Ten Years On, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole’s Reminiscing (Bootleg) Still Holds Up

Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole built Reminiscing (Bootleg) as a shared rap record, 17 tracks long, mostly instrumental and full of loose, unhurried verses over familiar samples. It is not a studio album, and it does not pretend to be one. It is a mixtape made by two artists who want to sit together in a booth and talk about what they’ve been through, without worrying about a label’s deadline or a radio edit.

The Track List

The record opens with “Forbidden Fruit,” a slow, steady track that sets the tone before the pace picks up. “Be Free” follows, a short, urgent call that gets the album moving. Then comes “Knig Kunta,” a sharp, pointed verse that shows why both artists were talked about as two of the best rappers alive at the time.

“Blowin Smoke” and “I” keep the middle stretch going, the former a smooth, easy ride, the latter a longer, more detailed look at the speaker’s own life. “Hall of Fame” runs 10:24, the longest track on the record, and it earns every second of its length, a deep, winding journey through memory and reputation. “Fuckin Problem” and “Kenny Lofton” close the first half with two tracks that don’t reach the heights around them, solid but not essential.

The back half starts with “Cartoon n Cereal,” a long, strange track that asks listeners to sit with its jokes and its sadness side by side. “No Role Model” and “Ignorance Is Bliss” follow, the latter barely over a minute and a half, quick and pointed. “Revenge of the Dreamers,” “Shook Ones,” and “Winter Schemes” form a tight middle section, each one doing exactly what a track like this should do: give the listener a hook, a beat, and a rapper willing to hold the floor.

“All Day (remix)” brings a familiar song back into a new setting, and it works better here than it might elsewhere. “Back Seat Freestyle” is a short, rough cut, a freestyle that feels like it was recorded in real time. “Temptation” closes the record on a note of desire, the shortest track here, and it ends things on a quiet, almost sad note.

“Revenge of the Dreamers” is a strong middle.

The Verdict

Reminiscing (Bootleg) is not a perfect record, and it does not try to be one. It is a mixtape with a purpose, a record meant to bring two artists together over familiar ground, and it succeeds at that. The long tracks, especially “Hall of Fame,” reward patience. The shorter cuts, like “Ignorance Is Bliss,” get the point across fast.

The record drags in places, and some tracks feel like filler between the moments that matter. But the peaks are high enough to carry the whole thing. This is a record that rewards attention, even when it does not demand it.

album review · hip hop · J. Cole · Kendrick Lamar · mixtape