By Jamil Weeks

My hometown, Fayetteville, North Carolina, has perpetually been shrouded in negativity by reputation. Whether it is the senseless violence that permeates the city, the complaints of lack of opportunities, or a monotonous nightlife, a dark cloud seems to permanently loom over the town commonly referred to as “Fayettenam”. However, the ascension of one of Fayetteville’s own would cast a different light on this rugged military town. Fayetteville native, J. Cole, spent years building his immense fan base with a self-contained discography that became increasingly personal with each release. We all witnessed noticeable improvements in songwriting, bar work, and creative artistry throughout Cole’s stellar career. Cole’s fame transformed the city from Fayetteville to Dreamville, as the national spotlight cast on the city provided a ray of hope to its residents. By the start of 2024, Cole was poised to take the crown and put on for the city. Cole’s peer from Compton, often referred to as the “Boogeyman”, would foil such plans with his legendary dismantling of Drake. The battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar found Cole catching strays and reluctantly throwing his hat in the ring. Cole unexpectedly backtracked with his apology to Kendrick causing attention-seeking internet trolls to salivate at the opportunity to throw shade Cole’s way. As Kendrick spent last year taking his victory lap, Cole quietly retreated back to where it all began plotting his return. Thankfully the wait is over. Cole has finally released his long awaited double album, giving the city of Fayetteville and the entire state a reason to be proud once again.

“2-6 was the blueprint, yeah it made me…” - J. Cole on “Old Dog”

The Fall-Off is an ode to Fayetteville. With song titles like “Two Six”, “Bunce Road Blues”, and “and the whole world is the Ville”, Cole comes full circle with his latest and perhaps final offering. Cole litters the album with references of the city familiar to its inhabitants, like Haymount Hills or Cross Creek. The double album is an exercise in Cole reconnecting to his roots as he reflects on his love/hate relationship with the city. Whether he is rapping from the perspective of a former friend still in the trenches showing his admiration for Cole’s accomplishments on “Safety” or addressing jealous haters throwing dirt on his name on “Poor Thang”, Fayetteville is the heartbeat of the album. The type of small rural town where most Americans who aspire to be bigger than their surroundings are raised. Cole draws on his meager Fayetteville beginnings as he stands at a crossroads in his life. As he reflects on the regrets and lessons learned from his experiences in the ‘Ville, Cole comes to grips with his current fame as he approaches the Fall season of his life.

“I never knew a luh, luh, luh…a love like this” - J. Cole on “I Love Her Again”

The Fall-Off is also an ode to hip hop. Cole pays tribute to Nas, Eminem, Mobb Deep, DMX, and other legends on the album. Rather it is an interpolation of a song lyric, a reimagining of a song concept, or re-using classic samples, Cole gives flowers to the artists who inspired him stylistically. On “I Love Her Again”, Cole picks up where Common left off with the sequel to Common’s classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” Here, Cole raps about rediscovering his love for hip hop. On the hypothetical “What If”, Cole raps from the point of view of Biggie and 2Pac reconciling while rapping in each artist’s distinct flow. The song also serves as a clever parallel to his Kendrick apology without directly having to address that situation. Cole remixes the hook to OutKast’s “Elevators” as Erykah Badu sings “rolling down the ‘Ville on Vogues/coming up slamming Cadillac doors”. The album in general has a sort of Dungeon Family-inspired sound with the blend of soulful vibes and live instrumentation. Cole’s diversity in influences probably came about from a lack of a distinct North Carolina regional sound. The production on this album is a melting pot of different regional flavors, from southern trap to east coast boom bap. Cole channels the spirit of hip hop from the 90s and 2000s with a modern-day contemporary twist. A choice that makes sense given the nostalgia of looking back on his coming of age years.

“The s*** I write so fire, I got my hand afraid of my pen…” - J. Cole on “Drum n Bass”

Cole is rapping at a high level on The Fall-Off. Emptying the clip on each instrumental with an arsenal of different flows, Cole has elevated as a master at his craft. With each listen, it has been a privilege listening to Cole hit those pockets like a gold medal winning Olympic skier carving turns on downhill slopes. Cole’s clever use of double entendres and his passionate, emotional delivery illustrates why Cole is so highly regarded as a lyricist. For some fans, the Kendrick apology may have permanently altered how they view Cole as an emcee. However, after listening to this album, I cannot comprehend how anyone can say Cole is not an elite lyricist. Especially considering the diversity in subject matter tackled on this project. The ability to rap coherent stories and song concepts using the same rhyme scheme is further proof that Cole has graduated in the school of emceeing. The consistency in the quality of the bars throughout both discs make Cole’s rapping on The Fall-Off his most impressive performance yet in his almost two decade long career.

“In order for there to be love, there’s gotta be hate…” - J. Cole on “and the whole world is the Ville”

The Fall-Off is stellar but not perfect. My nitpicks of this album are a result of my personal expectations. The production on the album fits what Cole is trying to convey. However, an ambitious project like this would have benefited from more grandiose production given the long wait for the album. The production feels anti-climatic at times. There is a generic quality to some of the beats. Cole handled the bulk of the production but it would have been nice to reach out to fellow North Carolinian producer, 9th Wonder, to rep for the state. Also, where are the Dreamville artists? Cozz? Ari Lennox? Bas? Lute? I was definitely surprised JID was not on the album given his recent succes. A Dreamville posse cut, even as a bonus cut, would have been a great way to promote his artists if indeed this is Cole’s last album. Then there was the disappointment from recently released singles I loved not making the final cut of album. Songs like “Port Antonio” and “cLOUDs” would have fit perfectly on this album. Finally, never was a fan of rappers who sing on songs. Hooks and choruses are acceptable, but not for full songs or the majority of songs (in my opinion). For me, it drives the value of the album down as those songs are definite skips in most cases. Thankfully these nitpicks do not ruin the album, which continues to grow on me more with each listen. Sometimes as fans we have to learn to appreciate and judge art for what it is rather than judging based off our expectations.

“Fell off and fell on my face/but I knew I’d find a way” - J-Cole on “Two Six”

In the end, The Fall-Off is a thoughtful and reflective journey where Cole comes to terms with potentially losing everything he fought to gain in life. A theme that is best illustrated through the lead single “The Fall-Off is Inevitable” where Cole tells his life story in reverse from death to birth. Everything we gain in life we will eventually lose. Stars fade. Youth disappears with age. We lose people in our life. Someday we will all breathe our last breath. The Fall-Off is Cole’s therapeutic attempt at trying to make sense of this “fall-off”. From the perspective of a young man returning to Fayetteville from New York City after hitting it big on disc one, and then as an older, wiser man on the second disc. Two different mind states that combined provide the listener with an exceptional conceptual listening experience. Cole once made a song about letting one of his idols, Nas, down. However, with the latest installment in his catalogue, Cole has made his hometown and the entire state of North Carolina proud of his accomplishments. To know one of our own will go down as one of the greatest is a win for all of us. Social media will have people thinking Cole is hated universally. There is the internet and then there is real life. The evidence is in his appearances he is making selling CDs out the trunk of his old Honda Civic. The fans are showing up in droves wherever Cole pops up showering him with love. The Fall-Off is arguably Cole’s best work since Born Sinner. Looking forward to revisiting this albums for years to come. Until then, me and many of my fellow hometown peers will continue to beam with pride over Cole continuing to fulfill his destiny as one of hip hop’s brightest stars. Well done, Jermaine.