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With Drake and Kendrick Lamar continuing to dominate headlines, dropping legal notices and new music, the third member of hip-hop's "Big 3," J. Cole has been treating fans by re-releasing old classics.
The Dreamville rapper released his third mixtape, Friday Night Lights, which was delivered to streaming platforms on November 28. The project was originally released in 2010.
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Cole's Friday Night Lights, which is a reference to the 2004 high school football movie of the same name, embodies the spirit of sports like Basketball, which he explained in an interview with HipHopDX, stating:
"It still embodies that J. Cole character—that basketball, high school athlete, varsity feeling without making it specific to basketball."
With J. Cole's third mixtape finally uploaded to all major DSPs, several fans have taken to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to share their opinions over the LP under reposts from media outlets.
More reactions followed from fans sharing praise for Cole's mixtape hitting streaming after 14 years.
"Been waiting on this for at least half a decade don't even know what to say rn," a fan cited.
"J. Cole’s Friday Night Lights is an unforgettable mixtape album to ever exist in hip hop," a fan claimed.
"We’ve been eatingggggg. 2024 gotta go into the rap history books," another added.
"The best mixtape across all genres is out now," an excited fan stated.
Fans were also found sharing their appreciation for Cole's artistry, with individuals referring to the Fayetteville rapper as the Greatest Of All Time.
"Jcole will always be my goat. Sorry Kendrick," a fan stated.
"Cole really the GOAT," said another.
"My goat bringing real music back," a fan claimed.
Top Picks from J. Cole's third mixtape 'Friday Night Lights'
J. Cole's third mixtape was first released on November 12, 2010, a year after signing with Jay-Z's Roc Nation record label.
The mixtape hosts 18 full-length records as part of its official tracklist and features artists like Drake, Kanye West, Wale, Omen, and more. Friday Night Lights has a complete runtime of one hour and 12 minutes, exploring themes like success, wealth, ambition, legacy, personal struggles, and death.
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
Too Deep for the Intro
Opening as the second track on Friday Night Lights is Cole's self-produced Too Deep for the Intro record, where he chops a sample from Erykah Badu's 2000 single Didn't Cha Know.
Interestingly, J. Cole claims that this track is indeed "Too deep for an intro," as according to him, singles that introduce an album rarely dive into personal themes, similar to the ones showcased on this record.
"Man, is this too deep for the intro? If so, I'll find another use / But just in case it's perfect, let me introduce / It's Cole, I had a dream and so I made a move / An ill-ass n---a who just so happened to stay in school / Still rap for hustlers and motherf--kers that hated school" - J. Cole raps on 'Too Deep for the Intro'.
In The Morning (feat. Drake)
(Production Credits: L&X Music)
With a Piano-heavy melody, credited to producer L&X Music, J. Cole teams up with Drake, marking their first career collaboration on a track titled In The Morning.
Both individuals deliver sensual verses that speak on their romantic relationships, directing passionate bars at their love interests. Lines sung on the hook are reportedly inspired by Jay-Z's 1998 Can I Get A.. record.
"To be fair, I know we barely know each other and yet / Somehow, I wound up in your bed, so where we headed from here? / Just say you're scared if you're scared / But if you're through frontin', we can do somethin' / And you know just what I'm talkin' 'bout, tomorrow, you'll be callin' out" - J. Cole raps on 'In The Morning'.
Premeditated Murder
On Track 15 of Friday Night Lights, J. Cole delivers the self-produced anthemic Premeditated Murder record, fueled by impressive rhyme schemes that dive into themes like ambition, success, and wealth.
The record primarily revolves around Cole attaining massive success post signing with his idol Jay-Z's Roc Nation record label in 2009. The lyrics focus on him premeditating an attack on hip-hop culture, metaphorically explaining his desire to be the best, as seen on lines like:
"Even though I ain't that n---a that you're used to, yeah / Remember back when I was broke, you would fix me / Do you prefer the broke me or the rich me? / The broke me couldn't buy you meals, not even a value meal / Now I pay for everything, how you feel? / Mixed feelings 'cause now all the chicks feelin' him / You gotta adapt, though, I'm never goin' back"
Back to the Topic (Freestyle)
(Production Credits: Carmelo Famouss, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Mario Winans)
From referring to himself as "ill enough to kill cancer" to reflecting on his position in 2010's hip-hop landscape, J. Cole delivers an electric freestyle over an original sample of Cassie Ventura's single Must Be Love (feat. Diddy).
Notable bars performed during the former Roc Nation signee's single verse, on Back to the Topic, include lines like:
"Now I'm armed and I'm Fayettenam's finest / Carolina's savior, marijuana blazer / Only on occasion 'cause my mind be racin' / Lost in my thoughts, so my eyes be Asian / Thinking how these rap n----s gotta be fakin' / Whole style obviously copied, pasted / Plagiarized swag, may arrive last / But when it's all said and done, I'ma be ahead of them"
Before I'm Gone
J. Cole's self-produced instrumental on Before I'm Gone sets a perfect precedent for the emotionally mature performance he delivers on track 3 of Friday Night Lights.
The seriousness of his lyricism finds Cole reflecting on the difficulties of growing up amongst the violence of Fayetteville. He highlights personal struggles as the reasons why he remained motivated to change his life and become one of hip-hop's most prolific rappers, as seen on lines like:
"Them old n----s sayin', Cole the wrong one bringin' the city shine / All he ever doin' is paintin' pictures of crime / Tellin' stories of pain, paintin' pictures of dope / B---h, if you listenin', I'm paintin' pictures of hope / Huh, that boy in class embarrassed because he broke / Hopin' today he won't be the butt of somebody's joke"
You Got It (feat. Wale)
On the fifth track of Friday Night Lights, J. Cole teams up with MMG icon Wale for a track titled You Got It, where the Fayetteville rapper samples Janelle Monáe’s 2010 hit record Neon Valley Street.
Cole and Wale's verse seemingly revolves around why they believe they would be the perfect partner in a relationship when highlighting their excessive lifestyles, as seen in lines like:
"She too bad to pass, so fine, I'm gon' speak / I tell her my name Jermaine, I'm tryna be lowkey / She tell me I got that flame, Your rhymes are so deep / Damn, girl, thank you / S--t, you so bad, know your daddy wish that he could still spank you / Hold up 'fore these other n----s roll up and try and get you / The ones that say they riders but never do ride with you"
2Face
(Production Credits: Syience)
On 2Face, J. Cole's performance is notable for lines that highlight his conflicting personality as an upcoming rapper in the early 2010s.
Over a menacing instrumental, credited to Syience, Cole seemingly admits that while fascinated by the supposed materialism hip-hop promoted on him, he still wished to speak on society's issues. Notable bars from 2Face include lines like:
"Ayy, tell me am I wrong for visualizing material s--t I never had? / Waving gats instead of flags / The American dream, why do we cling to the villains / Knowing they kill 'em?... Ink from the pen spillin' on my notebook / Filled with dreams, this is my hope book / Still, the screams from little girls shot and killed fill my head on the daily / At times I question God, can you blame me?"
Villematic
(Production Credits: MIKE DEAN & Bink!)
J. Cole's deep appreciation for Kanye West's earlier music is extremely evident on the track titled Villematic.
Interestingly, the sample-heavy instrumental was taken straight from Ye's 2010 track Devil In A New Dress, off of his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, whose production was credited to Mike Dean and Bink!.
Titling his track after Nas' iconic debut studio album, Illmatic, J. Cole addresses several industry expectations that were put up on him, while speaking on personal and financial struggles, as seen on lines like:
"Wrote this line on a plane, got flown straight from the 'Ville / To Miami, where the same time last year / I was broker than you, I just wanna make that clear / 'Cause now I'm dealing with money I've never seen before / And R&B bitches want me, that was just dreams before / Now do I give into the temptation I'm facing?"
The Autograph
On J. Cole's self-produced The Autograph record, the rapper delivers a track fueled by his passion to be one of the greatest performing acts in hip-hop.
With multiple basketball references and allusions to his ability to carry a track with an impeccable flow, The Autograph acts as a looking glass into his mindset and lifestyle in 2010, evidenced in lines like:
"And to them n----s listenin', but won't buy my s--t / Then catch me in the street and wanna ride my d--k / Y'all n----s is the worst, see me / Like, "J. Cole, homie, could you sign my burnt CD?" N---a, please / An album ten dollars, you act like it's ten G's / This food for thought cost the same as two number threes / So at ease with that broke s--t / We all tryna get a dollar, boy, no s--t"
Farewell
The final track on Friday Night Lights is another self-produced anthemic masterpiece titled Farewell.
The track primarily revolves around themes of legacy and death, with J. Cole pondering his impact on hip-hop and the various discussions that would surround his discography in case he passes away. Notable bars from Farewell include lines like:
"If I should die, Lord, this here is my will / Reincarnate a n---a, send me right back to the 'Ville / Let me relive my younger days just once again / Reenact my memories from every friend to every sin / Keeping demons buried in my closet / But yet I put in work like a deposit on my bank account / My eyes lit while I think about my childhood, now I'm blanking out / Those were truly my best days"
J. Cole's Friday Night Lights is widely considered a fan favorite project given its personal lyricism and anthemic production.
Cole's desire to be one of the best rappers of the 21st century is at the forefront of this project, with him simultaneously pushing for a change in hip-hop when speaking on personal and societal themes.
The mixtape is notable for how Cole expresses his mindset, going from an impoverished but ambitious childhood to eventually being signed by the artist he looked up to, i.e. Jay-Z, and finally receiving everything he wished for.
