Review Summary: Dunking his way to the top.
In three simple counts, an aspiring rapper’s life can change in the blink of an eye. Whether it be going from mixtape to mixtape to garner an underground following, or opening for the higher-echelon rappers in the spectrum - you simply can epitomize yourself to achieve the golden throne. What took German-American big shot J. Cole to become one of hip-hop’s most successful, and frankly underrated talent is faltering with rejection in the beginning from Jay-Z, and chipping away at his ultimate goal by releasing promising, urban compilations like The Come Up in ’09. Whilst not being the source of his success, it garnered a substantial, glowing following within below and only got bigger in the summer of 2011. The shifting point which would break him away to the mainstream, it was fixated with his first of five weekly EPs called Any Given Sunday, fittingly to being debuted every Sunday to the masses.
Opening the glitzy doors, is a vault that immediately showers you with exoticness and bright vibrances that brim throughout the composition. It takes a step out with the cool, evening-like “Like A Star”, which glistens with a jazzy, fancy piano that meshes into the gauging bass before it. With Cole bragging about his flattering admiration for his girl, his melodic, calm vocals are bristled with confidence and sheer swagger, not feeling forced but filled with creative fun. The grandiose, golden compositions spilled into the compilation create a clean, classy atmosphere that feels like a introduction to an otherwise lavish night out on the town amongst the bright lights. Seamlessly following its evening-esque concept, as a freestyle to Common’s “Go”, the peaceful, melodic “Knock On Wood” gives out well as an ode to the career highlights he has beseeched at the time. His instant, bristled swagger he breaches out in his lyricism sets forth beyond the typical freestyle with ease. His slightly emotive, confident rhymes foretell of his eternal gratitude to where he is now, fittingly to the sunset melody that sets forth, reflecting out easily as the climax of the short, but fun compilation.
With the fixture of Michael Jordan gracefully dunking in his early days as the cover, it is an honest, fitting tribute into the potential of his abilities, with Cole seeing himself amongst the greats. Its beautiful coronation gratifies the true “come-up” in which he would bestow with the blinking, colorful “Unabomber” - gleaming with brightening synths and touchy bass. Setting aside its royal, sparkling culmination, Any Given Sunday #1 is the beginning of the breakout phase that the German-American would freshen amongst his rap confide and streamline across. A start-off to the beginnings of his comings to be the Jordan, or the Ali of his craft, and it seams through with that hopeful precedent in sight.
