They handle the hook, break down into “oohs” and “aahs,” and belt out solo riffs throughout. One of the darkest songs on the album, “Trouble” again features a choir, but this time Cole really has them go off. It’s one of the most quotable verses on the album, and will be an inevitable street favorite.

While eerie theremin sounds intertwine, Cole raps about greenbacks, skillfully ending each line with money. This is a real song, albeit, a relatively brief one. And it successfully introduced many of the sonic elements that tie “Born Sinner” together: crunchy, jumpy Timbaland-inspired drums, deep, rumbling bass, and soulful melodies, often sung by Cole himself - though Miguel provides a huge assist here, of course.ĭon’t believe the parenthetical in the song title. 11 on the Hot 100), but Cole’s hit single “Power Trip” still sounds as good as ever in the context of the album. Yes, we’ve all heard it plenty of times by now (it’s currently at No. (Cole produced every track on the album aside from the two interludes.) It’s another sign of Cole’s big step up production-wise, already evident two songs in. The song breaks down at the end, the synths warbling and filtering out as the drums drop to sparse percussion. “I came out the womb with my dick hard,” he raps. 1.” He reminisces on his humble Fayetteville upbringings, his move up north, and above all, his struggle with temptation. “Land of the Snakes”Īfter a brief skit featuring a pastor giving a sermon (“Kerney Sermon”), Cole launches into “Land of the Snakes,” which samples the bittersweet, descending synths of 1998 Outkast classic “The Art of Storytelling Pt.

“Sometimes I brag like Hov,” he raps, before taking a comedic shot at Trinidad James: “My pops was club-hopping back when clubbing Rick James was out and all I get is Trinidad.” There’s an unfortunate group of lighthearted lines that uses a homophobic slur repeatedly.Ģ. But Cole is also more confident than ever. samples (“Juicy”) and a live choir - a sonic theme of the album - the first words Cole utters are an adlib: “It’s way darker this time.” Spoiler: The rest of the album definitely lives up to that. Over a backdrop of dramatic, rising strings, Notorious B.I.G. The opening track is a well-aimed warning shot. “Born Sinner,” easily the best hip-hop album of 2013 so far, stands on its own merits. The imagery was a nice touch, but in the end not necessary. It represented the album’s journey, from dark to light, from heaven to hell, as Cole himself explained at the listening event. On the screen, a mash-up of religious imagery flashed by - snakes, devils, tortured souls, angels, clouds - transitioning from red and black to bright white as the album played on. Including Cole, who sat to the side of the theater and listened along intently just like everybody else. Still, the complaints couldn’t stifle the real takeaway of the night: “Born Sinner” was stellar, and a big step up from Cole’s previous work. Tech problems be damned, the listening was still a unique experience with hundreds of music lovers around the world bobbing their heads to the same music at the same time. Maybe the old-fashioned listening party isn’t so bad after all. The experience lost more of its impact when the album leaked online hours after. (Switching from Wifi to 4G, a non-intuitive move to be sure, worked for us). When the stream finally began, some in the crowd weren’t able to get LISNR working at all. I want you listening to every word,” he said. “When the songs are playing I don’t want you talking about them. Cole stepped on stage and explained why he chose to unveil the album this way, comparing the event to the usual listening party.

An amped-up kid who kept yelling out “Born Sinner Platinum” looked particularly miffed. Before the listening, when LISNR reps asked if anyone was having any issues, dozens of hands set up. Wifi, on the “Born Sinner” network, of course, was provided for streaming via LISNR, but not everything went smoothly. With so many rappers claiming their music is “motion-picture shit,” it was a nice flourish. At the NYC listening session, a few hundred fans, press and assorted VIPs packed into NYC’s SVA Theater in Chelsea, where Beats by Dre headphones were distributed for the ears and cartons of fancy flavored popcorn for the stomach.

Natural born sinner mp3