In April of 2018, J Cole released his fifth studio album KOD. He did not release his next studio album, The Off Season, until May of 2021. During the time leading up to the album, he had put in substantial work to ensure the album to be exemplary of work at the level of artistry which he desires to see himself as being at. These ideas of hard work and effort not only lead to great performance throughout the album, but lead to the albums theme and character as being “training” music for the off season.

           The first track of the album “95.south” immediately starts the album with a bang through percussive and high energy production which compliments Cole’s boastful rapping largely consisting of entertaining and entendre filled bars.

           The second track “amari” is an overall powerful song consisting of a sung chorus and singular verse by Cole. Through his lyrics Cole takes an introspective look at his rise to fame and how his current life as a successful rapper differs from his humble beginnings, but these lyrics are brought to another level through the emotion in his singing on the chorus and largely melodic rapping on the verse which giver them greater power. The accompanying production changes throughout the track being quiet during the chorus but becoming louder and including percussion as Cole’s vocals gain power during the verse.

           The third track “my.life” begins with a slow, quiet intro before truly beginning around half a minute into the song, at which point the instrumental utilizes a vocal sample accompanied by the beginning of a verse by Cole, before the sudden introduction of drums and a gain in the power of Cole’s vocals, through the remainder of a stellar verse. After Cole’s verse, the chorus, sung by Morray, has excellent vocals and lyrics. The second verse of the song is a feature by 21 Savage containing a relaxed, cool style of rapping which contrasts the previous verse by Cole, and the song then ends with a repetition of the chorus. The song overall is well structured with the long intro working to its benefit to make the remainder of the song feel more rewarding, an excellent contrast between the styles of the various performers to keep listening to it engaging.

           The fourth track “applying.pressure” functions primarily for Cole to be able to show off his rapping abilities through a single dense, extended verse filled with clever rhyming and wordplay, causing him to “apply pressure” to other artists through demonstrating his skills, but he also “applies pressure” through his lyrics which discuss how many other artists flaunt wealth despite in reality not possessing it themselves.

           The fifth track “punching.the.clock” is the album’s shortest song at 1:52. It has a chill, laidback beat which contrasts Cole’s dramatic rapping discussing the work he has been putting into his music. The intro and outro are each sample interviews with basketball player Damian Lillard in which he discusses how the work he puts in during the off-season results in his success playing basketball, with the song’s title likely referencing his nickname “Dame Time” due to his ability to hit buzzer beater shots.

            The sixth track “100.mil” serves as an uplifting, celebratory song with largely melodic rapping by Cole.

           The seventh track “pride.is.the devil” is a largely melancholic song though its production and lyrics by Cole discusses the idea of pride and how it has affected himself and those around him. The song additionally serves as a spotlight for Cole’s vocal abilities through beautiful singing by him during various parts of the song.

           The eighth track “let.go.my.hand” features a unique production with a particular quality of being able to be listened to continuously without growing boring, allowing it to remain interesting as a loop for the entirety of Cole’s verse. Cole’s rapping is spoken without melody, almost as if he were speaking typically, but this allows his vocals to be heard much more clearly, through which he discusses the fears he has for his children as they grow more independent in the modern world, cleverly finding double meaning in a moment when his young son asked him to let go of his hand. The track then perfectly concludes with beautiful vocals by Bas.

           The ninth track “interlude”, despite being an interlude, features an excellent verse by Cole through clever rhyming and excellent cadence.

            The tenth track “the.climb.back” has untraditional production catching the listener off guard in its first moments, but then grows on the listener after a short time. The highlight of the song is Cole’s vocals on the chorus.

             The eleventh track “close” features excellent rapping by Cole through the constant return to the word close throughout the same verse in different contexts to highlight different ideas, and additionally overall excellent rhyming given the need to constantly have rhymes or near rhymes for the word close. 

          The twelfth and final track of the album “hunger.on.hillside” wraps up the album well firstly through the string based production which gives the song an overall euphoric effect, but additionally through Coles vocals through which he takes his final opportunity to exercise his rapping and vocal abilities to deliver an excellent verse with constantly changing tempo and a beautiful chorus.

          Overall, the album is a motivating listen through its lyrics but additionally is entertaining through the performances by Cole and clever decision making in respect to production throughout the album. This album represents a new peak of rapping ability for Cole, with many of his all time best verses being on this album, and validates his often overlooked abilities as a singer. The album encompasses the spirit of the determination and associated effort it takes to truly achieve one's potential. The idea of the off season is utilized to comment on how that work and effort is often overlooked in comparison to the fruit of the effort, despite it being the most important component. Having personal experience with it, this idea of the importance of "the off season" can be highly motivating and applied to any listener's own life.

Favorite three tracks: “my.life”, “let.go.my.hand”, “hunger.on.hillside”

Score: 9/10