Rapper J. Cole didn’t really appear on my radar until I heard the excellent Friday Night Lights mixtape at the tail end of last year. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a rapper, and the endless delay for his official debut album has been a bit frustrating, to say the least.
So it’s with great pleasure that I announce something y’all all probably know already (because I am late). Cole’s full-length debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story will be released on September 27th (a date that is turning out to be PACKED) on Roc Nation. The first single from the project is called “Work Out”, and I’ve gotta admit, while I was expecting fire, Cole only brought out some minor flame action for this one. A big deal has been made about Cole singing a bit of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” towards the end of the song (NOT sampling it as others have suggested). It’s a cool touch, but doesn’t exactly knock me out.
Of course, we all know that the first single released isn’t necessarily the best song from the album, so I’m willing to be patient and I still have faith that J. Cole’s debut will be dope. For now, “Work Out” will suffice, but let it be known that I’m expecting better!
http://youtu.be/yRPgQ2xgPTM