220: J Cole’s The Off Season and the Power of the 12/8 Shuffle

J Cole is one of the most successful rappers of his generation, someone who racks up hits while sustaining critical acclaim. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Cole’s sixth studio album “The Off Season” finds a musician struggling to stave off complacency and keep his skills sharp. In a short documentary about the album, Cole describes the album as an attempt to “push himself,” a sentiment reflected in a line from the Timbaland-produced track “Amari”: “If you solo these vocals, listen close and you can hear grumbling.” Cole is never satisfied on this album, pushing his technique to the breaking point through verbal dexterity and rhythmic complexity.

One way Cole stays on his toes is through the use of a trap beat melded with one of the oldest grooves in pop: the 12/8 shuffle. He’s far from the only artist to make use of an often overlooked, but iconic meter. Why does this pattern keep us moving? And where did its unique sound come from? We have a theory about that...

Songs discussed:

• J Cole - Amari, Punching the Clock, The Climb Back, Interlude
• Brief Encounter - I’m So in Love With You
• Adam Lambert - Another Lonely Night
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me
• Disclosure ft Sam Smith - Latch 
• Steely Dan - Aja
• Toto - Roseanna 
• Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain
• Kanye West - Black Skinhead
• Billie Eilish - Bury a Friend
• Vulfpeck ft Bernard Purdie and Theo Katzman - Something

Watch Bernard “Pretty” Purdie: The Legendary Purdie Shuffle

Read more on The Off Season in Craig Jenkins in-depth review on Vulture.

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