J. Cole’s The Warm Up Turns 5 Years Old
Lyrical Content: 9/10
Listening Feel: 8/10
Overall INARATING: 8.5/10
This Father’s Day marks 5 years since the birth of J. Cole’s second child. June 15, 2009 marked the debut of The Warm Up, and since that day it has made an impact on the mixtape game. Cole even tweeted a link to his heartfelt and honestly really sweet letter in regards to his mixtapes achievements.
The Warm Up was arguably the mixtape that gained J. Cole wide spread recognition and deifnitely helped boost his fan base. From beginning to end, the tape seemed a little bit all over the place, including oddly composed bars put to Talib Kweli’s Ye produced ‘Get By’ instrumental and awkwardly transitioning into ‘Lights Please’. However the mixtape was undeniably one of his best.
Cole has been known for having a way with words when it came to making a track that the listener could relate to. No matter who it may be, he always had a way of making you feel like he was telling your story for you which is a skill in itself. The tape was filled with an uplifting “I Know I Can” vibe, while staying true to what’s going on in the world around him, and through this mixtape he was able to give off the “this might be a struggle, but i know i’m gunna make it” feel. ’Get Up’ has to be Warm Up’s most attractive tract in terms of lyrical content and listening feel. Cole fan or not, there was definitely a bar within that song that made you wanna do more, do better, or just start doing.
This mixtape came out when the basis of his audience was either just starting their high school career or just starting their college careers and despite the generation gap, the tape had a positive impact on all its listeners whether it was achieving your goals or chasing the girl of your dreams.
As Cole mentioned in the letter to his fans, Whether you’re in “Grad School? Or maybe you’re back in your parents crib trying to regroup. Everything will be OK. Don’t stop dreaming.”
Download The Warm Up here.
50 Cent’s Animal Ambition is Unleashed, and Not Making Much of a Mainstream Roar
Lyrical content: 6/10
Listening Feel: 8/10
Overall INARATING: 7/10
June 3, 2014 marked the day 50 Cent released his newest album after a 5 year hiatus since his last album ‘Before I Self Destruct’.
Fif had mentioned back in February that he was departing from Interscope/Shady/Aftermath records and was to be releasing his new album via an independent distributor Caroline. Despite the indie switch, 50 isn’t completely separated from the big name labels in the industry. Caroline is an Independent Services subdivision of Capitol Records, which in itself is under Universal Music Group.
Animal Ambition is a good example of ‘don’t judge an album by its cover’, because despite the vicious in-your-face album art, the album itself isn’t very hard hitting for the mainstream listener, however its definitely a street approved album.
The album opens up with a track entitled ‘Hold On’ which Fif ironically spits “i woke up this morning/this is insane/rich as a mothafucka/ain’t much changed”.when in fact a lot has changed, from label to musical approach. But he is in fact, undeniably rich as a mothafucka with an estimated net worth of 140 million*. The track attempts to demonstrate that Fiddy hasn’t fallen far from the gangsta rap tree, but throughout the album you can hear that he’s trying to appeal to today’s popular sounds without sounding too commercial or mainstream. With guest appearances on the album including Yo Gotti, Jadakiss, and Kidd Kidd, Fif keeps the NY hood feeling (despite the southern rapper features).
Although the album lacks hard lyrical content, the beats are definitely head knockers and with no DJ Mustard encrusted synthesized mainstream sound, thankfully. Each track was catering to one of hip hop’s most distinct instruments; 50’s vocals. The tracks ‘Pilot’ and ‘Irregular Heartbeat’ were the albums most appealing tracks and had that G-Unit feel from start to finish.
No other gangsta rap-esque album will ever be as insane as Fiddy’s 6x platinum ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, but with Animal Ambition, 50 has returned, just not for the average listener.
As Drake once said in ‘Tuscan Leather’, “this is nothin’ for the radio/but they’ll still play it though”, and we sure will be.
*figures provided by Forbes Five
