K.O.D: A Soulful Reflection

[Disclaimer]: J Cole is a conscious rapper, so the focus of this blog entry is conscious rap and discovering what exactly the artist is intending on saying. There will be no comparison to other rap artist, especially those that do not fall into the conscious rap genre. All art has its own beauty even if you might not see it for yourself.

As many of you all may know one of my favorite rappers released an album on April 20, 2018. The purpose of this blog entry is not to give and album review, but to give an album reflection. A soulful review.. I like the sound of that lol. I want you guys to understand my perspective on the deeper meaning behind some of the songs on the album. I’m not here to tell you that he broke streaming records or how quickly his album sales increased. I’m here to let you know that J Cole illustrated how rap can be a way of release, insight, and reflection all at the same time. I won’t be discussing every song on the album, but the songs that spoke to me in a very loud and evident way. I think it's so impressive how he creates music that addresses so many important issues, but still bumps.

I’m actually writing this with the album playing in the background. I love every song on the album, but a few of my favs are: Photograph, FRIENDS, The Cut off, and Kevin’s Heart. Honestly, I think this album came out at the right time. A lot of us have been through some traumatic things, but we don’t know how to deal with it all. Therapists seem too invasive and venting seems to be pointless because everyone has their own issues. When all else fails we turn the things that do more harm than good. We fill ourselves up with temporary happiness while digging a deeper whole of hurt. I think that the temporary happiness that we are attracted to is so beautiful because its immediate. We think that it takes care of all of our problems, but all it does is sweep them all under a rug. In his song Window Pain, I thought it was interesting how he uses an interview with a child to begin and end the song. Typically our most traumatic experiences happen to us as children and goes with us into adult hood. We're so innocent and impressionable during those years, so those experiences leave long lasting scars that don't always heal. Everyone has their own poison..love, drugs, money, alcohol. That doesn’t change the fact that they all avoid the real problem, the real hurt. It encourages the pain or saves it for a later date. Our generation is a very intoxicated generation. We indulge in things that often take us to a high that we wish we could reach on a daily basis. Don't be alarmed I’m not limiting the word drug to your typical association. Like I previously stated, we all have our own drug that takes us to different highs.

J Cole uses this album to build a platform that will reach our generation at a common place which is music. In each song he doesn’t directly tell you the drug that you should avoid or how to avoid it. He leaves that to us. Instead, he reflects on how his choices and dependencies has affected his life. He gives a perspective that can only come from him but is still so relatable. He highlights the toxicity that comes with love, money, alcohol, and drugs if not addressed. He shows how money can not only alter your relationships with other people, but the relationship with yourself. Drugs and alcohol can force you to lose yourself all together and forget what sober happiness feels like. Romantic love can sometimes be a cover up for the parental love or self love that we lack. The album forces us into a zone of self reflection. So, what's your poison? What are you running from?