KOD-the voice behind the album

Katherine Bowes, Staff Writer|September 17, 2018

With the drop of his newest album in April, “KOD,” the North Carolina rapper, J Cole, aims to show his inner personality through his songs. “It is a tough, rewarding meditation on addiction,” Rolling Stone stated. He has great depth of all subjects he chooses to rap about, including: addiction, racism, love, isolation, and his past. According to Rolling Stone,

 

Cole has said that “KOD” has multiple meanings: Kids on Drugs, Kind Overdosed, and Kill our Demons. The album, though, and most of his albums, isn’t explained in full detail in order to let the listener interpret the songs in their own way. As he performs his album from the perspective of a struggling addict, he encourages his fans to not do drugs. This is in response to the overwhelming drug culture within rap music.

 

Cole’s mother was an addict throughout his childhood, as he directly addresses that in his early song “Breakdown.” “KOD” takes a more intimate look at their relationship, as the song is told from the eyes of a child, and then as an adult on  “Once an Addict: Interlude.”

 

A lot of his songs on drug reform are based on his personal experiences  watching his family, friends, and himself use crack or other drugs and how he took the necessary steps to help himself, whether that was cutting off his “friends” or reaching out for help.

 

A huge topic throughout his whole album, as well, is the mystery of Kill Edward. The album projects a low tuned voice underneath the lyrics in each song saying negative things towards Cole and addiction, as if he were Cole’s inner demon. This year, an artist named Kill Edward released a song called “Tidal Wave (just a reference)” whose voice was very similar to that of J Cole’s.

 

Listeners finally figured out that Kill Edward is a depiction of his stepfather, who abandoned his mother and him in 2003. Cole conquers his pain by using his art form to expose and candidly remind others that, sometimes, people are just bad. It is our job to see them for who they are or learn from the mistake of not seeing.

 

This album, and Cole in general, is crucial to our generation as we all struggle to find ourselves. High schoolers experiment, take risks, and make mistakes. Guidance is necessary. The music industry in itself is corrupt, often supporting drugs and  rape culture. We need to truly listen to the art of J Cole’s music because unlike a lot of artists and rappers, J Cole is unafraid to tell how it really is. He is willing to be brave and promote goodness.

 

I recommend the album because it gives many individuals insight on who they are and who they want to be. As well, the album is incredibly relatable, as it portrays self doubt, addiction, love and hate, and the hardships of isolation. Each song is different, promoting the different hardships in daily life. They all sound different with beautiful melody and rhythm. The album can be purchased or downloaded on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Amazon for $20.