The Joe Budden Podcast, in no small part thanks to its titular host, has been pretty relevant when talking about the so-called "Big Three." Given Budden's past Drake feud, it's no wonder he would have equally as strong and passionate opinions about Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who just recently came through with The Fall-Off after years of anticipation. But sadly for Joe, he and his cohosts felt a little underwhelmed by the LP, resulting in a milder conversation.
However, they don't think it's bad by any means. CY Chels caught a small part of the much broader conversation on Twitter, and they add and expand on various points throughout the rest of the episode.
But everyone had their two cents to chime in with, including Ish. He's a fan of the Dreamville rapper's high skill, but found little replay value and prefers when Cole hops on a feature with another artist with a more dynamic approach to songwriting. Parks disagreed, as he commended the effort the North Carolina MC had to put forth to tie a tracklist together both conceptually and with a high lyrical standard.
"Nothing after 'Man Up Above' did I need," Joe Budden remarked concerning J. Cole, which was one of the more divisive takes. "I'm not saying it's bad, but do I think that his version of 'I Used To Love H.E.R.' was needed? No, I don't. I don't love that beat, either." Marc Lamont Hill gave Cole props for using a different Common sample for the beat.
J. Cole's "I Love Her Again"
Overall, it seems like The Joe Budden Podcast felt compelled by the Fayetteville artist's intent and conceptual vision, but didn't really find the musical results that compelling. Of course, many hip-hop listeners disagree, as The Fall-Off has been getting a lot of praise from fans online.
Joe Budden previously thought J. Cole was favorable when compared to Kendrick Lamar and Drake's positions after the beef, as he put less pressure on himself to excel, lead, and dominate. Maybe this initial reaction to The Fall-Off is a backtrack. Or, more compellingly, Budden and his peers might appreciate the LP in a different lens once the initial hype and expectation dies down.
For those unaware, that Common-tributing track the JBP referred to is "I Love Her Again," which samples "The Light" and personifies hip-hop in the same way "I Used To Love H.E.R." did. On that song, Cole reflects on falling in love with hip-hop, feeling like "she" chose Kendrick and Drizzy over him, and accepting the notion that "she" is not something to conquer.
