"J. Cole continues to be the preeminent face of a specific microgenre I like to call Podcast Rap, the general idea being that you don't have to listen to these songs more than once, but they'll give a roundtable of dinguses something to chew on for a week. "What If," off Cole's new album The Fall-Off, is an instant Podcast Rap classic."
"On this track, Cole raps from the perspectives of Biggie and Tupac and imagines a timeline where they apologize to each other and mend their brotherhood through cute Nicholas Sparks letters before things get tragic. It's skillful rapping: He weaves in and out of hypothetical conversations and biographical details; he captures little intricacies of their flows and manner of speech."
"Joe Budden: Cole is talking that shit, this is dope! Joe Budden Employee # 1: You gotta salute him for being a real man. Too many of us are afraid of the accountability that comes with apologies. Joe Budden Employee #2: As a man, I'd never apologize to one of my homies. Joe Budden: That's 'cause you're a fucking asshole who needs therapy. Joe Budden Employee #2: My ex wife tried to get me to go to therapy. You know I'm always saying-"
J. Cole positions himself as the leading practitioner of Podcast Rap, a microgenre that sacrifices replay value for weeklong conversational fodder. On 'What If,' he inhabits Biggie and Tupac, imagining an alternate timeline in which they apologize via sentimental letters before tragedy strikes. The performance demonstrates technical skill through mimicry of flows, phrasing, and biographical detail while ultimately reframing the narrative toward contemporary Drake-Kendrick tensions. The record and its surrounding drama in 2024 culminate in a rhetorical wish for collective harmony. A mock podcast transcript replicates reactionary commentary and shows how such songs fuel roundtable debate.
Read at Pitchfork
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]