Two to three months ago, I had zero interest in the latest J. Cole song to make the blog rounds. Now, the minute I see the name I am grabbing the headphones, plugging in and hitting that play button.
My latest fascination with J. Cole's craft is his production skills. As a memeber of Roc Nation, he's had the opportunity to work with the cream of the crop in No I.D., Jim Jonsin and Salaam Remi. It's also been rumored that Pharrell produced a few tracks on Cole World. Still, he keeps proving that he's the sole controller of his career, as the first single “Who Dat” was co-produced by him and Elite. Add “Relaxation” to the list of self-produced heat-makers.
Featuring Fashawn and Omen, “Relaxation” rides jittery jazz drum patterns and a gloomy horn arrangement, but the rappers sound far from melancholy. Each wordsmith expresses his anxieties through the inflections of intricate multi-syllabic rhyme schemes. J. Cole is troubled by his bodily reaction to weed, “my mind too wild / damn, I thought weed supposed to calm you down / but I'm so high I could palm two clouds,” while Fashawn's fast-paced flow mimics the life he's leading, “twist up a spliff, get a fifth of patron / hate a chick who just talk shit on the phone / baby, I'm trying to stick you, dick to your dome.”
