OMG, KOD is out. After a few years of silence, J. Cole has graced our earbuds once again with some game-changing music. His album, KOD, stands for either “Kids on Drugs,” “King Overdosed,” or “Kill Our Demons” —the artist offers it up to interpretation. His lyrics, per usual, leave a powerful message about important cultural phenomena, particularly Black culture and drug abuse.
His work should be championed because, after all, he’s right. His music is different from a lot of the hip-hop music we see today. Take a look at these lyrics: “Yeah, I pay taxes, so much taxes, shit don’t make sense/ Where do my dollars go? You see lately, I ain’t been convinced/ I guess they say my dollars supposed to build roads and schools/ But my niggas barely graduate, they ain’t got the tools/ Maybe ‘cause the tax dollars that I make sure I send/ Get spent hirin’ some teachers that don’t look like them.” Important lyrics set to the backdrop of good music is an effective, approachable way to reach a specific audience and get a message across. J. Cole knows there are a lot of people out there that love Black culture (read: music) but don’t necessarily respect Black people. J. Cole is using his music to his advantage. J. Cole uses his platform really well. I think the song “1985” is a catchy, vibey, educational, and overall incredibly memorable song that gave me a greater insight into the Black experience.
Sure, sometimes J.Cole is a little cheesy in his new album. For example, in “KOD,” a song on the album sharing the album’s moniker, a woman’s voice says that the most powerful drug is “love.” Okay, a bit of an eye roll. Nevertheless, people may say his listeners are fake woke and/or fake profound, but I appreciate that he uses his music in a way that evokes social change by promoting the education and embrace of Black culture.
Enjoy, my friends.
P.s. J. Cole is still doing all of this WITHOUT FEATURES. This is a one-man show. The artist “kiLL edward” is actually J. Cole himself. He probably just did this as a joke to all the ~haters~ that critiqued him for not having any features on his album. A legend.
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