Born Sinner - post your reviews

[PAINKILLƎR]

I still like the album very much though

[King Lance]

Now that born sinner dropped, we gonna have that Cole x Kendrick collab album, not sure if my body is ready

I already feel bad for wtt

But let's Born Sinner breath

[PAINKILLƎR]

Now that born sinner dropped, we gonna have that Cole x Kendrick collab album, not sure if my body is ready

I already feel bad for wtt

But let's Born Sinner breath

truuu

[SlimBG]

If this was a Kanye West album people would be going crazy over it.Production is amazing, lyrics meh to good sometimes.

[Almostlity]

If this was a Kanye West album people would be going crazy over it.Production is amazing, lyrics meh to good sometimes.

boo fucking hoo bitch nigga

[Francesco]

Now that born sinner dropped, we gonna have that Cole x Kendrick collab album, not sure if my body is ready

I hope they're gonna really do that 'cuz it's been on & off kinda thing since they first mentioned it.

[King Lance]

If this was a Kanye West album people would be going crazy over it.Production is amazing, lyrics meh to good sometimes.

kanye had more than 10 rap features on his last album (and all of them came at the perfect time imo) so no one really care if he is an average lyricist or not

[SoldierShady]

Shoulda had either "Temptation" or "Shock the world" on Born Sinner tbh. Kendrick's verses are just absolute flames. Woulda been a nice touch. Just sayin'.

[Trimss]

If this was a Kanye West album people would be going crazy over it.Production is amazing, lyrics meh to good sometimes.

kanye had more than 10 rap features on his last album (and all of them came at the perfect time imo) so no one really care if he is an average lyricist or not

How is that a good thing?

[SG.]

Anyone have a link to the song with 50 Cent?

It's on the deluxe, it's not out yet.

[King Lance]

If this was a Kanye West album people would be going crazy over it.Production is amazing, lyrics meh to good sometimes.

kanye had more than 10 rap features on his last album (and all of them came at the perfect time imo) so no one really care if he is an average lyricist or not

How is that a good thing?

it didn't change the final result because every artist came at the perfect time on that album imo.

[Mr.DGAF]

Well, I've listened to the album about four or five times now, so I feel it's time to write up a review. Be prepared, it's rather long (that's what she said tbh).

I've been a fan of Cole since late 2010. He's from my home state so when he dropped FNL people in my school were starting to buzz about it. I listened to that, then went back to listen to the other two tapes he had out. It was clear dude had potential. Lyrically sharp as in his tape The Warm Up; musically sound as in his latest tape Friday Night Lights. He was getting sharper and sharper, and it seemed like those tapes alone could have been very solid albums. It came time for his debut album, and I was fucking hyped. That year he released a lot of new material that sounded really promising. When the album dropped, I was in love. The more I listened though, the more I noticed some questionable songs or decisions on Coles part. It just wasn't a great debut like I thought it would be. Not to say it's bad, I enjoy the album to this day and it has some really great songs on it. But I thought we'd get more from Cole; I knew he was capable of better.

Well, after a year or so I started gearing up for Born Sinner. It became more and more apparent that Cole hadn't had a ton of creative input regarding his debut, so I was excited to see where, musically, he took his next album. Shit started dropping for Born Sinner and it sounded great. The idea of a concept album that tied into his life and was the culmination of everything he had made before him seemed really promising. When it leaked, I listened instantly. I'll be copping the album for sure when it drops, but as a huge fan, I felt like I couldn't wait anymore. I'm really fucking glad I listened.

This album, for me, is fucking great. I had really high expectations for it, but as a Cole fan, I knew to a certain degree what to expect from it. However, a great deal of the album caught me by surprise, in a good way. To open, Cole spazzes on Villuminati. Like, perhaps some of the hardest spitting he's done since the Warm Up. An absolute banger, one of the best on the album. Then the trip starts from darkness to light, but note as a listener that the trip isn't one to be made only once. The more you listen, the more you catch shit. For instance, the last track (Born Sinner) runs back into the first track (Villuminati), structuring the trip from bad to good as one that is cyclical and never quite perfect. This little detail only further enforces the theme of the album, the battle between right and wrong.

Sonically, the album is put together quite well. The beats are all very well made, something Cole has definitely been working on since his last effort. A cohesive album with a collection of beats that aren't the same, yet sound similar in terms of production. Which isn't really a bad thing. Cole spits some pretty hard lyrics on the album, chronicaling his life through a set of very personal tracks. One thing I found rather interesting was his in depth portrayal of his relationship, something he's been hesitant to truly rap about in the past. The transition from dark to light is seamless imo. The album is so cohesive and honest, it's hard to complain about maybe a drop in lyrical prowess when he's spitting such personal shit.

Then, there's Let Nas Down. I was skeptical when I heard about it, it's such a very narrow subject for an album that seemed to be driven by a concept. Yet the song fits perfectly into the style of album Cole meant to put out, and fits his type of music very well. It's not just about Nas, it's about the struggle Cole found upon constructing his first album and, without downright saying it, explains how he's changed his mindset to construct this album.

Overall, I really like this album. It's not perfect; there's some questionable lines and a few verses where he's not as sharp as the rest of the album. Yet the highs are extremely high, and the album is very well put together. I'd give it an 8.5/10, and rank it third behind Warm Up and FNL (though the album is far better structured than the two aforementioned tapes). It's a good album if you wanna sit back and vibe to the lyrics and the story Cole's telling. Got some great songs for sure as well (Runaway, Villuminati and Chaining Day are some of the best songs Cole's made). Enjoy the album folks, it's worth the listen.

[OMEGA]

The album grew quite a bit on me. Cole's problem is his content, which is basically the same in every song.

Other than that, Born Sinner is a solid 7.8 album to me. Some standout tracks are: Trouble, She Knows, Rich Niggaz, and Let Nas Down.

Cole World had higher highs (God's Gift, DaAD3), but BS is a more interesting album overall.

[fifflaren]

the critics really panned this album:

xxl: 6/10
pitchfork: 6/10
BeatsPerMinute: 6.8
cos: 6/10
Spin: 6/10

"Quite simply, that the mild-mannered rapper embodies the average. The LP is constantly listenable, never exciting; never poor, and never outstanding. It simply exists, the musical equivalent of an inanimate object"

[LIL_B]

Yeezus won