Well, he gets dark. Pretty much pitch black. "Born Sinner" is the exploration of the sinners of the world, including himself. One of the topics he focuses on is what he gave up to be successful. Many of the songs focus on him making a deal with the devil to be successful and wanting his soul back. For instance, he feels that he was a sellout by giving in to the pressure of making more radio friendly music, such as his single "Work Out." This especially hurt him when he found out that his idol, Nas, hated the song, which he discusses in "Let Nas Down." Other themes Cole explores is the temptation of cheating, with songs like "She Knows" and "Runaway," and materialism on "Chaining Day."
While the album is quite dark, a bright spot on the album is "Crooked Smile" featuring TLC, which talks about inner beauty and loving yourself. Despite the dark tone, he is optimistic, with the song "Born Sinner" declarying in the chorus with James Fauntleroy that "I'm a born sinner, but I die better than that."
In the album opening track, "Villumanti" J. Cole announces:
"ometimes I brag like Hov
Sometimes I'm real like Pac
Sometimes I focus on the flow to show the skills I got
Sometimes I focus on the dough
Look at these bills I got
This is a message for some rappers trying to steal my spot"
He does all of this on the album, while showing that all the time, he is real like Cole.
If you are a fan of J. Cole's mixtapes, you will like his return to his original style and message. Its very reminiscent of "The Warm Up" but goes deeper. If you also liked "Cole World: The Sideline Story" you will also love this album. Its the best rap album since "good kid, m.A.A.d city." and will be a stand out album of the year.
Stand Out Tracks:
Villumanati, She Knows, Rich N*ggaz
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