If you have enjoyed J. Cole on the mixtapes you shouldn't be disappointed with this debut album, as he hasn't released a pop rap filled LP like other mixtape artists sometimes do with their debuts, and it's pretty much the J. Cole we know. Some tracks of note; 'Lost Ones' really gives off a 'Stan' feel, with Cole rapping from different perspectives. 'God's Gift' is my pick from the disc - Whilst lyrically it is a bit unstructured, I love the bangin' beat. The songs that surround 'God's Gift' are also among the best - 'Breakdown' and 'Rise and Shine'. The production handled predominantly by J. Cole himself is quite good. To me it feels like a mixture of a '90s soulful/chillness, with a touch of Kanye influence. Negatives are that he can become repetitive, particularly if you've heard his mixtapes, however, he gets an A for rapping which separates him from a lot of other new artists. Not a lot here will exceed expectations, and it is blotchy at times, with most of the songs with featuring artists being the main offenders (see below), but after getting into it I've found it to be a pretty consistent album, with only a few disposable tracks in the middle, and one that finishes really well. Great: Dollar and a Dream III, Sideline Story, Cole World, Rise and Shine, God's Gift, Breakdown, Cheer Up Good: Can't Get Enough (feat. Trey Songz), Lights Please, Lost Ones, Never Told, Nothing Lasts Forever, Work Out, Daddy's Little Girl Meh: In the Morning (feat. Drake), Mr. Nice Watch (feat. Jay-Z), Nobody's Perfect (feat. Missy Elliott)

Villuminati - A great opener, which could perhaps even be better with a touch more structure in the lyrics, which can be said for Cole at times. Some good rapping/rhyming though and dark production. The subject matter is fairly random with some brag rap, some homage being paid to rap legends, a "joke to show how homophobic you are", and addressing "retards" who ask him about the Illuminati. "Sometimes I brag like Hov Sometimes I'm real like Pac Sometimes I focus on the flow to show the skills I got Sometimes I focus on the dough" LAnd of the Snakes - Uses OutKast's Da Art of Storytellin Part 1' sample well. This is one of those songs that could use more structure. From saying "I came out the womb with my dick hard" to rapping about "Avoiding the snakes, AK's, and coke" in LA, back to boning chicks, it does feel a touch all over the place. Another likeable song though to begin the album. Power Trip - Although not so poppy, it feels like Cole was kind of going for a 'Work Out' V2 type of song of sorts to appeal to the radio for his first single. It's grown on me since the first listen with its double entendre about love and hip hop according to Cole. Mo Money (Interlude) - Nice beat. Reminds me of 'The Good, The Bad, The Ugly' from The Game's 'RED Album'. Partly brag rap how he has money, and partly conscious with Cole rapping "Blacks always broke cause we don't know money/Spend it before we get it and could never hold money." A very strong short song. Trouble - This is basically Cole rapping about some experiences with women, and explaining why he went back to school. "Yeah, but I got dumb as shit/Hanging 'round these rappers cause they dumb as shit." Again the lyrics aren't extremely engaging, but the chants, chorus and production are top. Runaway - One of the songs that fit the album title most accurately. An introspective song. "Could I run away from 50 mill like Save Chappelle". Once again the production is solid. She Knows - The first average song here. More poppy and the beat isn't as likeable. Cole raps about a partner knowing he is cheating. Then he says "Rest in peace to Aaliyah/Rest in peace to Left Eye/Michael Jackson I'll see ya/Just as soon as I die" toward the end of the song. I don't see the connection here. Rich Niggaz - Moves on from 'Mo Money (Interlude)' where Cole talks about cash going to people's head and changing them, along with taking shots at rappers. "But every fucking verse how much dough you got." Forbidden Fruit - Another song using a very recognisable sample from Ronnie Foster's 'Mystic Brew' that 'Electric Relaxation' made famous. "I'mma drop the album the same day as Kanye/Just to show the boys the man now like Wanyá" Chaining Day - "But hey, you know the sayin', 'Fake it 'til you make it'/Me, I did the opposite, made it then I faked it." Basically this is about money once again and materialism. The beat could do more here and Cole, while spitting some clever lyrics, touches on the same things he has already. Ain't That Some Shit (Interlude) - A few of the lyrics here remind me of Iggy Azalea which isn't a good thing. Not a bad beat. Crooked Smile - Cole shows he has a sense of humour, poking fun at his thick eyebrows and his own crooked smile which is where this song begins. It's the poppiest song here and goes well enough with Cole touching on our societies concern with looks and the self-esteem issues we face. Preach! Let Nas Down - "I used to print out Nas raps and tape 'em up on my wall/My niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw." This title and song stems from Cole being told of Nas not liking 'Who Dat'. The horns make it feel like Nas' 'Stay' from last year's 'Life Is Good'. Born Sinner - Sums up the album's content with Cole again speaking of the compromises of fame. Good chorus as well. As a new school rapper Cole is one of my favourites, although the list of mainstream artists I like compared to artists I don't is quite small. He is a good technical rapper, writes some intelligent lyrics and I like most of his production as well. To compare this to Cole's debut, there are fewer average songs, however, there also aren't as many 4.5-5/5 songs that his debut has, so it's more consistent but perhaps has less brilliance. Lyrically the songs are probably more structured, with Cole staying on topic more for the one song than he did before, again though, they aren't extremely interesting with some subject matter being repeated. As expected, unlike his debut, all of this is new content, with nothing being rehashed from his mixtapes, however, with the three extremely recognisable and well-known samples, it does lose some of its originality. Otherwise, the production is fairly different, proving that Cole can have a long career as a producer. The Future? Cole can't turn himself into someone like a Ludacris and give himself a heap of charisma, which is a frequent complaint about him. He just needs to keep progressing as a producer, along with making sure he continues to write original lyrics. In saying that, with very few features for a rap album, he does a good job to keep it interesting. The third album has been a tricky one though. Nas, Jay, Kanye, Game, Lupe are a few rappers who would be seen to have a major drop in quality from their first two to their third album. The homage and references to Jay and others should also vastly reduce if not cease on a next album.

Many of these, if not all, may be better than a number of songs on his recent album. However, as with the aforementioned album, none of these wow me either. 'ROC' has a catchy chorus, but parts of the song are boring. As I mentioned on 'IV Play', The-Dream hasn't evolved a lot over of the years. Best Tracks: Dope Bitch, Thirsty Whore

Phew! I did it! I started this months ago but didn't have the stamina at that particular moment to get close to getting through this, but have since given it another go. If you're a Dream fan, you'll have a large handful of tracks to go back to. I mean, there are a lot of songs here, so this should happen, but it's the most I've gotten out of a Dream project for a while. I'm generally kinder on releases with a lot of songs if a few don't work and while not all of this is fire, the weak moments are sparse. 'Change You' is the only song I can't stand as the lyrics are off-putting. A lot of good tracks. Best Tracks: Challenger, Top, Hell Mary, Gorgeous, Make It Rain, Yours and Mine.

To make a long story short, I feel like I've heard this before. The-Dream who produces/co-produces most of his songs just isn't very versatile. There is more profanity lyrically than we have heard from The-Dream before, but at its heart, there are just those synthy R&B beats lacking progression from album to album. The title track is the only song I've loved on this with the progression from the verses to the chorus being great. Best Tracks: IV Play, Self-Conscious