There aren’t many rappers in the last few decades who have enjoyed musical success like J Cole. Known for his lyrical geniuses, J Cole has stayed on top of the Hip-Hop game for years. Besides being a rapper, J. Cole is a record producer and recently began a basketball career.
He was born Jermaine Lamarr Cole on an American military base in Frankfurt, West Germany, on January 28, 1985. J Cole’s rap journey began when he was 12, and cited Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas, Canibus, and Andre 3000 as his artistic influences. For fans of the rapper, here’s a comprehensive review and ranking of J Cole’s musical albums.
Cole World: The Sideline Story
Like most Hip-Hop rappers, J Cole had to work his way to receive industry recognition and worldwide fame. He got signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in February 2009 as the company’s first artist. After releasing two mixtapes, The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010), J Cole finally released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, on September 27, 2011. At the time of the album’s release, Cole had already become a household name in Hip-Hop. Cole World: The Sideline Story was unarguably one of the most-anticipated albums of that year. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Unsurprisingly, the album sold 218,000 within the first week of release and debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200. The album’s theme centered around relationships, fame, struggles of success, abortion, family problems, and growing up without a fatherless home. Cole World: The Sideline Story featured four guest artists – Trey Songz (“Can’t Get Enough”), Jay-Z (“Mr. Nice Watch”), Drake (“In the Morning”), and Missy Elliott (“Nobody’s Perfect”). The album had four released singles and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. J Cole was nominated for Best Male Hip Hop Artist at the 2012 BET Awards and Best New Artist at the 2012 Grammy Awards.
Born Sinner
J Cole announced he would release his second studio album, Born Sinner, on January 28, 2013. He pushed the album’s release date a week earlier, on June 18, 2013, to compete with Kanye West‘s Yeezus album. While considered a career risk by many, J Cole was still able to debut the album at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Kanye West’s Yeezus debuted at number 1, with only about 30,000 more copies than Cole’s. Born Sinner later peaked at number 1 and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. The album featured five artists. These include Miguel (“Power Trip”), Amber Coffman and Cults (“She Knows”), Kendrick Lamar (“Forbidden Fruit”), TLC (“Crooked Smile”), and James Fauntleroy in the title track (“Born Sinner”). Others are 50 Cent and Bas (“New York Times”) and Jhené Aiko (“Sparks Will Fly”) on the album’s bonus tracks. J Cole received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance for the album’s lead single, “Power Trip”.
2014 Forest Hills Drive
J Cole named his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, after the address of the home he lived in as a child. 2014 Forest Hills Drive was released on December 9, 2014. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 1, selling 353,000 copies in the first week. 2014 Forest Hills Drive was certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. 2014 Forest Hills Drive won its Top Rap Album nomination at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards and three Grammy Award nominations (Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, and Best R&B Performance). The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics upon release. 2014 Forest Hills Drive was also certified Platinum in the United Kingdom and Denmark. J Cole purchased his childhood home at the address, becoming the rapper’s first home purchase. He later offered cheap rent to struggling residents to help relieve the financial burden.
4 Your Eyez Only
4 Your Eyez Only is J Cole’s fourth studio album, which also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album was released on December 9, 2016. 4 Your Eyez Only sold 363,000 copies in the first week, with lyrics and themes focused on the life story of a young man. It explores the man’s life journey from selling crack, finding love, and becoming a husband and father. The album’s final track speaks of the man’s death. Besides achieving Platinum certification and success, it received nominations for Album of the Year at the 2017 BET Awards and Top Rap Album at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards.
KOD
There aren’t many artists who would give their album an ambiguous title subject to three meanings. KOD is J Cole’s fifth studio album, officially representing Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed, and Kill Our Demons. KOD was released on April 20, 2018, and broke a record on its release day. It surpassed Drake’s 2016 album streams on Apple Music. KOD had 64.5 million streams in the United States by the end of its release day. Three of the album’s songs simultaneously debuted on the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10, becoming the first rapper to do so.
KOD only had two features, with Kill Edward as a guest artist in “The Cut Off” and “Friends.” It was later revealed Kill Edward was J Cole’s alter ego. KOD explored themes like taxation, greed, addiction, drug abuse, and depression. With only two singles, the album also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and is certified Platinum by the RIAA.
The Off-Season
J Cole showed why he’s one of the world’s best rappers by having his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, debut again at number 1 on the US Billboard 200. The album only had one single, “My Life,” which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. All of the album’s songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 chart. Released on May 14, 2021, The Off-Season also had the most streams of the year, with over 325.5 million streams.
The Off-Season also became J Cole’s album since Born Sinner, to feature other guest artists. The Off-Season album featured 21 Savage and Morray (“My Life”), Bas (“100 Mil'”), Lil Baby (“Pride Is the Devil”), and Bas and 6lack (“Let Go My Hand”). Bas also featured in “Hunger on Hillside.” The album is certified Platinum by the RIAA and earned J Cole four Grammy Award nominations, including Best Rap Album.
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