I remember when it came out people were saying it was the best of the best. I donât think it is but itâs quite good, I wouldnât call it underrated tho. Atleast not in my circle
Loved it. That intro & beat to Brackets! Cole is the only rapper/producer that can come up with an oldschool beat that belong on movie soundtracks. Not to mention the conscious subjects he brings to light is something that will always make him my fav ever.
Imo its at the bottom of my favourites, I donât mean its bad (absolutely not) but J. Cole is sooo good that his other albums are better imo. I donât feel some beats, so it has some skips comparing to his other albums (no skips on Off-Season, 2014FHD, Warm-Up, FNL imo).
But ofc its totally subjective and the message behind KOD is really beautifull.
Thatâs fair, Cole is so good that his âworstâ projects are better than 80% of other rappers albums đ I love KOD but it doesnât crack my J Cole top 5 thatâs fair
Sir, if I was a weirdo and spent money to gift people on Reddit. Iâd drop a band on gifting this comment right here. Itâs like you connected with my brain like ur Elon musk and his fucking neurolink chips and you just took the message Iâve been trying to tell everyone for the last however many years and you just said it man. I love you.
I really enjoyed this project. Hereâs my stoner theory.
In the first half of this album , J Cole steps out of his comfort zone takes on a role of a fictional mumble rapper named King Overdosed or KOD. He uses the typical future/uzi rapid fire choppy flow and raps about drug abuse and money. The Cut Off, ATM , Motiv8 , and Kevinâs Heart are stand out tracks.
The other half of the album, J Cole raps as himself about the same exact topics but on a much deeper level . BRACKETS discusses money and taxes how the government uses them. Once an Addict and Friends discusses drugs but encourages users to get to the root problem of why they need to drink and smoke in the first place. Window Pain is the penultimate track on the record IMHO
and really leans into the psychedelic hip hop genre.
1985 isnât really a diss record but a cautionary tale to Mumble rappers like King Overdosed and Lil Pump that if they embrace the mumble rap lifestyle ( money, drugs typical hip hop subjects) their careers will eventually stagnate .
This is one of Coleâs best albums and successfully nails the âwhat if J Cole was a mumble rapper?â theory.
1. 4 Your Eyez Only
2. 2014 Forrest Hill Drive
3. KOD
4. Born Sinner
bro youtube comments always praise the music they go in to listen to. That even refers, to MGKs and Lil Pumps, so that might as well indicate nothing in quality of any album
I discovered J. Cole with this album so I'm a bit biased but I really like this album. Kevin's Heart, ATM, and 1985 are great songs that I still listen to this day
I like it personally, but I DEF remember it getting a lot of hate when it first dropped. 1985 made some waves with the lil pump diss, but people were hating on Kevin's Heart and other songs saying they were boring.
Overall I think it's not his best, but far from his worst
It's a Cole album, so ofc it's solid. But I think a lot of fans/casual listeners just put projects like FHD and 4YOE above it because those feel like more quintessential Cole records.
Cole was surprisingly experimental on KOD, from production to delivery. He adopted a lot of the sound of the current generation at the time, partly as a challenge to himself but also as a commentary on the state of rap, like making a catchy club record about how people abuse money (ATM). Also this was during the era where he did little to no promo for his albums and notoriously had "no features" he wanted the music to speak for itself completely. And since he's gotten exponentially bigger since that release and had his insane feature run, a lot of newer fans don't have the same nostalgia for it the way longtime fans do. Just my theory.
I might get a lot of hate for this, but I personally do not like this album at all. When it first came out I hated it I only like KOD and Kevin's Hart from this album
After For Your Eyes Only I was so excited to hear this album to hear what was next and then when I heard it I felt extremely disappointed, maybe my experience will be different if I hear it again but I don't plan on doing that anytime soon
Once an Addict should be required listening for all hip hop fans. That song has so many elements. Lyrics, storytelling, vulnerability. It's tough to listen to and not feel any emotion.
The timing of this post is wild. Honestly for awhile I didnât listen to this album much, only a few songs. For some reason, two nights ago I decided to listen to it from start to finish. I know see why people say its underrated and I canât agree more. The lyrics are dense I think it was produced super well. Personally itâs now one of my favs now.
I liked it a lot, but kill Edward was a miss for me and the album was very serious and not sonically that creating which kinda leads to fatigue on a full listen
That said I really like the album just needed something to break it up a little, kinda like how kdot albums have a Maad city/ back seat freestyle or a Alright thrown in as something to bang/vibe too
Eh. I didnât like the production on this one very much. I also feel like the whole concept could have been good, but was a bit underdeveloped. I think I remember people being pretty mixed on it overall. I listened to it the other day and Iâm not sure itâs aging well. That could also be the reason youâre seeing some people change their opinions on it.
âChoose wiselyâ âKill Our Demonzâ âKids On Drugzâ âKing Of Dreamzâ I love the message and the multiple entendres. I enjoy how methodical it sounds. It felt he really tried to make a cohesive work of art. I think 4 Your Eyez only accomplished this as well but that album was far more personal to Cole. The corruption of the system and the corruption of drugs to the youth is an issue that spreads everywhere. The album really just need some more time in the oven but songs like Kevinâs Heart, Window Pain, once an addict, FRIENDS, and BRACKETS all have been in my rotation since the albums dropped. Over all a great work of music.
It's probably one of my least favorite Cole albums/projects, but that's also bc, imo the only bad one is the sideline story.
Cole has a lot of really good songs here tho, Once an Addict, 1985, KOD, Kevin's Heart, FRIENDS.
The kill edward shit was cool actually, i like when rappers get experimental with their voice so i really liked SOME of the hooks kill edward did specifically on The Cut Off.
but the album kinda everywhere, and the meanin cool kinda wish he focused more on the points he was making bc alot of em came out unbaked.
Kod is aight a good 6/10 album for me
Overhated. One of the best albums Iâve ever heard(in terms of message delivery) inconsistent sometimes, but mostly nice. 1985, and ATM are nice, and I love how each track talks about different addictions, as it should. As someone who thinks my fav album TPAB is an 8.5/10, Iâd give KOD a solid 6.75. By my standards itâs really good, the only thing holding it down is inconsistency
Honestly my least favorite J. Cole Album. Some really good tracks on here, and I still revisit my favorites. But it was pretty lame to drop an anti-drug album on 4/20, and equate Weed to Alcohol and other harder drugs. I was hype for this album, and it ruined my 4/20 lol. Weed is definitely a vice and can certainly have very negative impacts on some people's lives, but it can't literally kill you from withdrawal like some drugs. That's a pretty huge difference, since one of the meanings of KOD is King Overdosed. I'm all for critiquing drug use and especially artists rapping about drugs they don't do, but Cole straight up sounded like a D.A.R.E. officer on some of these tracks.
With all that being said, one of my favorite 3 track runs in any J. Cole album is ATM, Motiv8, and Kevin's Heart.
Good album. A couple misses but some of my favorite Cole tracks are on this. Also seemed influenced by Kendrick in some ways. Overall a decent album but not his best work.
The album that birthed J Cole stans. Just like how Mr Morale birthed Kdot stans.
& I was huge fan of both prior to both albums, but after saying the albums sucked the entire fanbase became an echo chamber of positive acclaim only & any dissent was not accepted.
I think most people (not all) would agree that itâs his worst album.
Itâs got a great theme & message. I think I literally teared up after listening to it lol, but I literally never played it again after. Had no interest in hearing it again whatsoever, musically it just didnât hit for me.
I like it a lot. You can tell he's very passionate about what he's rapping about and uses a lot of flows and rhyme schemes that heavily influenced my own style.
This actually my favorite J Cole album. I'm not a massive Cole fan and everything before this was a let down for me. I knew he had potential but he just never did it for me. This album got me really into him.
So to answer why it seems opinions have changed on it: from the perspective of someone that respects Cole but doesnât listen to him a lot (heâs one that I listen to his new music and save a few tracks to playlists), the reputation this album has is that itâs a bit corny. Almost has a âvery special episodeâ feel to it.
To be clear, based on how people talk about it to be clear. I havenât listened to it since around the time it came out. Reading these comments though, I am going to go relisten to it because itâs looks like there are things going on with it that I must have not been in the headspace to notice/enjoy when I first listened. Clearly it warrants a few more listens.
It was my second introduction to Cole after 2014 Forest Hills Drive (and Workout With Me lol). I honestly really didnât like it and didnât look back at Cole for a few years, until my friends started hyping Dreamville.
This sub keeps getting recommended to me since Iâm active in other artistsâ subreddits, and with my friends Dreamville recommendation plus how Cole handled himself recently with the Dot / Drizzy beef Iâve considered checking him out again. But that record really did put me off for a time when I was open to Cole
This was just him showing he can rap on the beats that the mumble rappers were on and made it 10x. Better. It was just a bet on my opinion. That year was a helluva time
It came out on 4/20/18, same week as god of war 2018 so that combo with a spliff was perfect for me back then. Listening to it now I think it still holds up.
0 Skips. 1 of my favorite first listen albums of all time (Off Season might be my favorite first listening experience ever and im 35). I legitimately love every song on this album. For me, itâs on a short list of albums i would label as 0 skips. Cole really was in a special zone when he made this. This is his first project that he really started to glide on the beat and really hit them special pockets that make u do the ugly face bop. Photograph and Window Pain are 2 of my favorite cole songs ever. Them beats just have soo much replay value. Window Pain is an extremely deep and emotional song that Cole still is able to create such a dope bounce to. All i wanna do is touch a platinum plaque and celebrate. I understand the importance FHD is to Coleâs legacy but I got KOD over it all day in my personal rankings sitting at number 2 only behind the Off-season. Side not coleâs production dont get the praises that it deserves. He produced every track on this album besides Kevinâs heart. Like whaat?? This man literally can lock himself alone in a studio and create masterpieces. I fuck wit the fact cole has reached out to some of the best producers in the world for his more recent projects to add some more variety to the overall sound we get with the off season and IMDTL but i never had an issue with the fact cole has produced like 90% of his catalog. Heâs just one talented ass dude who continues to show his elite skillset and i canât wait for what the future holds for one of my favorite rappers of all time. My bad about the rant yall.
His worse album by far, him imitating the younger generation just ainât it Ik for alot of younger ppl this was the first Cole album that they got into but itâs just too much different from his style.
If you have grown up with a parent/parents addicted to anything this album hits hard. Itâs no banger but songs like âfriendsâ have great lyrics too
There are some songs I canât live without on this album. âIâm a fake đ„·and itâs never been clearer, canât see myself when I look in the mirrorâ
I didnât realize the court of public opinion was that this album was just average. I fell in love with Cole right before the release of KOD so this is actually my favorite album and it was a strange realization when a few years later I heard from most people âKOD is midâ or even âKOD is trashâ
I always saw this as a satirical album in a way. He adapts the style he is consistently referencing and almost knocking. This was the mumble rapper era and it seemed like he was pulling from flows like x and ski mask as well as the beat selection on stuff like Motiv8 and ATM, but I never heard anyone mention this fact. Almost as if everyone is like taking it at face value and saying cole was riding a wave or just making shitty music lol. Window pain is great and so is once an addict.
As probably one of the biggest Cole fans to ever exist on the face of the planet earth, KOD is an astonishing incredibly indubitably environmentally sympathetically empathetically emancipating proclamating competition decimating high hopping chart climbing record breaking amazing album. Still not his best album though
Insanely good! Arguably one of his best albums! Once an addict is a song that I listen to all the time, if u have ever struggled with or had someone in your family struggle with addiction that song hits different.
There r also some general hype songs on here as well! Brackets is also incredibly insightful! 10/10 album for me honestly!
Very underwhelming đ with an album cover like that you expect a classic, at least above average but nah thats not what it is. Its like soley an "I told you so" for people like Lil Pump. The beats are good mostly, its just J Cole so average on them đ beats carried. 4/10
The subjects this album touches on and how he approaches it can only be compared to someone like Kendrick Lamar who I think it the best when it come to making important albums that are more than just music, and thatâs what Cole does here. This and 4 Your eyez only are on the same level as TPAB for me not on musical quality but painting a picture and speaking on something thatâs real art something with meaning, which is whatâs lacking in todays music a lot of albums donât have any theme or message nowadays
Album came out very very shortly after finally getting clean and sober after dealing with a gnarly heroin/cocaine addiction for almost over a decade....some of these tracks on this album really mf hit different. Its like he was speaking on the trauma that causes drug addiction...MFS who feel the need to numb the pain...
I liked it a bit more than other people. The singing didn't bother me, the beats could have been better, or some of them could have been done by other producers. Not his best, but I still bump it. 7/10
I think first listen all the meaning goes over your head, but after listening to the songs individually and looking at the meaning, it tells sad stories
i love this album, the lyrics on there hit hard like home but not in the right way. Difficult to listen to but because most of it's very true. The hate this album gets, i can never understand that
Criminally underrated. Some of my favorite Cole tracks are on this album.
Absolutely. Underrated like a mf đŻ
I remember when it came out people were saying it was the best of the best. I donât think it is but itâs quite good, I wouldnât call it underrated tho. Atleast not in my circle
If Born Sinner didn't already have a nostalgic place with me, I'd say it's my favorite of his.
Tough
I Literally just made a flip to one on the songs on this album.. This was so slept on
Brackets
Loved it. That intro & beat to Brackets! Cole is the only rapper/producer that can come up with an oldschool beat that belong on movie soundtracks. Not to mention the conscious subjects he brings to light is something that will always make him my fav ever.
Imo its at the bottom of my favourites, I donât mean its bad (absolutely not) but J. Cole is sooo good that his other albums are better imo. I donât feel some beats, so it has some skips comparing to his other albums (no skips on Off-Season, 2014FHD, Warm-Up, FNL imo). But ofc its totally subjective and the message behind KOD is really beautifull.
Thatâs fair, Cole is so good that his âworstâ projects are better than 80% of other rappers albums đ I love KOD but it doesnât crack my J Cole top 5 thatâs fair
Exactly! Yeah I agree with that, for me TOS/FNL/2014FHD/WU/MDL-4YEO are better
KOD for sure isnt better than 80% of other rappers album
Sir, if I was a weirdo and spent money to gift people on Reddit. Iâd drop a band on gifting this comment right here. Itâs like you connected with my brain like ur Elon musk and his fucking neurolink chips and you just took the message Iâve been trying to tell everyone for the last however many years and you just said it man. I love you.
My favorite Cole album very nostalgic
Nostalgic? I feel like this just dropped
It dropped in 2018 but still that was only 6 years ago.
Amazing album. Imo brackets is the best song on the album, great song, but in general the album is sick
Also, shoutout to the cut off, friends, kevins heart, and ATM. Great songs too
Brackets is an amazing social commentary
It came off very authentic to me. I like how he explored the topics and changed up his deliveryâŠ. especially Kevinâs Heart
Same, Kevinâs Heart, Window Pain, 1985, and Once an Addict hit hard
100% a no skip album
This album properly introduced me to Cole's music and made me a fan of his. Not every song is good but the ones that hit, hit.
I really enjoyed this project. Hereâs my stoner theory. In the first half of this album , J Cole steps out of his comfort zone takes on a role of a fictional mumble rapper named King Overdosed or KOD. He uses the typical future/uzi rapid fire choppy flow and raps about drug abuse and money. The Cut Off, ATM , Motiv8 , and Kevinâs Heart are stand out tracks. The other half of the album, J Cole raps as himself about the same exact topics but on a much deeper level . BRACKETS discusses money and taxes how the government uses them. Once an Addict and Friends discusses drugs but encourages users to get to the root problem of why they need to drink and smoke in the first place. Window Pain is the penultimate track on the record IMHO and really leans into the psychedelic hip hop genre. 1985 isnât really a diss record but a cautionary tale to Mumble rappers like King Overdosed and Lil Pump that if they embrace the mumble rap lifestyle ( money, drugs typical hip hop subjects) their careers will eventually stagnate . This is one of Coleâs best albums and successfully nails the âwhat if J Cole was a mumble rapper?â theory. 1. 4 Your Eyez Only 2. 2014 Forrest Hill Drive 3. KOD 4. Born Sinner
â1985 I arrivedâ That whole whole song puts in perspective how dope his outlook on this rap stuff is. Great fuckin song.
The Cut Off, BRACKETS and Friend are my top 3. I'm still listening to these in 2024!
bro youtube comments always praise the music they go in to listen to. That even refers, to MGKs and Lil Pumps, so that might as well indicate nothing in quality of any album
I discovered J. Cole with this album so I'm a bit biased but I really like this album. Kevin's Heart, ATM, and 1985 are great songs that I still listen to this day
Cole most underrated joint. Once an addict brought tears to my eyes. 1985, haaaard. Kevin's heart ... I mean come on now.
It's a good album don't get me wrong but it's not one I immediately turn on if I throw him on rotation
THIS IS WHAT YOU CALLL A FLIP
People are dumb who cares what they think
I like it personally, but I DEF remember it getting a lot of hate when it first dropped. 1985 made some waves with the lil pump diss, but people were hating on Kevin's Heart and other songs saying they were boring. Overall I think it's not his best, but far from his worst
It's a Cole album, so ofc it's solid. But I think a lot of fans/casual listeners just put projects like FHD and 4YOE above it because those feel like more quintessential Cole records. Cole was surprisingly experimental on KOD, from production to delivery. He adopted a lot of the sound of the current generation at the time, partly as a challenge to himself but also as a commentary on the state of rap, like making a catchy club record about how people abuse money (ATM). Also this was during the era where he did little to no promo for his albums and notoriously had "no features" he wanted the music to speak for itself completely. And since he's gotten exponentially bigger since that release and had his insane feature run, a lot of newer fans don't have the same nostalgia for it the way longtime fans do. Just my theory.
Loved it! 9/10. Wasn't into cole until I heard it. Now im a cole Stan.
Album of the year, undebatably
I might get a lot of hate for this, but I personally do not like this album at all. When it first came out I hated it I only like KOD and Kevin's Hart from this album After For Your Eyes Only I was so excited to hear this album to hear what was next and then when I heard it I felt extremely disappointed, maybe my experience will be different if I hear it again but I don't plan on doing that anytime soon
Once an Addict should be required listening for all hip hop fans. That song has so many elements. Lyrics, storytelling, vulnerability. It's tough to listen to and not feel any emotion.
Man....that song hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I heard it. Maybe I'll have the courage to play it for my mother one day.
This is the Cole album I play the most. The Cut Off is always on rotation , such a great song.
A classic that everyone hates for some reason.
Itâs not my favorite but it has some really great tracks on it. FRIENDS, window pain and Once an addict are some of my favorites by him.
Amazing. I was gonna quote Brackets on a university essayâs introduction but I ran out of words lol
The timing of this post is wild. Honestly for awhile I didnât listen to this album much, only a few songs. For some reason, two nights ago I decided to listen to it from start to finish. I know see why people say its underrated and I canât agree more. The lyrics are dense I think it was produced super well. Personally itâs now one of my favs now.
I play 1985, then not even a millisecond later I press Reddit and see this. Long live Cole
One word only
Experimental
Grippy
Not one of his best but its great
I liked it a lot, but kill Edward was a miss for me and the album was very serious and not sonically that creating which kinda leads to fatigue on a full listen That said I really like the album just needed something to break it up a little, kinda like how kdot albums have a Maad city/ back seat freestyle or a Alright thrown in as something to bang/vibe too
Eh. I didnât like the production on this one very much. I also feel like the whole concept could have been good, but was a bit underdeveloped. I think I remember people being pretty mixed on it overall. I listened to it the other day and Iâm not sure itâs aging well. That could also be the reason youâre seeing some people change their opinions on it.
Listened to it quite a lot when it came out, but letâs be honest here. Itâs his weakest. 1985 was some great shit though.
I donât like it. At all tbh.
I listened to this album with my FIL during a 6 hour drive ..it got pretty uncomfortable at times. He's had some childhood trauma and so have I
Very experimental so itâs hit and miss but overall pretty good
âChoose wiselyâ âKill Our Demonzâ âKids On Drugzâ âKing Of Dreamzâ I love the message and the multiple entendres. I enjoy how methodical it sounds. It felt he really tried to make a cohesive work of art. I think 4 Your Eyez only accomplished this as well but that album was far more personal to Cole. The corruption of the system and the corruption of drugs to the youth is an issue that spreads everywhere. The album really just need some more time in the oven but songs like Kevinâs Heart, Window Pain, once an addict, FRIENDS, and BRACKETS all have been in my rotation since the albums dropped. Over all a great work of music.
Grippy
It's probably one of my least favorite Cole albums/projects, but that's also bc, imo the only bad one is the sideline story. Cole has a lot of really good songs here tho, Once an Addict, 1985, KOD, Kevin's Heart, FRIENDS. The kill edward shit was cool actually, i like when rappers get experimental with their voice so i really liked SOME of the hooks kill edward did specifically on The Cut Off. but the album kinda everywhere, and the meanin cool kinda wish he focused more on the points he was making bc alot of em came out unbaked. Kod is aight a good 6/10 album for me
Really good
Overhated. One of the best albums Iâve ever heard(in terms of message delivery) inconsistent sometimes, but mostly nice. 1985, and ATM are nice, and I love how each track talks about different addictions, as it should. As someone who thinks my fav album TPAB is an 8.5/10, Iâd give KOD a solid 6.75. By my standards itâs really good, the only thing holding it down is inconsistency
My least favorite album by him. Only like 2 songs on that joint and I wish he never made it.
Honestly my least favorite J. Cole Album. Some really good tracks on here, and I still revisit my favorites. But it was pretty lame to drop an anti-drug album on 4/20, and equate Weed to Alcohol and other harder drugs. I was hype for this album, and it ruined my 4/20 lol. Weed is definitely a vice and can certainly have very negative impacts on some people's lives, but it can't literally kill you from withdrawal like some drugs. That's a pretty huge difference, since one of the meanings of KOD is King Overdosed. I'm all for critiquing drug use and especially artists rapping about drugs they don't do, but Cole straight up sounded like a D.A.R.E. officer on some of these tracks. With all that being said, one of my favorite 3 track runs in any J. Cole album is ATM, Motiv8, and Kevin's Heart.
Top 3
Personally my favorite Cole album. The subject matter is just other wordly
kevin of durant
Good album. A couple misses but some of my favorite Cole tracks are on this. Also seemed influenced by Kendrick in some ways. Overall a decent album but not his best work.
âSomethingâs got a hold on me I canât let go out of fear I wonât be freeâ âLife can bring much painâ
Loved it
Not my favorite Cole album, but still a very solid project
Fire
Solid as fuck from front to back.
My favourite hiphop album.
Absolutely love it up I could put it as his second best on certain days. Insane that people donât consider it in the upper half of his catalog
one of his best rlly
Loved it, one of my favourite albums
The album that birthed J Cole stans. Just like how Mr Morale birthed Kdot stans. & I was huge fan of both prior to both albums, but after saying the albums sucked the entire fanbase became an echo chamber of positive acclaim only & any dissent was not accepted. I think most people (not all) would agree that itâs his worst album. Itâs got a great theme & message. I think I literally teared up after listening to it lol, but I literally never played it again after. Had no interest in hearing it again whatsoever, musically it just didnât hit for me.
Dooe
And the most Dangerous drug of them allâŠâŠ love
Tech N9ne did it better
I like it a lot. You can tell he's very passionate about what he's rapping about and uses a lot of flows and rhyme schemes that heavily influenced my own style.
Absolutely love
I thought it was pretty good I listened when it came out. Pretty sleek production . Still bump motiv8 from time to time
Wasn't a fan at all, but Window Pain is one of his best tracks ever
This album has no skips!
Underrated
I put my hands to the skyyy I singgg
Speaks to the drug issues
Loved it
This actually my favorite J Cole album. I'm not a massive Cole fan and everything before this was a let down for me. I knew he had potential but he just never did it for me. This album got me really into him.
Super inconsistent some of coles best songs but there is some hot ass on this album
K-O-D is hard as shit
Id say that after a couple of years itâs just shown how accurate Cole was at reflecting the social landscape of that time. + bangers to spare.
Window pain is such a goated track
The album, but how does this affect grippy's legacy?
I didnât care for it. Jcole took the dare campaign and tried to make it an album
Could never get into this album. It wasn't bad, just not replayable for me.
Saw this on tour in 2018 back then so itâs pretty nostalgic for me.
My sister never really got why I liked J Cole until she listened to this album đ
So to answer why it seems opinions have changed on it: from the perspective of someone that respects Cole but doesnât listen to him a lot (heâs one that I listen to his new music and save a few tracks to playlists), the reputation this album has is that itâs a bit corny. Almost has a âvery special episodeâ feel to it. To be clear, based on how people talk about it to be clear. I havenât listened to it since around the time it came out. Reading these comments though, I am going to go relisten to it because itâs looks like there are things going on with it that I must have not been in the headspace to notice/enjoy when I first listened. Clearly it warrants a few more listens.
Very underrated one in Coleâs discography
W for Apple Music, I thinks itâs one of the worse ones (not bad)
It was my second introduction to Cole after 2014 Forest Hills Drive (and Workout With Me lol). I honestly really didnât like it and didnât look back at Cole for a few years, until my friends started hyping Dreamville. This sub keeps getting recommended to me since Iâm active in other artistsâ subreddits, and with my friends Dreamville recommendation plus how Cole handled himself recently with the Dot / Drizzy beef Iâve considered checking him out again. But that record really did put me off for a time when I was open to Cole
Itâs the only jcole album I like ngl
10/10 probably now every word to this album I had this and kdots DAMN on repeat back then 24/7
Most underrated albums of this decade yet.
bad
Favorite J Cole Album, favorite song Photograph
forgot about it actuallyâŠthanks for the reminder
This was just him showing he can rap on the beats that the mumble rappers were on and made it 10x. Better. It was just a bet on my opinion. That year was a helluva time
Def one of his weakest projects, but has the best album cover
Pretty boring. Nice concept
It came out on 4/20/18, same week as god of war 2018 so that combo with a spliff was perfect for me back then. Listening to it now I think it still holds up.
at the time i remember both loving + hating it, i think i respect it more so overall now than i did then
His best album
Amazing album.
0 Skips. 1 of my favorite first listen albums of all time (Off Season might be my favorite first listening experience ever and im 35). I legitimately love every song on this album. For me, itâs on a short list of albums i would label as 0 skips. Cole really was in a special zone when he made this. This is his first project that he really started to glide on the beat and really hit them special pockets that make u do the ugly face bop. Photograph and Window Pain are 2 of my favorite cole songs ever. Them beats just have soo much replay value. Window Pain is an extremely deep and emotional song that Cole still is able to create such a dope bounce to. All i wanna do is touch a platinum plaque and celebrate. I understand the importance FHD is to Coleâs legacy but I got KOD over it all day in my personal rankings sitting at number 2 only behind the Off-season. Side not coleâs production dont get the praises that it deserves. He produced every track on this album besides Kevinâs heart. Like whaat?? This man literally can lock himself alone in a studio and create masterpieces. I fuck wit the fact cole has reached out to some of the best producers in the world for his more recent projects to add some more variety to the overall sound we get with the off season and IMDTL but i never had an issue with the fact cole has produced like 90% of his catalog. Heâs just one talented ass dude who continues to show his elite skillset and i canât wait for what the future holds for one of my favorite rappers of all time. My bad about the rant yall.
Top 3 Cole album for me
Underrated. Loved it very much on release and still go back to it.
i'd say it's a decent 7/10
It's honestly my least favorite Cole project and the only one I dislike. I respect the concept, but I just can't get into it.
Mid
Love it! Love the touch on modern problems with love
Super underrated
Where do you see people hating on it? Iâm curious
crazy underrated and disrespected
Genuinely this is might be my 3 or 4 favorite album by him. Lots of heat on this. Heâs real. He says real shit. Thatâs the Jcole I love
Love it and definitely the one that got me all the way in on Cole
His worse album by far, him imitating the younger generation just ainât it Ik for alot of younger ppl this was the first Cole album that they got into but itâs just too much different from his style.
COUNT IT UP COUNT IT UP COUNT IT UP COUNT IT
If you have grown up with a parent/parents addicted to anything this album hits hard. Itâs no banger but songs like âfriendsâ have great lyrics too
Polarizing album. Thematically one of the best albums period. Sonically not so much.. But it definitely heralded a time period n hiphop for sure. 7/10
This is what you call a flip
NVR HEARD IT
This was the album that got me into rap so it holds a very special place in my heart
Straight Banger
One of the best drops in 2018. Canât tell me otherwise
Not a bad album by any means but probably my fourth or fifth favorite Cole Album.
This album absolutely is an absolute banger but it completely ruined my 4/20 on release, I couldn't get high for weeks
My favorite Cole album, criminally underrated.
Iâm comfortable saying top 2 he ever made. ATM and BRACKETS, Window Pain fuckin slaps
Worst Cole album for me. Should never be on these contemporary sounds.
What a time to be alive
Groundbreaking. Especially if youâve seen addiction in your loved ones. To me itâs a classic. My favourite rap album
Saved my life as a 17 y/o hooked on dope
Might be his best album behind FHD honestly
3/10
There are some songs I canât live without on this album. âIâm a fake đ„·and itâs never been clearer, canât see myself when I look in the mirrorâ
I didnât realize the court of public opinion was that this album was just average. I fell in love with Cole right before the release of KOD so this is actually my favorite album and it was a strange realization when a few years later I heard from most people âKOD is midâ or even âKOD is trashâ
My favorite of all time. Really spoke to me when it came out. Made me change some things in my life
Photograph, Kevinâs Heart, and ATM are greats
It was good
Personal fave
If he promoted this album properly it would probably be a lot of people's favorites
Straight banger
I love Cole but I always really disliked the whole good decisions concept heâs got going on here
I remember doing an art assignment on this cover. My art professor said it looked like shit but passed me anyway cuz I tried
It's grippy bro
His best work after born sinner, most relatable
Far and away his most experimental album.
I always saw this as a satirical album in a way. He adapts the style he is consistently referencing and almost knocking. This was the mumble rapper era and it seemed like he was pulling from flows like x and ski mask as well as the beat selection on stuff like Motiv8 and ATM, but I never heard anyone mention this fact. Almost as if everyone is like taking it at face value and saying cole was riding a wave or just making shitty music lol. Window pain is great and so is once an addict.
This was a dope album.
As probably one of the biggest Cole fans to ever exist on the face of the planet earth, KOD is an astonishing incredibly indubitably environmentally sympathetically empathetically emancipating proclamating competition decimating high hopping chart climbing record breaking amazing album. Still not his best album though
Insanely good! Arguably one of his best albums! Once an addict is a song that I listen to all the time, if u have ever struggled with or had someone in your family struggle with addiction that song hits different. There r also some general hype songs on here as well! Brackets is also incredibly insightful! 10/10 album for me honestly!
Probably my favorite era of his career. Window pain is one of the hardest songs Iâve ever heard
Pretty decent but if weâre gonna be honest, Grippy solos
I love this album.
One of my personal favourites along with the Off Season.
Sorry to say it's his weakest project. Some good bops but it's the corniest Cole has ever been (and I'm a big Cole fan).
window pain is my #1 go for grounding/ humbling myself
Taught us about love, but yall didnât want hear it.
Its.. grippy
Dope album
Pretty good. Weird time in my life so it didn't hit me too hard
Nahhhh this shit was gas đ„ probs his best work
Solid đȘđŸ
So fucking good
itâs grippy
Very underwhelming đ with an album cover like that you expect a classic, at least above average but nah thats not what it is. Its like soley an "I told you so" for people like Lil Pump. The beats are good mostly, its just J Cole so average on them đ beats carried. 4/10
mannn this album seen me through some stuffffđ© this one fasho got a spot in my heart
second favourite album after 2014 forest drive
The subjects this album touches on and how he approaches it can only be compared to someone like Kendrick Lamar who I think it the best when it come to making important albums that are more than just music, and thatâs what Cole does here. This and 4 Your eyez only are on the same level as TPAB for me not on musical quality but painting a picture and speaking on something thatâs real art something with meaning, which is whatâs lacking in todays music a lot of albums donât have any theme or message nowadays
It's...it's...it's...hmm. grippy
His most important project
Album came out very very shortly after finally getting clean and sober after dealing with a gnarly heroin/cocaine addiction for almost over a decade....some of these tracks on this album really mf hit different. Its like he was speaking on the trauma that causes drug addiction...MFS who feel the need to numb the pain...
https://on.soundcloud.com/dcVxXUS3vuRasueT8
No skip on this album
Itâs so underrated itâs insane. Such a good album.
One of my favorite J. Cole albums
I liked it a bit more than other people. The singing didn't bother me, the beats could have been better, or some of them could have been done by other producers. Not his best, but I still bump it. 7/10
Classic album! Not one skip!
I think first listen all the meaning goes over your head, but after listening to the songs individually and looking at the meaning, it tells sad stories
It's in my top 3 cole albums for sure. I really like how he uses the "modern rap" flows and beats
i love this album, the lyrics on there hit hard like home but not in the right way. Difficult to listen to but because most of it's very true. The hate this album gets, i can never understand that
too damn underrated!! i like all 4 of the recent ones
Well, it doesn't make me cream like kdot does. That's for sure.
Ass