 = Forbidden Fruit ( J. Cole song ) = 
 
 " 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 frequent collaborator and fellow American 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 = = 
 
 " 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 . 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 " . 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 . 
 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 . Lamar does not rap a verse on the song ; he instead contributes vocals to its refrain . " Forbidden Fruit " contains lyrics referencing Born Sinner 's release date coinciding with that of Yeezus by American rapper Kanye West . 
 
 = = 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 " . 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 . 
 
 = = 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 . " 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 . David Jeffries of AllMusic expressed a similar sentiment , writing that " Forbidden Fruit " is driven by its " Blue Note @-@ inspired " backbeats . 
 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 " . 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 . " 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 . 
 J. Cole – lead vocals , songwriting , production 
 Ronnie Foster – songwriting , sample credit 
 Ron Gilmore – keyboards 
 Juro " Mez " Davis – mixing 
 Kendrick Lamar – guest vocals 
 
 = = Chart performance = = 
 
 
 = = Radio history = = 
 
 
 