Going Back to 2014 Forest Hills Drive
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2024
- Revisiting J. Cole's most celebrated album 10 years later.
Original review: • J. Cole - 2014 Forest ...
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Doing this whole video just to have the same opinion from 10 years ago is hilarious
He does this to make statements and keep his fan base in line. All this just to give it essentially the same score. He did that with MBDTF as well. The only one I can think he truly flipped on correctly was swimming.
he always does this with every revisit of his, the one exception was his Porter Robinson revisit.
This album is major trash
@@maideni6665x platinum dork
@@chiarosuburekeni9325I mean its subjective, I feel like the fact that you feel like he had to "correct" his previous opinion is a backwards way to look at it, and as you and someone else stated he has changed his opinions almost wholly at least twice which is more than I can say for most people's opinions about most things even outside of music, including many of the people in this comments sections who seem to have the mentality that he is maliciously and intentionally lowering scores for some reason? I like this album but idg the massive meatriding for something that literally doesn't matter in the slightest
from a light 6 to a decent 6, that's what we call evolution 🙏
Anyone who is competitive for Kendrick he gives lower reviews or cherry picks, it’s no secret at this point
Not true, you're just too busy on someone's opinion@@Faygo551
Only 100 more years at this pase for it to be a 10
Exactly, in 2034 we can expect a strong 6!
@@Faygo551cap
Obviously I’m far from the first person to point out how badly the Jada and Will lyric aged but it’s so poetically ironic that in his song about how all these LA celebrities are so fake not once does it occur to him that maybe their relationship wasn’t as happy as it seemed. It both negates and proves his point
Weren't you on Pinterest? Also W pfp
💯 💯💯
@@mirage999 I’m everywhere
I don't think it negates his point. He needs better examples. It's just easier to use famous couples.
For example, my grandparents were married 50 years, but yall dont know them if i referenced it
I've always felt like this
Anthony why are you going back there? The family that lives on 2014 Forrest Hills Drive has made it very clear they want you to stop coming around uninvited.
never trust a bald man
Clearly you're taking Kendrick's side in the beef, but you didn't have to doxx Cole like that and put his adress out there
Yeah, also thought that was really fucked up
funny enough i recently found out cole lives 10 minutes frome my house and has been spotted at the publix i go to
J Cole just lacks density his bars are a snooze fest. He is at his best rn tho
@@gupmaliNot true at all. Cole has some really deep tracks and lines, Kendrick stan’s just like to act like they arent
@@breyer6560 I can only name two
Him accepting “Wet Dreamz” was the last thing I was expecting him to do.
Wet Dreamz is a great song tho
@@xx_v_xx4373wet dreamz is a high school cornball anthem
@@keller_3180 Ah yes, one of the most bad faith interpretations of the song possible
@@keller_3180if you think that you take life too seriously
@@xx_v_xx4373shit song bro. He right. Corny SoundCloud rapper type shit
Holy shit it’s been 10 years
No brother. It’s been 10 seconds.
@@42doodoochips10 milliseconds
Not exactly, in december will be 10 years
@@RM-wp7df fair but it’s still crazy
“Your best work is a light pack”
"Your best work is a light 6"
That bar was about Drake and IYRTITL
@@Justin_R20if so that’s just embarrassing bc really nobody takes fantano’s reviews that seriously lol he’s wildly inconsistent and biased.
@@Justin_R20fantano gave iyrtitl an 8
@@FrigidHeightsfound the J cole fan
Fantano your background set is nice and I like the lighting
what would you rate it?
@@terrycruise-zd5tw a light ing
@@dani.phantma joke in this comment section with actual effort?😊
@@dani.phantmNow THAT was funny 😂
I’m kinda surprised he has the 1975 displayed. I knew he’s warmed up to them over the years, but still surprises me he got a physical version.
I’d love to see more of these “redux review” type videos on this channel. No score, no hyper analysis, just talking about an album you previously reviewed and talking about how you feel now. It’s nice to hear how your thoughts change on records over time, maybe you pick up on something, or maybe something grows off of you. Obviously you can’t do this for every record, but doing it for records that you feel like giving another test or records that have a controversial score would be great. Something I would love to see for the next one would be a more direct comparison to your review. Maybe when you have a noticeable change in your opinion of a song, or maybe it’s aged in a weird way, it would be cool to see what exactly you said before, so we can get a more direct compare and contrast of what’s changed or how your taste has differed. Either way I enjoyed seeing this and hope to see more in the future.
0:31 NL spotted
holy shit the northernlion image made me laugh so hard
Mama Fantano's J-Cole Oil???
Austen confirmed NL head
@@bigasstoad +light-decent-2
nl sighting ticket dispenser
Anthony exposes old address for the internet!!
@@Faygo551 wow and on a fantano video none the less.
To me it’s a solid hip-hop record with somewhat bland production but some great iconic bangers too. It drives me crazy though because people legitimately talk like it one of the greatest rap albums ever when it is just no where near that. I can only imagine it’s because people want to pretend that Cole has a classic rap album under his belt when he doesn’t… I think his best is yet to come.
Based and true. I would say nostalgia but they where acting like this was an instant classic back then too. I think its still good overall but too many skips too many blandness to put it anywhere the 10 rating. I would say its a 7 or a weak 8 Max. But Im hyped for the next big cole Project we know he can spit but hopefully he can get more meaningful in his lyrics, pick better beats, reinvent his flows and stay consistent for a whole album.
Born Sinner & 2014 FHD are both classics
@@VideoGamesExtras nah born sinner is mid too. Some great songs but it just not consistent, let nas down is amazing doesnt make this album a classic. Those two albums aint even the best cole projects.
This was actually a really good comment I also believe his best is yet to come he’s getting better with time
It all makes listening to his albums incredibly frustrating for me. I have wanted Cole to put out a project that reflects the obvious wit and talent he has shown on multiple occasions for over a decade. I never find the J. Cole I'm looking for when I listen to a full Cole record, unfortunately. That could be my problem, or the albums', but either way, I don't visit much in his discog beyond the highlights.
I still listen to new records when they drop, but he hasn't truly captured my attention long since 2014FHD. I would rather listen to a good portion of Cole's work than like: Post IYRTITL Drake. Whatever Absoul was doing. Half of Isaiah Rashad's work. Most of ASAP mob's stuff. Pre-Flower Boy Tyler. And a lot of others. But really, Cole's just not very consistent for me from track to track. There are SO many duds. KOD was like 75% duds.
I agree the “Love Yourz” contains some contradictions but given this album is abt his journey through life I think those clashing view points represent a shift in his perspective as he got older. Context is also important. In “03 adolescences” is more abt the advice he is receiving based on where he is at maturity wise. Conversely “love yourz” seems more like him giving advice to ppl who are unable to appreciate the greatness they are already surrounded by.
exactly
I couldn’t agree more. These are two different types of songs. I feel like 03 adolescence is more of a story telling experience and love yourz is more of a
Reflection on how life was back then.
I was def curious on your take on Love Yourz. While I can see where you can get the idea of it being tone deaf, but at the same time I think the point he was trying to drive home in the track is a concept that I've come across many times in therapy is not comparing yourself to others and appreciating what you have is a driving force for mental wellness, and in a genre that glorifies materialism to the point that this comes across as tone deaf speaks to how against the grain this track is. I feel like, you underscore songs with these themes more often than not. Good music touches the soul.
Also, yeah he had a really hard time staying on subject and prob fumbled a ton of classics that way.
Love Yourz being considered tone deaf is wild lol
I don't know why but I have never an intense desire to return to J.Cole's music. I'm saying this as somebody who listenened to him quite a bit in the beginning of his emergence.
Haven’t listened to 2014 FHD since probably 2016, matured out of it just reminds me of being 14
That’s interesting. The older I got the more songs like The Intro, Jan. 28th, Love Yourz, etc. grew on me. An idea of wanting to be free when the older you get, the more fleeting freedom seems to be.
@@huesoftheheart139I feel similarly about 4YEO. It gets better the older I get.
Love that the thing that ties Fantano and NorthernLion together is that they are both bald white dudes with glasses
1 view in 13 seconds you feel off and your getting old
Fax he feel off
he don't know you lil bro
Actually it's 227 views
And he's going BALD what the heck is happening to this man
bro can’t spell you’re 😹
0:30 wait melon knows egg???
I know right I'm shocked
They’ve talked on twitter over the years I’m pretty sure
I'm surprised you didn't mention the biggest reason why this album was popular - it was meant for people in high school in 2014. If you listened to this album in your later 20s, 30s, and so on, it wouldn't resonate with you. Of course as J Cole has matured, he has made more mature music that better resonates with Fantano. My only issue is that I wish Fantano would recognize that while he tries to come across as someone impartial to records, he really has much more personal bias towards the way music should sound than he explains in his videos.
I have the same feeling about him on Lil Wayne: I can see Weezy it's just not his style, but sometimes he goes way too hard without the explanation, as you are saying.
God bless you. He’s really biased
Lol anthony is very biased esp to kendrick, the glaze on kdot is too much 😂
Nickelodeon ass album
thanks for giving it a 10 this time appreciate you
Lol
HE'S BALD?!?!?!
Lets see what innovative ways Fantano can hate on Cole this time
Not really anything innovative, just well thought out takes on the music
@@rohanbaste-bania6227 jokey joke joke joke
Rating coles music to the point isnt hating
6 = hating
@@pumkindsd5025 My glorious king only deserves 10s
the northernlion pic LOL
omg its you
@@azurda7483 who cares about him. he has worse reviews than fantano
This album came out when I was 14 and was one of the first albums where i actually listened and liked every song. So many great memories with me and my friends will always be one of my favorites
Who hears the words "I think J. Cole has gotten better since the release of this album" and go "he's obviously meat riding kendrick"
Idk FHD is one of my favorite albums of all time but I think Cole's definitely gotten better since then. FYEO is the only album he released afterwards that's comparable to me, but his features and freestyles have evolved like crazy
Its aged well. I get some of fantanos points but its about how the music connects with people over the 10 years. I think Cole captures too many great moments for this to be not considered a strong classic. I would maybe take off 3 songs. still 8/10 for me. To a 18-24 year old at the time this was easier to listen to and enjoy over TPAB for the average fan.
ngl i think this an instance of fantano just not being able to fully relate to Cole on this album.
I’m a few yrs younger than Cole and idk this album always hit for me bc everything he was saying just felt so relatable to my life-minus the rapper stuff lol but still… it felt like he was putting music to my thoughts at that time in my life. Even if his songs aren’t fully fleshed out.. I was still in my early 20s, and my ideas weren’t fully formed then either.
Cole and Dot’s albums and themes always kinda progressed with my own life’s journey and inner thoughts.
My generation really lucky to have these guys grow with us and share their stories.
10 yrs ago tho… damn.. we old af
Exactly! Fantano doesn’t analyze from this point of view because he could never relate in this way.
Same. But this album aged terribly imo.
Jesus christ I need a life I'm here before its been up for a full minute
Ong feeling that
You would give it a 10 if it was called “2014 Bald sexy fantano hills drive”. Yet you would give it a 0 if it was called “2014 cal chuchesta drive.”
Logic?
^Most Normal Fantano enjoyer
Don’t bring Bobby into it
PLEASE DO NOT MENTION THE BLACK WHITEBOY
Hey, be careful. You gon make bobby boy snap, don't piss him off.
To forrest hill drive a butterfly
Hearing Melon talk positively about wet dreamz was NOT on my 2024 bingo card.
J Cole is the only rapper who I can think of who has been doing this for more than decade but is still improving. Kinda impressive ngl
Very impressive
Killer Mike, El P, and Aesop Rock all up there too as getting better with age.
Tyler too
Balls
Balls
A light to decent balls on this one
A fat to swinging balls on this one
testicles even
fax
NL jumpscare be warned
0:30 The period-accurate NL pic is a nice touch, Austen
Where is the librarian????
0:30 mad respect to NL gotta love our RUclips Eggs
I don’t know if you knew, Melon, but Cole rides a bicycle. He’s just like us
I don’t think this album is his best work, I think 4 Your Eyez only is a more complete concept, and The Off Season while maybe not being as catchy, has better rapping and flows, so they’re similar quality. However, I think it’s a very solid project for me. I only skip 2 or 3, which is a low amount of skips for my standards. I enjoy his performance on most tracks, and there’s a lot of different sounds between each track. The instrumentals are nice on the ears, Cole is very Smooth and adapts well to whatever beat he’s on. And while his message isn’t the most profound, he delivers it well. Tracks like Fire Squad, No Role Modelz, G.O.M.D, and Love Yourz are still very constant in my rotation.
Overall, I enjoy this project. It’s far from a favorite, but I think it’s a great body of work that deserves praise, and I can understand somebody liking every song. And outside of a few bars, I enjoy this album as much as I first heard it.
I’m Feeling A Mild 7
Im feeling a strong 10 based of the nostalgic vibe that the album gives off and the album cover
Skipping 2-3 tracks is crazy 😂
@@thatcheesy8613 fr i never skip songs when i listen to a album
Born sinner was a better and more focused album than 2014. I’ve always said Cole made me cry in the first verse of apparently with how vulnerable he was about his mother. Then made me never want to listen to the song again in the 2nd verse with shit like “I’m hot dog ketchup to me” he’s a great feature artist because he is focused on one verse where he can stay consistent on one idea.
That album had some songs I really like but I agree with you. It was all over the place. How do you go from 'Apparently' to 'GOMD' ?
Born Sinner on the other hand is the closest thing to a classic album Cole has and is his best work even though I think it's really underappreciated.
@@thedoctor2085ngl I think you’re missing the story that FHD was telling. There’s this development of freedom and independence he’s showing from leaving the Ville to Hollywood. That’s how you go from GOMD to Apparently. That’s like asking how K Dot go from Backseat Freestyle to Sing About Me. It’s a story unfolding.
@@thedoctor20854YEO is his best album. But he’s made multiple great albums IMP.
BS is a 9. 4YEO is a 10. FHD is an 8.5.
All fantastic!
@@huesoftheheart139 I understand that he was trying to tell a story but I just don't think it came together as well as he probably thought it did. I hear what you say about GKMC but here's the difference: consistency. Sonically, those two songs fit perfectly in GKMC. This is just my opinion but FHD had really good songs but sometimes just sounded like a bad playlist. No consistency in the rapping or singing (which I felt just sounded forced) or the beats. I love Cole but St. Tropez right after Fire Squad? Nahh
Born sinner slaps
I think something that should be acknowledged is that this album also acts as a story of his life up until that point. So while A Tale of 2 Cities can seem a bit redundant thematically, it’s symbolically the moment in the story where he leaves his hometown and shows up in New York. The song can be seen as him talking about what he saw and experienced, and what his friends/acquaintances/people around him saw and experienced during that time.
That why firing squad, the next song, should be thinked about as the “king kunta” moment of the story, where j Cole now has buzz in the industry and feels more confident, hence the shots he takes in that song.
Wet dreamz is very weird but in an artistic way. Its not meant to be creepy, its meant to be a story about how kids always think other cool kids are more than they really are, and how they both are equally hesitant and unconfident about a major point in their life when they think the other isnt. Also, more like kendrick lamer.
I watched your review at the time and you were right then and now :)
PLEASE reflect on Danny Browns XXX!!! It aged SO well
Hard agree, mind-bending record to this day.
so many perfect rap songs on there
die like a rockstar
DNA
fields
scrap or die
pac blood
30
XXX
it’s crazy
Personally still one of my favorite albums OAT. Regardless of how Fantano feels, he gives credit when it’s due and you gotta respect it
yeah this album is amazing
Why do you give Future on autopilot for an hour a 7 but one of the most iconic albums of the 2010s a 6 😭
I just listened to it again, and I think it's value is that it put J Cole out there, and even though he had some better stuff on Friday Night Lights, ultimately the style in this album is pretty cool and seeing it solidify in the next few projects is dope 😊
Fantano doesn't get it man. This album shaped so many lives man. He won't ever get it. I've listened to this album maybe over 100 times, can still play it straight through
Right it’s cause he’s not from the hood nor struggle and he’s not bl… well leave it that. Everybody I know fw Cole more than Kendrick n kdot used to my favorite artist
Wow, a random Northernlion appearance @0:30 😆
"Forest Hills Drive, More like Forest Hills 5🤓"
👎🏼
I crank it to wet dreamz idk about you guys
Real (definitely not real)
@@jaysven6153 that song ruined gkmc
One of my favorite albums ever. It’s fun, bombastic, great lyrics, great flow, great production and a shit ton of hits.
what is that album in the top right with the four faces?
what are the vinyls on the back wall? specifically top left and right.
When this album dropped, I was all about it. My score then probably would have been an 8.5. Going back years later? I'd say it's more like a 7. Still a solid album, imo :) To this day, the intro track transports me to another place, w/ the "Do y'wanna, do y'wanna be... happy?" where his voice cracks...
i was just listening to and reminiscing about this album a few days ago. im actually not a huge cole fan but this album was like a whole damn movement when it came out man. i remember hearing no role modelz and wet dreams every where back then and that beat on no role modelz takes me down such a nostalgia trip it's hard not to reminisce on when life was less shit or when i was younger and less messed up, especially considering how much of a turning point 2014 actually ended up being in my life.
This album is 10 years old for me too
I was just listening to this album.
I love this album and so Idc thank you melon
Is it 'the light pack'?
Wet dreams is easily one of the songs about sex that has ever been made
6/10 is pretty crazy. Gotta be an 8 brother
I would say a strong 7 to a light 8
Here’s the issue with Cole. He was celebrated too early. He’s just now showing signs of talent that would deserve the praise he got in 2014. If he wouldn’t have gotten it I think we would have seen him do a lot more to just make the music and projects as a whole better
I like hearing music opinions from folks without musical knowledge or taste 😂
@@baller0724 ah yes the J Cole Stans. Bastions of what’s good in the world
Most of it has to do with the constant Kendrick comparisons
People are gonna call Fantano biased, but realistically Cole hasn’t even dropped anything better than DAMN. and that’s Kenny’s 3rd best project 😭
based
Disagree
I prefer 2014 FHD I don't like a of Damn.
@@John-xp7iy if we’re counting mixtapes, Overly Dedicated > all of Cole’s except The Warm Up
@@cotyxi687 Truly yours 1 and 2 and Friday night lights>
11:11 I think the fact that depression and suicide is more prevelent in wealthy societies isn't a mistake or a glitch in the system.
Yes wealth is better in contrast to poverty, but as far as finding happiniess and meaning life is concerned, money is a very small and often negligible prerequisite.
There are plenty unhappy rich prople just as there are happy poor people - that's not a mistake, it's by design
As someone who was raised in a 3rd world country and as someone who has read LIFE AT THE BOTTOM by Theodore Dalrymple, the point J.Cole makes on Love Yours isn't lost on me
J.Cole isn't "tone deaf".
Maybe...just maybe, either you're just too ignorant about things like loneliness & mental health problems (which is the one health problem all the money in the world does very little to solve) or your negatively bias towards Cole and his music is so strong it blinds you when he makes a good point
Can someone tell me names of the Vinyls pls?
Let’s remember how he gave lil pumps album a higher score than a class album like forest hills drive
i have zero interest in listening to this album all the way through but tale of two cities was the first cole song i listened to and actually really enjoyed. its great!
Whoever says this album is anything but great is lying to themselves
03 adolescence is my favorite J Cole song of all time as well
TO BE KIND 10 YEARS ARE COMING TOO FANTY
wet deamz is one of the best music storytelling I've ever seen, I actually feel like I'm in a "film" listening to it, and it also has a brilliant plot (mixing with the chorus)
I can't believe NL ate vegan chicken wings and then out of nowhere gave j cole a 6
Damn just these past days I had been wondering what you thought about this album today compared to your review video
We need one of these for LP1 by FKA twigs definitely a classic at this point
I love revisits
Love this album, but what stands the most is how much better he is now lyrically
Fair takes but I think it should be acknowledged how big of anthems Wet Dreamz and No Role Modelz became, especially for the younger generation. Play either of those songs at the function and everybody is rapping the entire thing. I think that’s worth something
Thank you mr.melon for the review
FAV TRACKS: '03 ADOLESCENCE, FIRE SQUAD, WET DREAMZ, A TALE OF 2 CITIEZ
LEAST FAV TRACK: ST. TROPEZ
great review but why are you holding two pens in the same hand
The slightly crooked glasses dug into my brain throughout the video
Bro why havent you responded to the dylan mulvaney song yet?
Never seen him review someone so strictly bro your finding the smallest opinionated things to complain about in CLASSIC songs
St Tropez???? A snoozer????? Get a grip
I thought I was a weirdo until I saw this comment😭
Would like a 4 your eyez only review plz❤️😊
Go fold clothes
The look on my face when fantano said “honestly I’m still not crazy about this album” and we needed 10 minutes for you to reach that conclusion??
Cole is one of my favorite rappers and I do think that this is his best album, but I never really understood the massive praise this album gets from his fans. A very strong 7/very light 8 IMO
6 to 10 has got to be the biggest score swing of yours. Glad you came around to the genius of this album.
Why
I’m feeling a low 4 on this video
Imo Cole’s best album (my favorite) is 4 your eyes only. His most conceptual record at the time of its release and probably the project that puts him closest to Kendrick in texture and such. Still think it’s a stand out to this day.
If J Cole had made TPAB you would have given this a 10
You should do an NFR 5 years later
God. I graduated high school in 2014. I am old
Still my favorite album
I've always agreed with Anthony on Cole, his older stuff doesn't hold a candle to his recent work.
Kendrick's diss made melon want to revisit Cole's work
St Tropez is so beautiful
To me this project was an masterpiece 🙌🏾
If this album with no features has a single Kendrick feature melon would've given it an 8/10 ez