Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Instagram 0 Followers
Pinterest 0 Followers
LinkedIn 0
Reddit 0 Subscribers
TikTok 0
0
0
0
0
0
Parle Mag
Subscribe
Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrity
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Television News
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Business
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Op-Ed
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Travel
  • Interviews
Featured Categories
black countries
About Parlé
4 Posts
View Posts
Taye Diggs reads a book in an episode of private practice.
About Parle Magazine
4 Posts
View Posts
About the Editor
3 Posts
View Posts
Ad Test
1 Posts
View Posts
Posts
  • janes sixth day on the stand 1
    Day 22 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Sixth Day on the Stand, Defense Revisits Key Incidents and Messages
    • June 12, 2025
  • janes cross examination continues 2
    Day 21 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination Continues, Unpacks Pain, Power, and Perspective
    • June 11, 2025
  • jane's cross examination 3
    Day 20 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination, Takes Deep Turn
    • June 10, 2025
  • janes sixth day on the stand

    Day 22 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Sixth Day on the Stand, Defense Revisits Key Incidents and Messages

    • June 12, 2025
    View Post
  • janes cross examination continues

    Day 21 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination Continues, Unpacks Pain, Power, and Perspective

    • June 11, 2025
    View Post
  • jane's cross examination

    Day 20 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination, Takes Deep Turn

    • June 10, 2025
    View Post
  • Music

2014 Forest Hills Drive – J Cole album review

  • December 6, 2014
  • Kyle Jarmon
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

J Cole - Forest Hills Drive
On this, the third studio album from J. Cole, the emcee is less muted than on prior projects. The relentless rhyming is marked by tinges of bitterness, introspection and observation. This is not a negative thing – in fact, 2014 Forest Hill Drive, is perhaps his best collection of tracks to date. The beats are more melodic and assist in bringing what he’s saying to the forefront. After the marketable success of Born Sinner, J. Cole seems intent on returning to the mic to drop a few gems that are extremely personal and less commercially glamorized.
The opener captures a rapper unveiling his authenticity singing across a jazz vibe and asking “do you wanna be happy?”  The question offers a communicative depth that is intense given recent current events and J. Cole’s outspokenness about them.  On “January 28th,” provides the rapper with a smooth beat to spit powerful bars over about the value of Black life – and more emphatically – Black men. It is difficult not to enjoy the cut nor feel as if J. Cole isn’t fed up with the utter disregard for the accomplishments, achievements and presence of Black people on the Earth that America has proven itself to have.

J. Cole shifts gears on “Wet Dreamz,” a nostalgic elegy to his virginity.  On “A Tale of Two Citiez,” there is an anthemic undertone meant to provoke a reaction. The drums blare at the speakers during its “hands in the air” chorus that serve to deliver even more context to the song. “G.O.M.D.” is equally as vicious being a proverbial fuck you to anyone that disagrees with his perspectives. The song reveals an emcee not afraid of pushing the envelope and treading new horizons production wise.

On “Love Yourz,” J. Cole pens on the overwhelming obsession to fit in, outdo and keep up with the Joneses. It is simultaneously pensive and hard-hitting. The finale, “Note to Self” feels like a nod to singers that have come before him, and a bow to the fact that he’s crafted some of the most pointed punchlines ever on this album.

Advertisement

J. Cole first started gaining notoriety when he released his mixtape, The Come Up in 2007 and gained more steam in the genre with The Warm Up two years later. There is no denying that J. Cole set out with the intention of making a definitive statement that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon with 2014 Forest Hills Drive. While some will argue it is sonically different in both rhymes and music from the prior two albums, this is the J. Cole that Hip-Hop needs. 2014 Forest Hills Drive by no means will resurrect what many consider a dead genre (even in the underground lane), but is a step in the right direction.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • 2014 Forest Hills Drive
  • 2014 Forest Hills Drive album review
  • J cole review
  • J. Cole
  • Parlé Magazine
Kyle Jarmon

Previous Article
  • Entertainment News
  • Interviews
  • Music

Chopper Reminds Us Why He Made Da Band With Freestyle

  • December 6, 2014
  • Kevin Benoit
View Post
Next Article
Fight For Freedom
  • Op-Ed

Fight For Freedom For Blacks Continues

  • December 7, 2014
  • Jabril Hasan
View Post
You May Also Like
Lil Wayne & Mannie Fresh Unleash 'The Mix Before Tha VI' Ahead of 'Carter VI'
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music
  • New Hip Hop & Soul Music Album Release Announcements
  • New Music Releases
  • Uncategorized

Lil Wayne & Mannie Fresh Unleash ‘The Mix Before Tha VI’ Ahead of ‘Carter VI’

  • Obiorah Precious
  • June 3, 2025
skaes and lamine yamal collaboration
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music
  • Sports

What Would a Skales and Lamine Yamal Collaboration Look Like in 2025?

  • Nduka John
  • May 26, 2025
Meet 803Fresh
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

Meet Southern Soul Singer 803Fresh – The Man Behind Hit Single “Boots on the Ground”

  • Stacey Mickles
  • May 25, 2025
Greatest Doechii songs
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

10 Best Doechii Songs of All Time, As Ranked by Spotify Streams

  • Obiorah Precious
  • May 22, 2025
Lil Wayne Tha Carter VI album cover
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

Everything We Know About Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter VI’ Album

  • Nduka John
  • May 17, 2025
Wizkid vs davido
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Lifestyle
  • Music
  • Op-Ed

Wizkid vs. Davido — Who Would Win in a Song-for-Song Battle?

  • Nduka John
  • May 16, 2025
top 2025 summer concerts
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

The Top 2025 Summer Concerts That We’ll Be Heading To

  • Stacey Mickles
  • May 13, 2025
afrobeat and r&B music collaborations
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

You’ve Got to Hear This! 5 of the Best Afrobeats and R&B Music Collaborations

  • Nduka John
  • May 2, 2025
Recent Posts
  • Wigs Vs Sew-Ins | 6 Things to Consider Before Choosing
    Wigs Vs Sew-Ins | 6 Things to Consider Before Choosing
    • June 10, 2025
  • Healthy Ways to Deal with a Toxic Boss Without Quitting Your Job
    Healthy Ways to Deal with a Toxic Boss Without Quitting Your Job
    • June 9, 2025
  • janes testimony continues
    Day 19 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Testimony Continues, States Similarities In Cassie’s Lawsuit
    • June 9, 2025
Categories
Entertainment News
5719 Posts
View Posts
Interviews
860 Posts
View Posts
Lifestyle
2731 Posts
View Posts
Featured Posts
  • janes sixth day on the stand 1
    Day 22 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Sixth Day on the Stand, Defense Revisits Key Incidents and Messages
    • June 12, 2025
  • janes cross examination continues 2
    Day 21 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination Continues, Unpacks Pain, Power, and Perspective
    • June 11, 2025
  • jane's cross examination 3
    Day 20 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination, Takes Deep Turn
    • June 10, 2025
  • Wigs Vs Sew-Ins | 6 Things to Consider Before Choosing 4
    Wigs Vs Sew-Ins | 6 Things to Consider Before Choosing
    • June 10, 2025
  • Healthy Ways to Deal with a Toxic Boss Without Quitting Your Job 5
    Healthy Ways to Deal with a Toxic Boss Without Quitting Your Job
    • June 9, 2025

RSS Parle Mag

  • Day 22 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Sixth Day on the Stand, Defense Revisits Key Incidents and Messages
  • Day 21 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination Continues, Unpacks Pain, Power, and Perspective
  • Day 20 of the Diddy Trial: Jane’s Cross-Examination, Takes Deep Turn
  • Wigs Vs Sew-Ins | 6 Things to Consider Before Choosing
  • Healthy Ways to Deal with a Toxic Boss Without Quitting Your Job
Parle Mag
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
  • Parle Endeavors
  • Parle New York
  • Privacy Policy
parlemag.com - The Voice of The Culture

Input your search keywords and press Enter.