied enough to keep one's attention, but rarely does he explore the topics of this album with as compellingly as expected ("Once an Addict - Interlude" being an exception). Generally, I don't dislike the album, but with a recording period of 2 weeks, I left "KOD' unfortunately feeling underwhelmed.
    Favorites: "KOD", "ATM", "Once an Addict - Interlude", "Window Pain - Outro"
    Least Favorites: "Photograph", "Motiv8", "BRACKETS"
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  5. Dec 18, 2018
    6
    KOD, although supported by a superior J. Cole signature of appropriate flow and lyricism that boasts the luxuries of an artist and the pain of fame, is masked by an awkward transition into trap, abandoning his usually high/low-temp takes on rap with what seems like average tracks. The underlying theme of overcoming addition and inner demons is a lot less emphasized, and is often monotoneKOD, although supported by a superior J. Cole signature of appropriate flow and lyricism that boasts the luxuries of an artist and the pain of fame, is masked by an awkward transition into trap, abandoning his usually high/low-temp takes on rap with what seems like average tracks. The underlying theme of overcoming addition and inner demons is a lot less emphasized, and is often monotone in singles like KOD and ATM. While there are some bright spots, like the intimate Kevin's Heart, and the narrative in Photograph. Not the best project in J. Cole's discography, nor the best album of the year, but it's a solid listen for those affiliated heavily with the hip hop culture. Expand
  6. Dec 3, 2018
    5
    Upon KOD's first listen, it appears to be one of the best rap projects of the year and for sure destined for critical acclaim. After re-listening to it just a few times, Cole's previous flaws continue to hinder his potential. He talks about some serious topics, but as usual, he is just surface level with these issues. He has corny lines that appear profound but are rather elementary.Upon KOD's first listen, it appears to be one of the best rap projects of the year and for sure destined for critical acclaim. After re-listening to it just a few times, Cole's previous flaws continue to hinder his potential. He talks about some serious topics, but as usual, he is just surface level with these issues. He has corny lines that appear profound but are rather elementary. Little to no replay value. Expand
  7. Aug 16, 2021
    6
    i've started listening to J. Cole, after the Off-Season dropped and that was very impressive as an album. This album, KOD, was the next I listened.
    Despite the lyrical content, I thought it was a bit underwhelming. The lyrics go deep into problems, yet not deep enough. BRACKET's second verse was the depth I was hoping would be on most of the album.
    The best songs are ATM, Kevin's heart,
    i've started listening to J. Cole, after the Off-Season dropped and that was very impressive as an album. This album, KOD, was the next I listened.
    Despite the lyrical content, I thought it was a bit underwhelming. The lyrics go deep into problems, yet not deep enough. BRACKET's second verse was the depth I was hoping would be on most of the album.
    The best songs are ATM, Kevin's heart, Once an addict and 1985.
    The first of the album is boring, with very stripped down instrumentals, but the second half greatly improves
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  8. Apr 11, 2021
    5
    Cole tries to fine-tune his melody, but his delivery alone is not enough to carry an entire album on their own. Especially when he is trying to address a problem as large as "addiction." Nothing Cole says is anything that is inherently unique and makes anyone want to choose an album like this over many others.

    5.0/10
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. May 29, 2018
    80
    Though 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.
  2. May 7, 2018
    70
    As 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.
  3. May 4, 2018
    80
    While 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.