Forbidden Fruit (J. Cole song)
| "Forbidden Fruit" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by J. Cole featuring Kendrick Lamar | ||||
| from the album Born Sinner | ||||
| Released | August 1, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 Premier Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:29 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| J. Cole singles chronology | ||||
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| Kendrick Lamar singles chronology | ||||
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"Forbidden Fruit" is a song by American
Background
"Forbidden Fruit" was the last song recorded and produced by J. Cole for his second album, Cole was inspired to incorporate the Foster sample into "Forbidden Fruit" after hearing "Electric Relaxation", saying:
I was like, "Oh, man. What if?" You know what I mean? Like, "What if I could just do it my way?" You know what I mean? It's such a classic and people are so afraid to touch classics. And I was just like, "What if I could flip it?" So I just went and found the original sample.[1]
American rapper
Release and promotion
At the June 24, 2013 stop in
Critical reception
"Forbidden Fruit" received mixed reviews from critics. Erin Lowers of
August Brown of the Los Angeles Times gave the song a negative review, commenting that "Kendrick Lamar somehow packs more personality into a halfhearted hook on 'Forbidden Fruit' than Cole gets in the song".[11] Phillip Mlynar of Spin felt that "[the song's] quirky bass line and warm-keys motif are so recognizable that it's a brow-furrowing challenge to hear anything other than Q-Tip and Phife's original vocals in the space between the beat and the new raps."[12] Mlynar further stated that "Cole himself (along with Kendrick Lamar's guest spot) ends up evaporating entirely — he's upstaged by loftier artists who aren't even there."[12] Contrarily, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest expressed his appreciation for Cole's production: "[He] didn't like try to do what was already done. [He] brought other parts to the sample that you caught that I was like, 'Oh, nice!'"[1]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Born Sinner.[13]
- J. Cole – lead vocals, songwriting, production
- Ronnie Foster – songwriting, sample credit
- Ron Gilmore – keyboards
- Juro "Mez" Davis – mixing
- Kendrick Lamar – guest vocals
Charts
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] | 46 |
Radio history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 1, 2013[7] | Mainstream urban radio
|
References
- ^ a b c Shaheed Muhammad, Ali; Kelley, Frannie (June 23, 2013). "J. Cole On Competition And Writing Honest Songs". NPR. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- Complex Media. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ "J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar Perform "Forbidden Fruit" in Houston (Video)". MissInfo. June 25, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar perform "Forbidden Fruit" in Houston". Karen Civil. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ a b "Single – Forbidden Fruit". Frequency News. Fort Lee. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Lowers, Erin (June 17, 2013). "J. Cole – Born Sinner". Exclaim!. Toronto: Ian Danzig. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- Now Communications. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "J. Cole – Born Sinner". AllMusic. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Brown, August (June 17, 2013). "Review: J. Cole analyzes himself with 'Born Sinner'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ SpinMedia. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Born Sinner (Media notes). J. Cole. Columbia Records. 2013.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "J. Cole Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
