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Jul 13, 2021There’s a very real, dare I say relatable feel to Cole’s music that “The Off Season” continues to highlight. Unfortunately, it’s a few songs short of being a great album as Cole experiments with some different styles of production that aren’t always successful. Cole’s nearly-man mentality produces a nearly-great album.
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Jun 3, 2021Despite the casualness of everything, The Off-Season still earns buckets from the level of microphone craftsmanship he’s developed for himself and the melodies it brings.
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Jun 1, 2021His performance on The Off-Season will have hip-hop oldheads smiling, nodding, reminiscing on days of old. ... The lack of any poignant through-line either sonically or thematically will have bespectacled journalists shaking their heads and talking about how Kendrick does it better.
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May 24, 2021The album is a varied selection with solid performances and production throughout. Much like the title suggests, The Off-Season feels like Cole running through different exercises as he gets in shape for something bigger.
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May 21, 2021Over a tight twelve tracks of nimble songwriting and outstanding composition, J. Cole continues to muse on the themes weaved throughout his discography: life and death, success and lack thereof, the divine and the mortal. He does this with personal and interpersonal anecdotes that are interesting but safe, as he leans into his passion for rap and sport and away from his predilection for social commentary.
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May 19, 2021On “The Off-Season,” he is burnishing a reputation as a lingering titan. If “The Off-Season” is Cole’s first record of The Fall Off Era, he appears far from ready to bow out, nor should he be.
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May 18, 2021He pulls back slightly from the narrative form of writing (sorry, to the “Wet Dreamz” heads but no virginity tales on this one) in favor of more punchlines and wordplay. This switch doesn’t suddenly turn him into a Flint rapper, but it does sound like he’s having fun for once.
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May 18, 2021The hype for his newest album, 'The Off-Season', reached astronomical heights. Fortunately for fans, they did not have to wait long, and the North Carolina rapper did not disappoint.
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May 18, 2021The Off-Season — an earnest return to blood, sweat and ink — doesn't need much more to hit like swish.
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May 18, 2021Non-conforming, ‘The Off-Season’ is a little bit off in places and its steadiness can be one-note, but it’s still a strong piece technically. You might not play this album every day, but it would still be a strong record for J. Cole to end on.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 136 out of 158
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Mixed: 12 out of 158
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Negative: 10 out of 158
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May 19, 2021
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May 18, 2021
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May 24, 2021