J. Cole's The Fall-Off Is a Victory Lap with Few New Wins: Review

"His ambition has been present and active from day one, and the strength of Cole's belief in himself has only intensified. But that self-assurance over the years, especially recently, has left Cole sounding satisfied, sated, and the opposite of hungry. On his purported final album, The Fall-Off, Cole's creative fire crackles quietly, refusing to burn out, but it's weaker than the blaze that earned him his expansive audience."

"Presented as a double album, The Fall-Off clocks in at a total of 1 hour and 41 minutes. As such, it's a meaty experience that takes time to parse through - but certain songs leap forward. The strongest parts of the album are when Cole is rapping his ass off over dynamic beats. The Drake-esque "Two Six" and the dense, bass-indebted "WHO TF IZ U" from Disc One bring forth the animated J. Cole who's worthy of the Big 3 status."

""Old Dog," a high-octane, Disc-Two highlight with fellow North Carolinian Petey Pablo, matches the frenetic energy of the aforementioned tracks. Always more spirited when he's reflecting on his region, Cole raps charismatically here about his pride in his home state: "A Carolina, bear in mind, we never had shit," he spits, "But now the GOAT is from this bitch, so all that's past tense.""

J. Cole has consistently focused on sharpening his craft since 2007's The Come Up, often asserting his ambition and self-belief. That confidence has grown, but recently it yields a satisfied, sated tone lacking hunger. The Fall-Off, presented as a double album at 1 hour 41 minutes, contains standout energetic tracks where Cole raps intensely over dynamic beats, such as "Two Six", "WHO TF IZ U", and "Old Dog" featuring Petey Pablo. Regional pride energizes performances, yet overall creative fire crackles quietly and feels weaker than earlier blazing work. Comfort and complacency underpin the decision to wind down the career.

Read at Consequence