:Forbidden Fruit (J. Cole song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Forbidden Fruit

| cover =File:"Forbidden_fruit".jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = J. Cole featuring Kendrick Lamar

| album = Born Sinner

| released = {{Start date|2013|8|1}}

| recorded = 2013
Premier Studios (New York City)

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Hip hop

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=29}}

| label = {{flatlist|

}}

| writer = {{flatlist|

}}

| producer = {{flatlist|

J. Cole

}}

| chronology = J. Cole

| prev_title = Crooked Smile

| prev_year = 2013

| next_title = She Knows

| next_year = 2013

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = Kendrick Lamar

| type = single

| prev_title = Give It 2 U

| prev_year = 2013

| title = Forbidden Fruit

| year = 2013

| next_title = Radioactive

| next_year = 2014

}}

"Forbidden Fruit" is a song by American hip hop recording artist J. Cole. The song was sent to radio stations in August 2013, as the third official single from Cole's second studio album, Born Sinner (2013). "Forbidden Fruit" was produced by Cole himself and features a guest appearance from fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, who contributes vocals to the song's hook. The song features a sample of American jazz musician Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew", most recognized from its use on hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation". The song was met with mixed reviews from music critics. "Forbidden Fruit" would peak at number 46 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Background

File:J.ColeLondon2011.jpg

"Forbidden Fruit" was the last song recorded and produced by J. Cole for his second album, Born Sinner (2013). It was recorded as a replacement for another song which Cole was forced to remove from the album's track listing after failing to obtain sample clearance from the estate of Jimi Hendrix.{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2013/06/23/194594097/j-cole-on-competition-and-writing-honest-songs | title=J. Cole On Competition And Writing Honest Songs | website=NPR | date=June 23, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author1=Shaheed Muhammad, Ali | author1-link=Ali Shaheed Muhammad | author2=Kelley, Frannie}} The song's production is based around a looped sample of American jazz musician Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew", which was also famously sampled by hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest on their 1993 song "Electric Relaxation".{{cite web | url=http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2013/06/10/j-cole-kendrick-lamar-forbidden-fruit/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613171217/http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2013/06/10/j-cole-kendrick-lamar-forbidden-fruit | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 13, 2013 | title=New Song: J. Cole Featuring Kendrick Lamar, 'Forbidden Fruit' (NSFW) | website=MTV | publisher=Viacom Media Networks | date=June 10, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Depland, Eric}} Cole was inspired to incorporate the Foster sample into "Forbidden Fruit" after hearing "Electric Relaxation", saying:

{{blockquote|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.}}

American rapper Kendrick Lamar is featured on "Forbidden Fruit", which is the only track on the standard edition of Born Sinner with a fellow rapper credited as a featured artist.{{cite web | url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/06/album-review-j-cole-born-sinner/ | title=Album Review: J. Cole – Born Sinner | website=Consequence of Sound | date=June 2013 | access-date=August 13, 2013 | author=Eisinger, Dale W.}} Lamar does not rap a verse on the song; he instead contributes vocals to its refrain. "Forbidden Fruit" contains lyrics referencing Psalms 23 and Born Sinner{{'s}} release date coinciding with that of Yeezus by American rapper Kanye West.{{cite journal | url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/j-cole-born-sinner-preview/forbidden-fruit | title=30 Second Reviews: First Impressions of J. Cole's 'Born Sinner' | journal=Complex |publisher=Complex Media| location=New York | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Drake, David}}

Release and promotion

At the June 24, 2013 stop in Houston, Texas on the Dollar and a Dream concert tour, J. Cole brought out Kendrick Lamar to perform the song, along with the J. Cole-produced "HiiiPower".{{cite web |url=http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/j-cole-kendrick-lamar-forbidden-fruit-houston/ |title=J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar Perform "Forbidden Fruit" in Houston (Video) |website=MissInfo |date=June 25, 2013 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102003002/http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/j-cole-kendrick-lamar-forbidden-fruit-houston/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.karencivil.com/2013/06/25/video-j-cole-kendrick-lamar-perform-forbidden-fruit-in-houston/|title=J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar perform "Forbidden Fruit" in Houston|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102105946/http://karencivil.com/2013/06/25/video-j-cole-kendrick-lamar-perform-forbidden-fruit-in-houston/ |publisher=Karen Civil |date=June 25, 2013 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |url-status=dead}} In June 2013, MTV reported that "Forbidden Fruit" would be released as the third single from Born Sinner. On August 1, 2013, the song impacted American mainstream urban radio.{{cite journal | url=http://frequencynews.com/musiclibrary_detail.cfm?LabelID=7&ArtistID=94&AlbumID=972&SingleID=3611 | title=Single – Forbidden Fruit | journal=Frequency News | location=Fort Lee | access-date=August 18, 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927114416/http://frequencynews.com/musiclibrary_detail.cfm?LabelID=7&ArtistID=94&AlbumID=972&SingleID=3611 | archive-date=September 27, 2013 }}

Critical reception

"Forbidden Fruit" received mixed reviews from critics. Erin Lowers of Exclaim! cited the song as one of the album's standout tracks, saying that it "embodies a silent confidence, paying homage to a legendary group while speaking on releasing an album the same day as Kanye West, bringing Born Sinner full-circle."{{cite journal | url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/HipHop/j_cole-born_sinner | title=J. Cole – Born Sinner | journal=Exclaim! | location=Toronto |publisher=Ian Danzig| date=June 17, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Lowers, Erin}} Julia Leconte of Now praised Cole's sampling of "Mystic Brew" as done "exceptionally well" and named "Forbidden Fruit" the best track from Born Sinner.{{cite news | url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=193042 | title=J. Cole – Born Sinner | newspaper=Now | volume=32 | issue=41 |publisher=Now Communications | location=Toronto | date=June 13, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Leconte, Julia}} David Jeffries of AllMusic expressed a similar sentiment, writing that "Forbidden Fruit" is driven by its "Blue Note-inspired" backbeats.{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/born-sinner-mw0002547914 | title=J. Cole – Born Sinner | website=AllMusic | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Jeffries, David}}

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".{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-j-cole-sinner-pop-review-20130618,0,6305019.story | title=Review: J. Cole analyzes himself with 'Born Sinner' | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=June 17, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Brown, August}} 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."{{cite journal | url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/j-cole-born-sinner-roc-nation-jay-z-nas/ | title=J. Cole, 'Born Sinner' (Roc Nation) | journal=Spin |publisher=SpinMedia |location=New York | date=June 19, 2013 | access-date=August 18, 2013 | author=Mlynar, Phillip}} 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." 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!'"

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Born Sinner.{{cite AV media notes |title=Born Sinner |others=J. Cole |year=2013 |publisher=Columbia Records }}

J. Cole – lead vocals, songwriting, production
Ronnie Foster – songwriting, sample credit
Ron Gilmore – keyboards
Juro "Mez" Davis – mixing
Kendrick Lamar – guest vocals

Charts

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
Chart (2013) ! Peak position
scope="row" {{singlechart\|Billboardrandbhiphop\|46\|artist=J. Cole\|access-date=August 18, 2013}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

Chart (2013)

! Peak
position

scope="row" {{singlechart|Billboardrandbhiphop|46|artist=J. Cole|access-date=August 18, 2013}}

Radio history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
Country ! Date ! Format ! Label
scope="row"\| United States \| August 1, 2013 \| Mainstream urban radio \| {{flatlist\| Roc Nation Columbia Records }}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

Country

! Date

! Format

! Label

scope="row"| United States

| August 1, 2013

| Mainstream urban radio

| {{flatlist|

}}