J. Cole gets his revenge in “Might Delete Later.”

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TOP 5

Honorable Mention. H.Y.B. (Ft. Bas & Central Cee)

I pressed play on this track because J. Cole’s on it and was left impressed by Central Cee’s verse.

“H.Y.B.” is one of the tracks on this album that could seamlessly fit on anything from a Dreamville compilation album to a Cole album that doesn’t focus solely on kill-a-rapper tunes. The song features a catchy hook by Bas (which is a little on the dull side), a somewhat generic verse by J. Cole in which he does a little bragging, and a masterful verse by Central Cee that showcases his signature flow and authenticity. While I wouldn’t classify the song as amazing, it’s certainly noteworthy.

5. Pricey (Ft. Ari Lennox, Young Dro & Gucci Mane)

January 29th?

“Pricey” expertly weaves elements from J. Cole’s past work that fans will undoubtedly appreciate. The production evokes vibes reminiscent of “January 28th,” one of Cole’s most underrated tracks, while his assertive verses delve into his upbringing in a gritty environment, his readiness to confront any challenge, and what sets him apart from other beloved rappers. The song further adds depth with a soulful hook by Ari Lennox contrasted with gritty vocals from Young Dro and Gucci Mane (The Young Dro feature is random as f**k). Upon reflection, this song appears to be a mishmash of random s**t.

4. Pi (Ft. Daylyt & Ab-Soul)

Wait, isn’t Daylyt that n***a with the mad tattoos on his face that spreads wild rumors? He ended up on this album before Wale did?

I won’t do much selling here. All you need to know is that “Pi” features more than five minutes of Godly bars from J. Cole and Ab-Soul over this soulful beat that is dope as f**k. There’s no more to be said.

3. Stickz N Stonez

Sticks and Stones are still hurting people in 2024.

In “Stickz N Stonez,” J. Cole dismantles his opponents’ falsehoods and explains why mentioning his name in a verse will result in more losses than the Washington Wizards have. Additionally, he reflects on his journey to success, attributing his unwavering demeanor to his past experiences. What resonates with me about the song, which is driven by a therapeutic yet hard-hitting beat, is how J. Cole delivers his bars with feverish flows and an undeniable level of confidence.

2. 7 Minute Drill

Newsflash: “7 Minute Drill” is a diss track that is not seven minutes long.

We’ve all heard Kendrick Lamar’s verse in “LIKE THAT.” For those who haven’t (Which, if you haven’t, get the hell out of the earth), all you need to know is that he dissed Drake and J. Cole in it. In “7 Minute Drill,” Cole gets his revenge. At the beginning of the track, he mentions Kendrick’s occasional reluctance to deliver hard-hitting verses and takes jabs at his discography. Toward the end of the track, Cole takes another shot at Kendrick’s discography by referencing one of Jay-Z’s classic disses towards Nas in “Takeover.” What’s intriguing is that despite taking shots at Kendrick, Cole still calls him a brother he f**ks with.

While the first portion of “7 Minute Drill” boasts a Detroit-style beat that prompts Cole to employ this somewhat playful style of rapping, the second portion boasts a cold, sinister beat that forces him to bring out his demonic side. I like Demonic Cole a little more than playful Cole.

I love this as a warning diss track but not a full-blown diss track. I’m not trying to hear Cole call Kendrick his brother during war.

1. Trae The Truth in Ibiza

Trae the Truth is somewhere changing his prices.

The most satisfying track on this album is “Trae The Truth in Ibiza.” Over this emotional, seesaw-like beat, J. Cole fearlessly switches gears when it comes to his flows and hits us with impactful lyrics highlighting his hunger, focus, and ability to get the cool-ass Trae The Truth to get white boy wasted in Ibiza. Interestingly, Cole also confirms rumors of him wanting to quit the rap game in the past. This song probably should’ve been the outro, and one people should be talking about the most. However, people will talk about “7 Minute Drill” more.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. Pricey (Ft. Ari Lennox, Young Dro & Gucci Mane) (4/5)

2. Crocodile Tearz (4/5)

3. Ready ’24 (Ft. Cam’ron) (4/5)

4. Huntin’ Wabbitz (3.5/5)

5. H.Y.B. (Ft. Bas & Central Cee) (4/5)

6. Fever (3.5/5)

7. Stickz N Stonez (4.5/5)

8. Pi (Ft. Daylyt & Ab-Soul) (4.5/5)

9. Stealth Mode (Ft. Bas) (4/5)

10. 3001 (4/5)

11. Trae The Truth in Ibiza (4.5/5)

12. 7 Minute Drill (4.5/5)

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OVERALL RATING

(B-) (83%)

OK, Kendrick, it’s not just “Big You…”

One of my favorite sayings is, “Is this what I gotta do to make n***as rap (I’ll give you a dollar if you can guess who said that)?” One of the reasons I like that saying is because a lot of folks really don’t want to rap rap these days. That said, I don’t know if it was Kendrick Lamar’s diss towards him in “LIKE THAT” or some other s**t that happened to him recently, but I’m glad Cole is motivated to put his head down and drop bars like he did on this album.

I think it’s safe to say that Cole is in his prime rapping-wise. Throughout Might Delete Later, his punchlines are delivered flawlessly, his competitiveness is at 100, his confidence is at 1000, and his flows are stupid-good. Do you know what this album sounded like to me? The musical version of an NBA team going down 0-2 in a playoff series, only to win the next two home games.

One thing people will overlook about this album is the production; that s**t is outstanding! Throughout Might Delete Later, you get beats that cleverly straddle the line between dramatic and hard-hitting. This allows Cole to be this cold rap killer but also embody the same pure essence he has when he isn’t ripping the heads off folks. Also, the production is what allows the album to flow extremely well because LORD knows that if Cole tried to Joyner Lucas this album (Hit us with nothing but explosive tracks), you would be exhausted by song number 6.

There were three things that I hated about this album: 1. Bas (Bas totally sucked on this album. He sounded so uninspired) 2. The fact we didn’t get more direct shots at Kendrick Lamar (To Cole’s defense, he probably made the project after Kendrick’s diss on “LIKE THAT” came out, only adding that “7 Minute Drill” diss track in the last minute). I’m all for Cole sticking his chest out, but I still get this passive-aggressive vibe with how he attacks his enemies.

After you take a deep breath, you will realize that this is a teaser album you will probably have no problem deleting once The Fall Off arrives. It’s not bad at all; I just think it’s a lil somethin somethin to remind people that Cole is really like that.

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