6. Born Sinner
J. Cole
Label: Dreamville, Roc Nation, Columbia, Sony Music
Notable Tracks: “Villuminati,” “Let Nas Down,” “Power Trip,” “Forbidden Fruit”
J. Cole re-emerges following his debut Cole World: The Sideline Story with his sophomore album Born Sinner and this time around we find J. Cole more honed in on his sound with an impressive improvement of his production skills. The biggest highlight off Born Sinner is J. Cole’s time behind the boards that easily allows the young protégé to let his thoughts flow. Cole’s second studio album birthed his hit single “Power Trip” featuring R&B crooner Miguel, a track that the fellas could relate to and had the ladies swooning. So far, 2013 has been a big year for Cole and it culminated in the release of Born Sinner, which gave way to plenty of great hip-hop moments such as “Let Nas Down,” which inspired Nas himself to hop on the remix to the track. We still believe Cole can continue to push himself and deliver a classic album down the road but Born Sinner is unquestionably a strong highlight in 2013 and a great step in the right direction.
