"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".

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.

"Forbidden Fruit" contains lyrics referencing Psalms 23 and Born Sinner's release date coinciding with that of Yeezus by American rapper Kanye West.

[4] 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".

"[8] 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.

[11] 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.