Music

FREE MIXTAPE OF THE WEEK: J. Cole, 'Truly Yours 2'

by Chayne Japal

Apparently, J. Cole is fixin’ to release the follow-up to his wishy-washy debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, on June 25th. Only time will tell whether or not this date sticks but Cole’s recent output suggests it ought to be a doozy.

This buzz EP, the second in his Truly Yours series is another promising batch of tracks that ascertains that Jermaine’s still got it. While the highlight of the first EP was a pretty cool Dirty Projectors flip for “Rise Above”, the stand-out here is another self-produced flip, “Cole Summer”, a breezy, laid-back re-working of the 1998 Lauryn Hill-D’Angelo duet “Nothing Even Matters”. Cole uses the track to get a lot off of his chest. He says, “Up in Hova office like he the fucking principal / Put me in with Stargate, that shit was like detention now.”  (Shots fired!) Hopefully Roc Nation boss Jay-Z hears that and lets the dude do what he wants to on his upcoming record. Surprise appearances here by Young Jeezy and 2 Chainz on back-to-back tracks “Kenny Lofton” and “Chris Tucker” hint at the diversity Cole brings to the table, as he comfortably chameleons his way through the different vibes and topics of the EP. It’s exciting to see where he’ll take his music as he gains more freedom and trust from his higher-ups.

Download Truly Yours 2 here or stream it below.