J. Cole Does Anything But Fall Off on His Final Album (for now)

Image Courtesy of The Daily Northwestern

By Joey Brasco

The first voice we hear on what J. Cole has claimed to be his final album, The Fall-Off, is not his own, but rather James Taylor’s.  Side one of this double album opens unexpectedly with a lengthy sample of Taylor’s classic “Carolina in My Mind.” For those unfamiliar with Cole’s background, this may seem out of place, but those who have followed the rapper closely know his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is central to his journey as both a man and an artist. 

Cole found inspiration for his (professed) final record from two trips back home. The first trip occurred when he was 29, fresh off the release of his now classic 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The second trip happened when he was 39, following his infamous white-flag-waiving moment after he removed himself from the Drake and Kendrick feud of 2024. The first disc focuses on Cole assessing his hometown surroundings amidst his newfound celebrity, while disc two finds Cole asking if his celebrity status was even worth it. 

Disc 29, following the James Taylor sample, hits listeners with a gritty and ominous banger, “Two Six,” where Cole warns visitors that those from his city are “wild.” Equally catchy and cutthroat, this is a great opener to the record. 

The more sensitive follow-up, “SAFETY,” embodies the perspective of different friends hitting Cole up when they learned he was back in the Ville and catching him up on what he’s missed since he was last home. Cole is told of various tribulations, including jail sentences, drug addictions, and a friend tragically passing from HIV. The stories are harrowing, but handled with grace and empathy by Cole, as he weaves these narratives over a tapestry of smooth and jazzy production. 

Historically not one for littering his albums with features, Cole enlisted Atlanta legend Future on not one but two tracks on the first disc. Although it was surprising to hear his voice on a Cole track, Future’s inclusions make for two of the weaker songs on the tracklist. Future’s strained vocals on “Run a Train” teeter between impassioned and goofy, and despite Cole’s fantastic verse on “Bunce Road Blues” (produced by the Alchemist!), Future and Tem’s melodies lack any memorable hook or structure to properly guide the song. 

The album, in general, shines brightest when Cole is delivering a clear message on his own. With “The Let Out,” Cole paints a picture of a dangerous point in the night in Fayetteville. When the club lets out for the evening, the vibe shifts from enjoying the company of others to fearing who is out to get you. His vocal performance over rock instrumentation is a switch-up from his typical formula, but thankfully, it all goes off without a hitch. 

“Bombs in the Ville/Hit the Gas” is an interesting final moment of side one, as a majority of the song is a catchy, albeit a bit lightweight, auto-tuned crooning track that abruptly transitions into Cole speaking to his younger self. Cole consoles his younger self, urging him to believe his life was a success, not for the rap fame and celebrity, but for going on to be a father and husband. 

The final moments on side one transition wonderfully into Cole’s more mature and zen perspective on Disc 39. After introducing side two with an all-out flex of Cole’s expert-level flow on “39 Intro,” Cole spends his time on this disc bearing his soul and delivering dense and emotional meditations on his life as a family man and jaded rapper. 

“Life Sentence” and “Only You” are both dedicated to his wife, with the latter finding Cole expressing his amazement at the miracle of the birth of his sons. These moments bolster the concept-driven narrative of “The Fall-Off is Inevitable,” where Cole recounts his life, but in reverse. One key moment in this lyrical exercise comes by way of Cole (in reverse) being reunited with his absentee father, a moment that really hits home given how much Cole clearly takes pride in his own role as a father. 

Cole also delivers multiple enlightening treatises on the rap game on this disc, with “I Love Her Again”, a spiritual successor to Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” Both tracks personify the genre as a woman, with Cole outlining the allure and ultimate disillusionment with an art he was once so infatuated with. He resolves that the rap game is always going to be shifting and changing, and he is at peace with not being responsible to halt its metamorphosis. 

His sanguine perspective on rap informs the greatest highlight on the album: the masterful “What If,” where Cole takes on the perspective of Biggie and Tupac, rap rivals whose musical barbs turned lethal in the late 90’s. On the two verses, he mimics the flow of both Biggie and Pac, nailing both, giving the song a surreal effect, as if they were still here. Given Cole’s infamous bow-out of his involvement in the Drake and Kendrick beef in 2024, his lines on this song are even more cutting: “What if the b******t never got in the way?” Thankfully, the Drake and Kendrick debacle did not result in any life loss, but Cole laments that he lost two friends to the pomp and circumstance of the music business that this album makes clear he is sick of. His ultimate manifesto is made clear on this song: Hip-hop is not worth your life! 

Still, Cole finds solace in the impact his music has made on his listeners. “Quik Stop” recounts Cole running into a fan at a gas station who told him how his music changed his life. Cole delivers the lines with a fire and passion unrivaled by any performance on the album. His impassioned rapping over such a cryptic instrumental strikes listeners as a stark, final thank you to his fans before bowing out on his own terms. It’s a bittersweet moment that will tug on the heartstrings of any longtime fan of Cole’s. 

The Fall-Off will likely befuddle many due to the impossible expectations placed on it. Following a lengthy rollout process and Cole’s own preface that it is not only his last but best record, many will not immediately get the hype. However, sitting with Cole’s passionate words, especially on disc two, makes for an intense and intimate listening experience that most mainstream albums cannot offer. 

Can’t Miss Songs: “Two Six,” “SAFETY,” “The Let Out,” “Lonely at the Top,” “39 Intro,” “Old Dog,” “I Love Her Again,” “What If,” “Quik Stop.”