He respects women (“Crooked Smile”) unless he’s chastising them for not respecting themselves (“No Role Modelz”). He is a capable rapper and a good producer who, in arranging his discography as a monument to classic conscious rap through referential sample choices and stylistic cues, has entombed himself in the pitfalls of the stuff. The truth is Cole deserves the accolades and a fair amount of the ridicule. signing to his record label, and sells a line like “She shallow but the pussy deep” as biting social commentary. The barb suggests Cole is corny, and his fans cornier still for idolizing a guy who dreams about Martin Luther King Jr. But the saying is also a dig at the artist’s fan base, which is home to a certain cloying brand of rap crusader that sees him as a light in trying times for smart introspection in the art form. On one hand, it is a statement of chart fact: The North Carolina rapper-producer’s last album 2014 Forest Hills Drive ducked standard operating procedure with its lack of famous guest performers and cruised to a formidable 2 million equivalent units sold earlier this year.
Cole went double platinum with no features” is the rare internet rap-nerd aphorism that works perfectly on both literal and satirical levels.