90 Proof - Smino & J. Cole

REVIEWED: October 2, 2022

Another day, another drop. This time the song is 90 Proof by Smino and J. Cole. Smino’s melodies are yet again entrancing on this track. It is hard to not get lost in his voice. I am a huge Smino fan and have had a few of his own tracks and features in rotation recently, including Eternal by Chance the Rapper (feature), Anita, and Edgar Allen Poe’d Up. He has timeless vocals, and I find myself feeling refreshed after every track, especially this one. Smino’s hook was very catchy, and as usual, Similarly, as is expected from him, J. Cole’s pen game didn’t disappoint. Their flows complement each other very well. I would describe the sound of the song as being very similar to how Smino typically sounds, and the Cole verse was also very typical, but this is not a negative characteristic. The rollout for this track was very minimal; the other day, I saw that he posted a picture with J. Cole talking about how he was dropping shortly; I am a big fan of these artists separately, and have had the pleasure of hearing them together on the Dreamville song Sacrifices. I agree with this rollout because it was not extensive, but it still got me excited about the track. My first impression of the track was that it was going to be great. Most things I hear from these two fails to disappoint. On their projects in the past, the sound has been great, so I am not opposed to them not taking an experimental route. All in all, I think this is a good song. The music scene has certainly been lagging lately in terms of new releases, and a new Smino and Cole drop has definitely brightened it up. The song has a very groovy instrumental and falls in line with the fall sound I have been crafting for myself. It was a great way for me to start off my October playlist, and it certainly set the mood for the new season. Thank you for reading this week’s one-track review. If you guys like these, make sure to send in some song suggestions for review; I will review songs or albums, whichever you want to see! Have a great day, and see you next week.