Cole World: The Sideline Story

Rating

Album: Cole World: The Sideline Story
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Intro	More Info...	0:01
2)	Dollar and a Dream III	More Info...	0:04
3)	Can't Get Enough (Feat. Trey Songz)	More Info...	0:03
4)	Lights Please	More Info...	0:03
5)	Interlude	More Info...	0:01
6)	Sideline Story	More Info...	0:04
7)	Mr. Nice Watch (Feat. Jay-Z)	More Info...	0:04
8)	Cole World	More Info...	0:03
9)	In the Morning (Feat. Drake)	More Info...	0:04
10)	Lost Ones	More Info...	0:04
11)	Nobody's Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)	More Info...	0:03
12)	Never Told	More Info...	0:03
13)	Rise and Shine	More Info...	0:04
14)	God's Gift	More Info...	0:03
15)	Breakdown	More Info...	0:04
16)	Work Out	More Info...	0:04

Album: Cole World: The Sideline Story
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Intro	More Info...	0:01
2)	Dollar and a Dream III	More Info...	0:04
3)	Can't Get Enough (Feat. Trey Songz)	More Info...	0:03
4)	Lights Please	More Info...	0:03
5)	Interlude	More Info...	0:01
6)	Sideline Story	More Info...	0:04
7)	Mr. Nice Watch (Feat. Jay-Z)	More Info...	0:04
8)	Cole World	More Info...	0:03
9)	In the Morning (Feat. Drake)	More Info...	0:04
10)	Lost Ones	More Info...	0:04
11)	Nobody's Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)	More Info...	0:03
12)	Never Told	More Info...	0:03
13)	Rise and Shine	More Info...	0:04
14)	God's Gift	More Info...	0:03
15)	Breakdown	More Info...	0:04
16)	Work Out	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Recording information: Cole's Crib, New York, NY; KMA Studios, New York, NY; Quad Studios, New York, NY; Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY; Stadium Red, New York, NY; Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA; Wava Glow Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Leann Mueller.
Anyone who encountered his numerous mixtapes can tell you that before his official debut landed, rapper/producer J. Cole had spent some time bringing the whole Drake, Wale, and Big Sean style to a more street level. It's worth mentioning because Cole World: The Sideline Story has little of that debut desire to cross over, and while the multi-talented Cole is a skilled, interesting beat-maker in his own right, a superstar production would have certainly made this album more approachable. Instead, No I.D. -- the biggest behind-the-boards name here -- turns in a sluggy, druggy construction for "Never Told," Cole's deep, rich study of father/son confidence. Cole handles most of the rest on his own, turning in B+ stabs at dubstep ("Mr. Nice Watch" with guest and label boss Jay-Z), indie-hop ("Cole World" or "flossin' with a laptop"), and his own humbler version of the Roc-A-Fella sound (the great single "Lights Please"). Add an "Intro" and then a part III -- the first two parts to be found on earlier mixtapes -- and you're practically telling the aboveground crowd they're stale from the start, but the tradeoff is a talent that has matured in the underground and is free of any forced outside influence. Cole's fantastic style shoots off bold punch lines one minute ("I blow brains, Cobain-style") and then goes deep the next, with equal skill and all while stringing together eye-level, real-life stories that have that classic flow. The reservation count is high and the flaw count is zero, and in this case, that's the proper formula for a rich hip-hop album. Take a couple listens, let it sink in, and then discover that Cole World is one hell of a debut. ~ David Jeffries

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.67) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "He's a technically superb rapper, packing these sleek, snappy, mostly self-produced tracks with dozens of great punch lines."

Spin (p.71) - "[I]t's the production that shines, with liberal swaths of rolling piano and melancholy guitar loops..."

Entertainment Weekly (p.74) - "SIDELINE is a well-rounded effort, and deeper than most, offering cuts that tackle unplanned pregnancy and uncertain love." -- Grade: B+