Late Reviews
Friday Night Lights by J. Cole
The opening words of the mixtape are:
“Almost, almost
So here we are, x3
Funny how so close can seem so far”
These words speak to me and bring me back to a 16 year old, wide-eyed rap fan, finally attempting to flap his wings for the first time. The mixtape dropped by J. Cole which should have been his debut album for me, remains a true classic in the game. The powerful opening words referring to Jermaine’s underdog theme that runs through his pre- fame catalog, and also remind me that even though it feels like yesterday, this offering was released almost 10 years ago now. Cole is the reason why I still feel like the underdog despite a silver-spoon education, why I remain humble in the presence of admiration and praise. The reason why I place preference of another individuals story over my own.
Cole’s project intro to Friday Night Lights is the summoning of pain, triumph and depth over blues piano riffs, as the rapper offers profound, almost prophetical couplets with a reverb effect that doubles down on the powerful nature of the tracks.
“This is supposed to be your moment,
What good is being the one when you’re the only one that knows it”
These are song’s last words as the intro merges beautifully into the first full- length track on the mixtape, aptly titled Too Deep for the Intro. The Erykah Badu sample provides a soulful feel to the introduction, where Cole laments over his over- analytical brain and introspective nature in a game where extroversion and eccentricity are the equal to success.
“If this is too deep for the intro I’ll find another use,
But just in case its perfect,
Let me introduce”
His indecisiveness over the appropriateness of choosing this song as the second in the mixtape’s sequence, fits in with the theme of introspection and uncertainty while knowing that the potential for greatness is there.
Before I’m Gone is the third track on the project, where Cole goes into full- blown storytelling mode, his forte, and speaks of his on and off relationship with weed which instills a deep distrust of his own circle of friends. Cole’s smoking habits have been a subject of his own debate throughout his career, and I share his sentiments, as the nature of a need for marijuana cyclicly dispels and simultaneously invites high anxiety.
“I hit the weed and told myself the last time would be my last,
I don’t trust my own n****s now my mind’s racing fast
Got my foot up on the gas,
Got 100 on the dash
If the police pull me over I ain’t stopping for their a**”
The opening lyrics paint the perfect picture of a young man’s chase of success and respect in hip-hop. This, in my eyes, is a euphemism for any ambitious young person’s struggles — vices, drive and bad decisions seem to define the lives of most people in their early 20’s, as we try to figure out what works for us and what won’t. At least it definitely defined mind. It seems as if Cole and I were leading the same lives, his a little more advance in years than mine, with loosely the same internal struggles.
The first three songs on the tape introduce the listener to what is to come remarkably well, as Cole uses touches of synesthesia to guide the creation of the music, as well as the album artwork. When I sit down and listen to Friday Night Lights, my mind immediately transforms the sound vibrations into colours and shapes, which take the hue of a dark blue and grey — similar to the aesthetic of the front cover.
“Back to the topic,
Actually forgot it”
Back To The Topic is a flex in lyrical exercise for Cole, where he spits for three minutes straight, taking various tangents only to redirect himself and his subject matter in the closing bars of the track.
The next four songs on the mixtape, You Got It, Enchanted, Blow Up, Higher and In The Morning are worth mentioning as more pop- influenced, with features like Wale and Drake introducing themselves as Cole’s partners in crime, to remind the listener that Cole is a well- established artist in mainstream hip- hop as well, and not just a backpacking rapper telling stories of pain and oppression. It is also worth noting at this point that this mixtape came before Cole’s opening album and the well known tale of how he let Nas down with his ‘single’ Work Out, another signal of Cole’s indecisiveness as an artist dealing with the trials and tribulations of satisfying his record label’s needs while at the same time quenching his core fans thirst for what he is known for: raw, storytelling hip- hop music.
Cole gets back to this on the deep 2face, rapping
“Ink from the pen, spilling on my notebook,
Filled with dreams
This is my hope book,
Still the screams
From little girls shot and killed fill my head on the daily,
At times I question God can you blame me?”
Again Cole, speaks to a 16 year old me, who at the time of this mixtape’s release was writing similar stories to Cole’s, questioning if I could be to blame for wanting to make things better for the world through telling the stories of those experiencing more pain than I could ever imagine. This a darker song, as Cole reflects on killings within his community and society.
The remainder of the mixtape have several standouts, such as Love Me Not, the projects rap equivalent of a ‘love song’ in which Cole raps from the perspective of his significant other:
“I loved your a** way before I knew you could rap,
The way you breaking my heart, I should sue you for that”
Farewell is the projects outro, with Cole back to his best, reminiscing on childhood memories, friendships and mistakes. He writes the song as if it is a eulogy for himself, describing how he would want people to look at his legacy if he were to pass away. I think, 10 years later, that question has been answered, as Cole will undoubtedly go down as one of hip- hop’s all time greats, if not the greatest of all time.
“Let me relive my younger days, just once again
Re-enact my memories from every friend to every sin
Keeping demons buried in my closet,
But yet I put in work like a deposit on a bank account
My eyes lit as I think about my childhood
Now I’m blanking out
Those were truly my best days”
