Despite being swamped with work out at UCSB, I had the chance to listen to J. Cole’s new mixtape.  While his deep, intelligent lyrics have always been his calling card, J. Cole’s beats have come a long way since his earlier music.  Featuring sped-up soul vocal samples accompanied by an overall deep, dark vibe, J. Cole’s beats are far from a cheap imitation of Kanye West’s old music.  J. Cole’s flow isn’t anything special, but Friday Night Lights was definitely a pleasant surprise for me: standout tracks include “You Got It” featuring Wale, “Villematic” (my favorite beat on the album, it’s depth and style reminds me almost of a 9th Wonder beat) and “home for the holidays”.

The mixtape is available for download here.

On another note, Kanye’s new album was dope.  A complete 180 from 808’s and Heartbreak.  I definitely recommend giving it a listen if you haven’t already

Fatlace
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