It’s been a couple years since J. Cole dropped Cole World: The Sideline Story on us, and since then, he’s been relatively silent as far a putting out more work. He’s had a few features here and there, but nothing really stood out as something that stayed true to what J. Cole is known for as an artist. To casual Hip Hop listeners, J. Cole is simply “That guy that made that Work Out song.” But to the rest of the Hip Hop community, Cole is known as a guy who has a great amount of potential behind the mixing board and microphone simultaneously. Previously intended to be released on January 28th, which is J. Cole’s birthday. However once the release date got closer, signs of the album being released weren’t there and he decided to push the album to a later date. Now, on June 18th, Born Sinner is finally here. Does J. Cole justify the reasons for pushing back the album’s original release date? And does Cole provide fans with a true Hip Hop album that everyone has been waiting for? Hit the jump for the review.

As a Rapper/Producer, J. Cole had two realms of hype to fulfill with Born Sinner, especially due to the fact that the album was delayed about 6 months. On the first few listens, Born Sinner is something that delivers and warrants the delay of the album.

Off the bat,  it is safe to say that Cole’s production has been stepped up greatly. In some ways, you can say that Cole World: The Sideline Story was somewhat Cole testing the waters before dropping a more honest and real project. With Born Sinner, you can definitely tell that Cole has moved back towards the style that he is more comfortable with and rode the momentum throughout the entire album. As a side note, Cole even said that he reverted back to writing his lyrics into notebooks instead of typing them on his laptop. A small indication of the overall theme of his sophomore album, the analysis  and evolution of Jermaine Cole.

With the title alone, Born Sinner, the image of  the dichotomy between good and evil remains central, reinforcing Cole’s logo of the halo and the devil’s horns. From the opening track, Cole makes the exclamation, “Sometimes I brag like Hov.” an homage to his idol and mentor Jay-Z, but also a sign of the growing comparisons of J. Cole to the greats of Hip Hop.

Cole makes references to the dilemma of the natural urge to drop cash on some chains versus the image of wanting to be pious. Rich Niggaz reveals a side of Cole that shows a bit of resentment for his black side, due to the fact that his white mother was the one who put everything aside for him while his black father and step-father wasn’t around. Cole exclaims “Half cracker but a nigga too/Talking all that shit ’bout your step-pops/How he was a dog now look at you/I ain’t bad as that nigga plus dawg/ I’m a grown man now/I ain’t mad at that nigga.” Cole’s tale shows his want for success, but not at the expense of losing what made him who he is. Chaining Day plays in a way that can be compared to Kanye’s Jesus Walks in that Cole reflects on the irony between rocking a Jesus piece and not even owning a house yet.  Cole’s flow clashes nicely with the acoustic guitar is a sincere reflection on himself as not only an artist but as a man.

…However that reflection of wealth flaunting is short lived once the Timbo inspired beat of Ain’t That Some Shit hits. Although it’s an interlude, the Scienze produced track is a great change in pace before slowing the album down.

Throughout the album, we get small glimpses of his inspirations who are slowly becoming his peers. Samples of Outkast’s “Da Art of Storytellin Part 1″ on “Land of the Snakes” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation on the track “Forbidden Fruit” work perfectly along with Cole’s own contributions to the albums production. To the casual Hip Hop fan, those beats might even be mistaken as Cole’s own original beats. Although J. Cole stated that he wants to be the only one on the album to lay down verses, that didn’t stop him from getting from enlisting the help of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Miguel, and James Fauntleroy.  Kendrick’s hook on “Forbidden Fruit” is probably the best hook he’s laid down for any other artist. With a Cole and Kendrick project coming in the future, it’s a perfect preview of what is to come in the near future. Miguel and James Fauntleroy balance out the tracks they appear on with some soul contrasting the hip hop from Cole’s end.

Reverting back to Cole’s production, the track Trouble  brings  a darker tone aided by Ken Lewis’ choir. Sonically, this has to be one of the strongest indications of the advancements that Cole has made in his approaches to production. The choir, mixed in with lyrics that touch on his temptations creates a really strong image that fits into the overall theme of balancing good and evil. Amazingly, the choir somewhat trumps over Cole in a way with their catchy chorus and soulful transitions between verses and hooks.

The tracks Runaway and She Knows (feat. Amber Coffman) has Cole contemplating about the struggles of staying monogamous with his girl and trying to stay focused when things in his past have tainted his views on relationships. Cole basically shows that he is as human as the rest of us, and that despite wanting to be a man, many things in his life have shrouded the idea of what a man truly is.

Heading into the conclusion of the album, Cole reveals his most honest tracks, starting with Crooked Smile (feat. TLC). While commenting on the insecurities of females trying to hide them, Cole mentions his own insecurities (his messed up grill, and thick eyebrows) but keeping them to be an example of staying real. Chili and T-Boz on the hook is something that has definitely been missed and is very welcomed over this single. Let Nas Down is a track that has been mentioned in Hip Hop circles in the past few weeks after it was rumored that his track was titled “I Disappointed Nas”. After Cole publicly stating the title was wrong and showing his frustration, we finally get rumored track in full. The track is a very honest look back on creating “Work Out” on Cole World: The Sideline Story and hearing the disapproval from Nas shortly after. After a track that talked about physical insecurities, it’s nice to see Cole talk about his insecurities as an artist and still needing the affirmation of a Hip Hop hero like Nas.

The final track, Born Sinner, provides a summary of all the concepts that Cole mentions throughout the album. From balancing the good and evil within himself and keeping a level head above all of the temptations of life and the Hip Hop game. Although it’s not the strongest track on the album, the fact that the rest of the album holds up so well, you can dismiss the track and still be satisfied with the entire album as a whole.

Born Sinner is a great summary of the growth that J. Cole has made in career. No longer having to satisfy expectations of providing hit records within to satisfy himself, Cole finds a good amount of comfort in this album and is able to present a project that is true to his style and approach. In many ways, Born Sinner is an album that can be comparable to his old mixtapes that captured his fans in the first place. From slow, smooth jazzy crooning tracks to hard hitting , choir assisted anthems, Cole doesn’t disappoint with his sophomore effort. He’s not there yet, but he’s definitely inching closer to being one of the biggest artists in Hip Hop today.

4 out of 5 stars

Now that Yeezy season has officially begun, Gianni Lee and Mike Blud have taken the time to put together a compilation tape of all the samples that were used on Ye’s “Yeezus” album. Peep the tracklist and download link after the jump. Enjoy!

1. Intro (Prod By Gianni Lee )
2. Holy Name of Mary Choral Family – He’ll Give Us What We Really Need (On Sight)
3. Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People (Black Skinhead)
4. Capleton – Forward Inna Dem Clothes (I Am A God)
5. Omega, Omega – Gyöngyhajú lány (New Slaves)
6. Rahul Dev Burman, Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey – Are Zindagi Hai Khel (I Am A God).mp3
7. Kenny Lattimore – Lately (I’m In It).mp3
8. Nina Simone – Strange Fruit (Blood On The Leaves)
9. TNGHT – R U Ready (Blood On The Leaves)
10. Snoop Dogg – Down 4 My N’s – (Blood On The Leaves)
11. Lords Of The Underground – Chief Rocka (Guilt Trip)
12. Pusha T ft Popcann Travis Scott – Blocka (Guilt Trip)
13. Beenie Man – Memories (Send It Up)
14. Wee – Aeroplane (Reprise) (Bound 2)
15. Ponderosa Twins Plus One – Bound (Bound 2)
16. Brenda Lee – Sweet Nothin (Bound 2)

Download: Kanye West – Yeezus: The Samples

We’ve been giving away Kanye’s albums all week, dropped a #WhereAreYouYeezy mixtape just yesterday so we just decided to cop off the week with one last contest to wrap up the week. This is where you the fans come in, to commemorate this huge week in Urban Culture, we are giving away both J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” & Kanye’s “Yeezus” to ONE lucky winner and all you have to do is follow the rules and answer the 10 questions below. Good luck.

1. On which MTV show did J. Cole wear his infamous “Produced for Jay-Z or Die Trying” shirt trying to get noticed by Hov himself?

2. Cole owed money to a certain lady in his life, who was that woman?

3. What did J. Cole’s mother buy for him one year for Christmas that cost him to have to pay for his clothes for the rest of the school year?

4. Who was the main artist Cole looked up to and then got slapped in the face when his career blew up?

5. What used to be Cole’s rap names?

1. Who did Kanye give a tv to during his early years back in Chicago?

2. On what video set did Kanye get “Punk’d?”

3. Who are a few of Kanye’s inspirations?

4. How many times has Kanye thrown a fit for not winning an award?

5. Which book did Kanye help write with a bunch of his favorite quotes in it?

Follow @CSNOWHEATIES on Twitter & Email your answers to CSNW2011[at]gmail.com with “CSNW Born Yeezus” in the subject line.

It’s been a few years since Kanye West has dropped a new solo project, with his last one being My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Now two collaborative albums later (Cruel Summer and Watch The Throne), Kanye is back with monumentus amounts of hype with his new album, Yeezus. From the title alone, Ye had his fans and the rest of the hip hop masses spazzing out. Kanye premiered a slew of projected images throughout the world of his track, New Slaves, and had people commuting from long distances just to see the 3 minute video. Then Ye threw a couple SNL performances (New Slaves and Black Skinhead) and it was definite that this new Kanye, or at least the Kanye that we were going to see on Yeezus would be completely different from anything that we had ever seen before. Fast forward to today, and I’ve had at least a few listens of the album in it’s entirety just for good measure. Is Kanye hitting us with some revolutionary Hip-Hop, or is it some Kanye-fied mash up between Hip-Hop and Punk? You just have to hit the jump to find out.

Back in 2008, Kanye west released 808s and Heartbreak, an album in which he deviated from the normal backpack sound of sampled tracks and boom baps that he was known for and traded it with beats that focused more on synthesizers and drowned out hollow beats. The reception from a lot of Kanye fans was mixed. However, Kanye justified the album as an extrovert expression of the sadness and depression he was feeling from the loss of his mother and failed relationships. In many ways, it was Kanye’s passion project fueled by the reality of that current moment. With Yeezus, it feels like Kanye has reached back into that same realm of creativity and has channeled his thoughts with more anger, rather than the previous inspiration of depression. To me, it works really well, but I was one of those that liked 808s and Heartbreak. And once again, criticism from fans is mixed.

Yeezus isn’t Hip-Hop. Or at least a traditional sense of Hip-Hop. This is industrial, heavy, techno-rap. But in many ways, there is nothing wrong with that.

Kanye enlisted the likes of Daft Punk to produce the first four tracks of the album, and their influence sonically shows greatly. You won’t find any samples of Chaka Khan here. However, Daft Punk’s revert to their more comfortable style of EDM producing draws out a side of Kanye that makes it feel as if he has been making music like this for years. On tracks like Black Skinhead and New Slaves, Kanye focuses on providing a sense of darkness through images of  anti-disestablishment, racism, satan, and wealth. In between the nonsense screaming and random beat changes, there’s a good amount of worth to have these tracks on repeat into the summer.

Kanye also enlists the aid of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on the track Hold My Liquor, which also features Chicago native, Chief Keef. Chief Keef  takes a break from the usual, and somewhat sings his lyrics while being shadowed by Bon Iver. The track is probably one of the strongest on the album. Almost along the same lines of Drunk and Hot Girls off of Kanye’s Graduation, Kanye provides a sincere dedication to the nightlife that comes with being a man who proclaims himself to be on the first name basis with God. (who also makes a guest appearance on I Am A God) Pushing the envelope of narcissism is a theme that plays heavy into the majority of the tracks on the album, but it’s something that you have to expect from someone as outrageous as Kanye. It works for him, so why not use it?

One drawback is that with tracks Blood on the Leaves and I’m In It, the significance of using samples by Martin Luther King Jr. and Billie Holiday are overshadowed by the constant reminder of West’s male dominance. There is some awkwardness with Kanye trying to mix a conscious focus with ignorant yelling. There’s a huge break in flow when Kanye tries to balance concious/ignorance at times, however if you can get past that, most things on the album will probably seem tame and easy to swallow.

Another key component to this album is the influence of the last minute touch-ups that Rick Rubin provided on the album. It’s hard to say exactly how much influence he had on the album, however I’m guessing that he added a little bit more of the grittiness to the tracks that wasn’t present before. Also another key contributer is Electronic producer, Hudson Mohawke, who worked on a couple tracks. With influences from Daft Punk and Mohawke, it’s easy to see where the change from the norm is coming from.

On the track Guilt Trip, Kid Cudi makes a small appearance, but much like his music career at the moment, it’s something that is basically forgettable among the solo Yeezy tracks.  The album could have survived without him,but I guess Kanye had to throw the ex-G.O.O.D. Music member a bone, and Cudi caught it.

Something that was small but surprising was Kanye’s approach on the last track of the album, Bound 2. In many ways, it made me feel nostalgic about the old College Dropout Kanye. With the very soulful sample and his approach with his flow, it will make his listeners, and definitely long time fans drop to their knees and beg for a revert back to the past. I mean he is Kanye, so who’s to say that the possibility of that happening isn’t somewhere in the near future?

Kanye wanted to contribute something different, and he succeeds on many levels. You can say that all music is a glimpse inside the artist’s mind, however with Yeezus, you can say that with a lot more confidence. Yeezus is something that I call a “context album”. You might not feel Yeezus while sitting alone in your room with headphones, but it might fit the mood when you’re driving through Vegas and not giving a fuck. With that said, you still have to give Yeezus a chance. There is a great amount of replay value to be had in the outstanding production value of the album, and while his lyrics may not be the most mind blowing of his career, the simplicity functions well. Yeezus basically won’t be for everyone at first, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t grow on you on a few playthroughs. Kanye never met Jesus, but he definitely could convince you that they’re best friends. After listening to the album a bit, I can say that my latest experience is much more positive than the first. Praise Yeezus.

3.5 out of 5

With “Born Sinner” finally out today, J. Cole talks about the “fateful” moment Nas listened to “Let Nas Down“ on the airplane and how it all broke down.

As you all know, Kanye’s Yeezus is in stores and iTunes as of today, and you know that we been running this #WhereAreYouYeezy campaign all week giving away all of his albums, so we decided to give you guys just a little bit more by giving you guys a full project to listen to as well. For those that have heard it it’s very different from the sample and drum infused Kanye that we are used to, so we went in and made a nice little mix that want that real Kanye sound, mixing samples, drums and some other gems produced by Ye. Appearances from Mase, Common, T.I., The-Dream, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Rick Ross, Drake, 88-Keys, Dwele, GLC, Consequence, Marvin Gaye, Young Jeezy, Q-Tip and many many more. Hit the jump and enjoy.

DOWNLOAD: Kanye West – #WhereAreYouYeezy (Mixtape) [Presented by CSNW]

Earlier today we posted footage of Kendrick freestyling on Bay Bay’s K104 station, now Mr. Cole World decided to head to the bomb factory and drop a mean freestyle with Funk Flex. “Born Sinner” now available.

Some new-old Drake is never a bad thing as the first day of the work week comes to an end. Bits of this track surfaced back in 2010, no word yet whether any of this will appear on Drake’s forthcoming album “Nothing Was The Same“.

Whether he’s with Funk Master Flex or K104′s Bay Bay, Kendrick doesn’t know how to kick a sub-par freestyle. KDot does it again while ScHoolboy is behind him seemingly meditating over the bars being spat.

Estelle provides us with two singles off her new EP, “Love and Happiness“, which will be a three volume series. Stay Tuned for release date. Enjoy.