Reacting to '2014 Forest Hills Dr' by J Cole

please do Born Sinner

Jake Grogins

Hey I think you should check out ths song "Black Friday" with J. Cole and Kendrick. It was a supposed to be the single to their joint album. It was highly anitcipated after people heard that two rappers on top of their game like kendrick and cole would be together on an album but it never came :( This song has two different beats from each artist but they rap on the others beat. Both are classic beats for the artists and they both dont hold back. IMO Kendrick has the upper hand on the song.. Ive listened to his verse way to many times but J.Cole holds his own as well. I think it definitely is worth your time to give a listen to it. Also your videos are amazing Bob keep speaking your mind on amazing music and you go as far as you want to go in this medium.

Ale Avelieb

I’m glad you liked this album/artist, I know this is one of his more commercially successful albums but I feel like it lacks direction and theme like his later albums and early mixtapes. For example, the “KOD” album is more focused on his views on commercial rap as a theme, and I won’t even spoil “4 Your Eyes Only” since it is my favorite album from J. Cole. I hope you end up reacting to one of those two albums.

J Dot

If you ever want to see the full odd future wolf gang group so you can understand the people refrences in tyler's older songs (plus a lot in Doris) I recommend watching the music vidieo for "oldie"

Gabriel Davis

I don't like shit I don't go out side is my favorite Earl album, but I will admit that Doris is probably the better album to react to

SAM-WISE GAMGEE

Well said!

Joseph Kiley

can never give myself false hope

I had this sense at the end of the album. I couldn't put my finger on it. I liked what I heard, but there was some intangible quality that was missing. Just ...a spark? Something. We'll see how I feel after more listens.

Bob_the_Poppop

I was gonna say the same thing lol

Bob_the_Poppop

They really are. I enjoyed a lot of them

Bob_the_Poppop

Hmmm... 2014 was definitely easier to digest on the first listen, but WLR really warmed up to me after multiple plays. Tough call, honestly. They're very different albums.

Bob_the_Poppop

I agree. Way better musician.

Jakob Roloff

I like that you "may" be happy. You don't know if you will be, but you might.

Dylan Woods

they day you react to earl sweatshirts “I don’t like shit I don’t go outside” album I may be happy .

Whoo can’t wait

that’s this upcoming friday

Alex Bowlin

When’s kid Cudi man on the moon coming out?

That funny my first time listening to J.cole earlier work I felt the same way I liked him but something wasnt all there for me but as I got more into him and followed his this this album is what changed that feeling for me. As you go deeper into his music I believe you will come to enjoy him alot more and he will fill in that something missing feeling as you know more about him and his music. PS you have to listen to "For your eyes only album next its an amazing album. Then KOD album, then The Off Season album. All of critically acclaimed and needs to be heard on this channel and by you!

Connelly Johnson

Haven't seen the reaction yet but in response to your request for a good live reaction from Cole, check out the freestyle he did in 2021 in the radio. Bob I'm telling you it was tremendous the talent he showed with his voice and two RANDOM beats. Absolutely amazing. https://youtu.be/YlpN3S16ZAs

Tyrone Ross

The competitive nature of hip hop exists due to the fact that the origin of rap comes from battle rapping on the streets! When you check out biggie smalls look at some off his famous street battle rap videos on youtube!

giorgio santelli

future is higher than cole

EserStöff

I’m glad u reacted to this album, it’s my first time listening to it and i liked it a lot. Also, Denzel Curry just dropped a new song and video called “Walkin” it’s pretty good.

Josh

Future is on that level too

Jakob Roloff

love these tracks. you can definitely tell there’s a difference between how both of them rap. kendrick is lyrically superior. no cole shade. it’s just easy to rap along with cole. easy words, rhymes, etc. kendrick is just on another level

Renz Pineda

the 3 “kings” of this generation in terms of hip hop artists would be kendrick, drake, and j cole. only reason why nowadays kendrick wouldn’t be in the conversation is due to the lack of music, although his discography is arguably better than than drake and cole (more depth, more artistry), he doesn’t drop enough. quality over quantity 💯

Renz Pineda

One of my favorite things about this album besides the lyrics, is that the beats, and choruses are all so catchy and contagious, and addictive. Love this album so much.

Shurikinney

To me 2014 FHD was his “radio album” in the sense that he was going to blow up from it. And he talks about that in note to self when he’s saying he finally figured out how to do it. This is definitely his most popular album but I wouldn’t say his best in that he has Born Sinner, KOD, and 4YEO which are more lyrical and hard like you stated you liked. 100% you should check out all of his albums.

Shane Pitzen

Which is a more enjoyable album- 2014 FHD or Whole Lotta Red?

Joseph Kiley

I know it's a long way away but can't wait for you to listen to/ react to the off season by j Cole, definettly my fave album by him he's evolved so much since forest hills drive.

Dominic Chan

Next week.

Dylan Woods

Another enjoyable reaction. I always love how you break down the lyrics and try to understand the intent of the artist before judging them. But J. Cole just isn't for me. I find him bland and derivative. It's like someone trying to force a classic but they don't have the spark. There's nothing so bad that I have to turn it off; but nothing rises past the point of indifference. I listen to J. Cole and I feel nothing. The whole thing is one big shrug. What's worse is he constantly tells you how great he is without ever backing it up. When Kanye says he's the greatest; I believe it. When Lil Wayne says he's the greatest; I believe it. When J. Cole says he's the greatest; I think he must be joking. But other people clearly feel different. Music is subjective and I'm glad other people connect with it. I'm not a hater like that. It just doesn't work for me.

Dylan Woods

Born sinner in my opinion is his best album and definitely one you should give a listen this week

Shane Pitzen

i hope you will be able to react the born sinner album by jcole to me it is hands down his best music the sound of the album is incredible.

i remember when this came out and i wasnt much of a cole fan. everyone swore by it and i thought it was good but it didnt click with me much. it wasn't until he released 4 your eyez only that i really appreciated him. ironically, because most of the "cole fans" didn't like that album. i think you'll love that album when you finally get to it though

Henry

Identity theft is not a joke 😡

Zach Gupta

If you love moody music than I really do think you will love kid cudi once you do man of thr moon lol

Jeremy Hebert

Beets, bears, Battlestar Galactica?

Bob_the_Poppop

Yeah, I'm coming to the conclusion that the competitive nature is simply part of the art/culture, and that's all there is to it. And that's fine. I'm not here to judge. But I do have to say that it is a strange concept to me. I love music, so I'm all for it existing in the space it deserves

Bob_the_Poppop

I can see that.

Bob_the_Poppop

lol

Bob_the_Poppop

Happy birthday!

Bob_the_Poppop

Friday Night Lights is the mixtape to checkout for j cole

*beats, there are no bears.

fightnerd

Now that you've heard both albums, check out Kendrick going off on a Cole beat and Cole on a Kendrick beat. Bonus if you can name the bears. https://youtu.be/okF5gOTX9uM

fightnerd

i’m sure someone must have pointed this out but, hip hop and competition have been married together since the conception of the genre in the 70s. Rap battles at houses, parks and alleyways in the cities of Brooklyn was where hip hop was born. It was no different than playing pick up basketball or any other competition, and it was a way to keep young black kids away from inner city violence. People were pushed to further their skill in writing and spitting, so they could come back and win the crowd the next time they performed. It also helps push the sound of the genre to where it is today. Things can start to get personal, especially in the modern era and you can see the peak of that with biggie and tupac, but far the most part, it isn’t any more trash talk than what you’d see on court or football field.

Jorge Campos Jr.

React to J.Cole performance on David Letterman’s show

Inglewood

This right here^ was just about to say that interview is fantastic. Here's the link! https://youtu.be/GxVXEd_G_60

Liam O'Brien

I think a big part of J Coles appeal is that he is more relatable for the average listener compared to other rappers.

Justin F

As far as Cole interviews go, he just did an hour long interview with Narduwar a couple weeks ago that’s very good.

Ryan Severson

No role modelz is definitely bitter. Fool me 3 fuck the peace sign let the chopper rain on you....thats a man whos tried to save many a hoe.

Paul Salvador Estrada

It's surely a challenge to go back and react to an album that many of us fondly remember, in large part, because of the nostalgia of bumping it back in high school with your friends and rapping along to every word. At the time this was revolutionary stuff but looking back on how public perception and the hip hop industry as a whole has changed in the past decade, it's hard to argue that if it were to drop today, it would have nearly as much lyrical appeal as it did back then. The beats, however, are immortal. I hope that made sense.

Paul Polyanskyy

That’s why the title is so fitting. He had no role models to teach him how to find the right girl or treat girls properly. He learned about life on his own and media like TV and music. And I don’t think he was fucking her just to kick her out to prove a point, I think he was stating that he fucks girls but knows that they’re shallow. He’s not trying to save her, she don’t want to be saved lol

Zach Gupta

I love this album! I happen to share a birthday with Cole so I listen to January 28th every year on this day!

Michael Smith

forgot how misogynistic No Role Modelz is. No self awareness🤣Like she shallow for fucking you for clout, but you're not shallow for fucking her to kick her out so you can prove some weird point about how you don't need her? And the MLK line is just odd too.

Alex VonBerg

Look at the date lol they both dropped around the same date because it's J. Cole's birthday today.

Zach Gupta

j cole wasn't on "touch the sky" ?

pnx

Do you and the guys at Turning the Tables have a shared schedule? lol

jimmyvinyl

There are bigger J Cole fans than me but this Forest Hills Drive 2014 album definitely is special... Others might give more good tips but three of my other favorite J Cole tracks are his "Grew Up Fast", and guest verses on Kanye West - Looking For Trouble (2010, rollout advance bonus cut to Dark Twisted Fantasy) and Jay-Z - A Star Is Born (2009, off of Blueprint 3)

Stefan Borglycke

you should watch his Nardwuar interview it's 1 hour long and pretty indepth

pnx

His mixtape “Friday Night Lights” is a must listen and is considered by most to be a classic hip hop mixtape

Logan

Time to deep dive into this with you! Hooray for Friday. I have never heard this one either so you will enlighten me as well.

Aaron Seidnernin

Excited to watch, J. Cole is someone who a lot of people hate and a lot of people who love him. I personally love his music and respect what he does outside of music as well. Also, an amazing live performance of J. Cole is his Letterman performance. He performs a single named "Be Free", the lyrics, the music, his passion, and the setting makes it a moving performance. I won't lie, I shed a tear the first time I watched it. https://youtu.be/qQZc8SH6EFk

Zach Gupta

https://youtu.be/NtjrFw4i2Qo - Intro https://youtu.be/eCGV26aj-mM - Wet Dreamz https://youtu.be/HCURqfqL8sI - Fire Squad https://youtu.be/vHU6ZRQJ50Q - G.O.M.D https://youtu.be/eRaFMlZ1YHA - Apparently https://youtu.be/Ka4BxFizU7I - Love Yourz here are all of the official music videos! :))

Alex Bowlin

THIS IS HUGE!!

Lets gooo

let's goooo