- Cole is an American rapper and record producer. When he first started rapping, he released mixtapes to try to get his name out there. His third mixtape, Friday Night Lights, was released on November 12, 2010. Although it came out a long time ago, it was only released on streaming services on November 27 of 2024. Friday Night Lights was produced by Interscope Records, and the album has genres of Hip-hop and Rap.
- Cole is known for his deep lyrics and relatable storytelling, and you can definitely feel these on this album. It feels like he can paint a picture in the listener’s head on almost every song. There are a few features on this album that play a key role in it. The most notable of these features is Drake on the song, In The Morning. On this song, Drake lays down some of those great vocals that he is known for. He is very talented and brings the song to a whole new level. On the song Enchanted, the artist Omen is a feature. Omen is not a very popular artist, but he was a big part of this song. He really elevated it by bringing some fast-paced rapping to his part.
One song that I like from this album is Home for the Holidays. On this song, J. Cole talks about his hometown and what it is like returning to it after a long time. One of the best parts about this song is its beat. This song has a catchy trumpet in the background, which gets the listener hooked from the beginning. Some other very good songs are Too Deep for the Intro, Before I’m Gone, and Enchanted. I could probably listen to these songs all day, and they are some of J. Cole’s best tracks. Cole talks about social issues, his rise to fame, and his life growing up in these songs. I think that the first half of this album is some of the best modern rap that I have heard; there are no songs that I dislike on that half. Unfortunately, the second half is not as good as the first, but there are still some solid tracks like The Autograph and Best Friend.
My rating on this album is an 8/10 because it has some of J. Cole’s best work and some substandard songs. If you are a hip-hop/rap fan, though, you would undoubtedly like Friday Night Lights, so I recommend you listen to it. Even with some not great songs, this is still one of J. Cole’s best albums.
