The Pop Corporation

It’s easy to think you’ll never forgive J Cole for one of the worst lines in rap history, when he delivered “dick so big it’s like a foot is in yo mouth”, but there’s so much more to pick apart.

If you like vague philosophical generalisation passed off as being some kind of heir to the Golden Era of hip hop, then Cole is probably your man.

And so to his latest album which sees him showing off enough dexterity on the mic to keep his fans and occasional rap listeners happy – but there’s always a nagging sense it has always sounded a bit sterile and planned, rather than the easy flowing genius some corners bill him as.

Now, in 2026, he’s got some big talk and once more, you feel either he’s showcasing something that his dedicated fanbase will devour, or most likely, offering music that’ll leave the haters scratching their heads and sharpening their pencils. Here, we’re wondering if he has a genuine legacy, or just a self proclaimed one?

Of course, Cole isn’t wholly terrible – if he was, he’d be easy to completely ignore. There’s clearly some skill at play, and he’s built up a career for a reason where others have fallen by the wayside. However, constantly telling everyone how great you are better be backed up with some serious swagger or envelope pushing.

Instead, the narratives are pretty tried and tested to death, as he tells us it’s lonely at the top on a track of the same name, and warns us about consumerism on ‘Quik Stop’, telling us that we apparently “need to change our ways” – no kidding.

Cole always tries to pitch himself someone who has been doing some thinking, and not above criticism, and even said as much when he decided to not focus on all the trouble in the world and instead get his knickers in a twist about Noname just enough to write a track about her being uppity or something – but so frequently, it all sounds like he’s still in the first draft of thinking, and thinks “that’ll do”.

The album has a huge running time, and few artists can pull off an album that exceeds 1 hour and 40 minutes of music, and J Cole is one of those who can’t do that either.

And maybe the irritation you feel when listening to Cole’s work is in part a result of imagining some of his boring fans who say things like “well, you don’t like his work because you can’t handle REAL hip hop”, before making loads of assumptions about the kind of rap you listen to. Maybe that’s unfair, but no album is released in a vacuum.

Cole is obviously a student of the game, but instead of capturing lightning in a bottle, a lot of the time, it all feels a bit academic – like a hip hop TED Talk or something. The figurative backpack he wears is evident throughout.

And then you remember he did a blog, where he said without a shred of irony: “For the past 10 years, this album has been hand crafted with one intention: a personal challenge to myself to create my best work.”

“To do on my last what I was unable to do on my first. I had no way of knowing how much time, focus, and energy it would eventually take to achieve this, but despite the countless challenges along the way, I knew in my heart I would one day get to the finish line. I owed it first and foremost to myself. And secondly, I owed it to hip-hop.”

And it’s this kind of missive that doesn’t bring to mind some great brain of music, but rather, something more Carrie Bradshaw with some level of yikes.

It’s weird, because we’re not averse to self aggrandising in hip hop, but sometimes, it just rubs you the wrong way. And sure, this isn’t the worst record you’ll ever hear and you might even enjoy some moments on it, but J Cole is truly one of the more frustrating talents in music, and often, feels like being cornered at a house party with someone who is not drinking, and getting super serious with you while you’re trying to have a good time.

He’s built a career, he’ll have bought a house and some cars and is no doubt set for life – so criticisms won’t land much of a blow on him. As for a lasting impact and an authority within the game, you sense that it all might be a bit like someone trying to kick water uphill.

One thing you can give this album is that it is very much a project only J Cole could’ve delivered, for better or worse.