by Brendan Sullivan, editor It’s fair to say that J. Cole and Young Thug are currently two of the most talked about artists, at least online. J. Cole was the subject of the absurdly overused “double platinum with no features” meme, and Young Thug--well, Young Thug is a meme. We’ve seen an uptick of these with the release of J. Cole’s latest work, 4 Your Eyez Only. Memes usually label an artist either trash or good, but there's never a consensus; an artist can be hailed as Jesus in one meme and complete garbage in the next. However, J. Cole is almost always seen as the more legitimate rapper. There’s something about Young Thug, whatever it is, that makes him often be taken as a joke by fans and haters alike. Despite this, Young Thug is just a flat out better artist. The two are polar opposites, ends of the same spectrum; where Thugger is bold, creative, interesting, J Cole is typical, safe, and boring. Young Thug breaks molds with his androgyny and sexual ambiguity, dabbling heavily in women’s clothing, posting instagrams with painted nails, tweeting about “smoking penises,” and sparking debates over his sexuality. Thugger is arguably the most fashion-forward male musician since Prince, and he’s doing it while still earning respect from his peers in the hyper-masculine Atlanta scene. It’s hard to compare J. Cole, just because we have so little to work with. We know he’s from North Carolina, he’s married, and...what else? His fashion sense is boring, especially considering he’s rich enough to afford whatever he wants. He showed up to a full-body cover photo shoot in some decent J’s, a conservative, stereotypically hip-hop choice. Young Thug showed up to his photo op in a designer dress. You could spend all day talking about the contrast of images, but instead, let’s get to the music. 4 Your Eyez Only starts off well with “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” a quiet and smooth intro track that seems to be promising. By the next track, “Immortal,” Cole is back to his old tricks. He starts off with this: Now I was barely seventeen with a pocket full of hope Screamin', dollar and a dream with my closet lookin' broke And my n***a's lookin' clean, gettin' caught up with that dope Have you ever served a fiend with a pocket full of soap? N***a I can tell you things that you probably shouldn't know Have you ever heard the screams when the body hit the floor? Flashbacks to the pain, wakin' up, cold sweats Six o'clock in the mornin', gotta hit the BoFlex Get my weight up on the block, keep watch for the cops God they love to serve a n***a three hots and a cot This is a pretty good example of J. Cole’s lyricism. It’s hard to knock it--his rhymes are solid, he’s flowing pretty well, and I get why he has so many fans, why this album will go platinum. But at the same time, is it anything special? Is he telling us anything we haven’t heard before, not only from his previous work, but also from every single other rapper? Growing up in a tough place, hustling to get by, keeping an eye out for the police: this is hip hop’s bread and butter. But a restaurant needs more than bread and butter to earn a Michelin Star. Hip Hop’s transcendent artists, its legends, are those who find new ways to talk about it. “Immortal” is a solid song, but disappointingly, it turns out to be one of the best songs on the whole album, an honor it does not deserve to hold. “Deja Vu” basically copies a beat from Bryson Tiller’s “Exchange,” with no recognition, and fails to improve on the original track. It continues similarly from there, the production being solid throughout, but none of the beats are gems. “Neighbors” is a standout track, but the album overall feels like a step back for Cole. 2014 Forest Hills Drive wasn’t the best album, but it had higher highs, more energy, and more personality. Young Thug’s Jeffery, on the other hand, is alive with passion and personality. Although it’s his latest drop, it’s not quite new, so I’ll keep the review short. However, suffice it to say that Thugger expertly plays to his strengths. It’s no secret that his lyrics aren’t particularly profound, but unless you’re trying to hate, you really won’t notice or care. His sense of melody and ability to switch up flows quickly and smoothly remain unmatched, and his production is tight as ever. The album is bookended strongly, starting with the incredibly catchy “Wycelf Jean,” a good track with a great hook. The last song, “pick up the phone,” is simply one of the best pop-rap songs of the year. Throughout, the album stays vibrant, with an excellent selection of features. Features, actually, are something 4 Your Eyez Only could’ve used (Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick, so many people could’ve killed it). But I can’t bring myself to criticize Cole for something so many of his fans apparently consider a strength. The point of the comparison here is ultimately that Thugger and Cole are taking two very different approaches. J. Cole plays it safe, and for the most part it seems to be working for him. But taking risks is the very essence of art! No matter how many people disagree with Young Thug’s artistic choices, his personality will always shine through on anything he touches. With 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Cole seems content to, as the memes say, put us to sleep. Comments are closed.
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