Cole is difficult for most entertainment writers to cover. Cole has come full circle, though maybe not in the way that many had expected. Now, with the release of 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Stadium bass heavy anthems like G.O.M.D and Firing Squad were there to balance the softening back-end of the album, which featured a more melodic and piano heavy movement. Cole the artist and superstar finally found a convergence. Then, it was finally with Forest Hills Drive that J. As a personal fan of Born Sinner, I loved what the work was, and it showed an evolving sense of comfort.

Cole’s transition back to his roots of music. But following a lukewarm freshman studio release, we saw the beginning of J. As an introspective rapper he’s chronicled that struggle and journey, beginning with his early career mixtapes The Warm Up as well as the massively underrated Friday Night Lights. Throughout his career, J Cole has had trouble reconciling his own ambitions for stardom with a perso nal calling for storytelling as an art form.