Why J. Cole's "1985" is so Important
The last track off of J. Cole's 2019 effort, KOD, titled "1985 (Intro to The Fall Off)" was touted as being one of the most important tracks of the year. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said "KOD's best track may be its closer, 1985, [...] It delivers hip-hop's new generations of artists (by whom Cole is "unimpressed") a wise, warm but firm talking-to". To understand the opinion of people such as Petridis and myself, we have to break down the song.
To begin, the song comes off of an album that serves to present the problem of addiction in America in all of its forms. KOD doesn't shy away from topics such as lust, greed, money and abuse of prescription pills. However, the final track off of the North Carolina native's fifth album almost seems off-kilter. It doesn't seem to inherently fit with everything else that is being said in the album.
Sonically, one could say that "1985" continues with the theme of the album. It's an addictive beat. A catchy tune with a simple drum beat. It's something that is meant to hook you in. And it rightfully does what it has to do.
It's where it stops being one with the album.
The lyrical content of the album is completely different from everything that the album offers. KOD is mainly written from the perspective of a third-person narrator. They can see everything and stay pretty distant from the action. Nothing major. You can almost feel lost in the beats and let Cole's voice just let you in.
"1985" isn't like that. That's what's good about it.
Petridis says in his critique of the last track of KOD that "[1985] switches from practical advice, warnings about the fleeting nature of fame and the inadvisability of jumping on trends to a stark and impressively incisive suggestion they should think hard about the nature of their appeal." And he is right. The entire track is direct and honest. Cole doesn't waste time hiding behind the beat or letting you ride with it. He is coming with a blunt truth, arguably the only cure for an addiction to fame in this new version of the rap game.
Cole's song created a lot of buzz with the song, to the point that artists such as Lil Pump would start "Fuck J. Cole" chants at concerts. While the beef was squashed in an hour long interview afterwards, the words that were uttered by Cole ring true today. Most of the artists today don't have the staying power because they are riding the wave and not making the wave. While many would hate on Cole, writers and others who would claim the same, the facts are true: look at the cast of Love and Hip-Hop. Other than Cardi B and Remy Ma, most of, if not all of the people who have appeared on the show have beens who never knew how to create something and roll with it long enough to really establish themselves.
To add to that, what Cole said is being presented differently by elder statesman like Jay Z, who is now a billionaire, but not the highest selling rapper of all-time. That title belongs to Eminem, but Young's net worth is five times more than Slim. Why? Because Mr. Carter was smart enough to use Hip-hop as a platform to invest and do more with his money than blow it all. T.I said it well in his billboard hit with Rihanna, "Live Your Life": Seems as though you lost sight of what's important when depositin'/ Them checks into your bank account, and you up out of poverty."
Rap is great. Getting out of poverty is better. Investing and making it out while staying true is more important. J. Cole just put into a song for the youth, and can you blame him?