J. Cole on Apple Music (2024)

2014 Forest Hills Drive

Named after his childhood home, J. Cole’s highly revered third studio album sticks to the Fayetteville, NC rapper’s well-established formula, featuring several self-produced cuts in which warm, old-school samples underpin lyrics about life’s weighty lessons. But unlike earlier offerings, 2014 Forest Hills Drive makes hard pills easy to swallow, as the rapper finds his footing and perfects the balance between conscious and commercial.The album also finds Cole trying to balance the coexistence of darkness and light, with the smile-inducing “Wet Dreamz” pouring into poignant cuts like “03’ Adolescence.” All the while, Cole’s lyrical approach is as unpretentious as his wardrobe, with the MC delivering lessons on cultural appropriation, relatable childhood faux pas, and the true meaning of life.Thanks to its unflinching confidence, playful narratives, and soulful reflections, 2014 Forest Hills Drive would prove to be Cole’s most successful album—culturally and critically—upon its release in 2014. It would go on to sell more than 3 million copies, thanks in part to a daring (and deeply personal) marketing campaign: Cole announced the record less than a month before its drop date, and in the lead-up to release day, the rapper invited a group of his biggest fans to the actual 2014 Forest Hills Drive for a listening session (later, Cole turned that very home into rent-free housing for single mothers). To this day, 2014 Forest Hills Drive remains a crucial entry in the J. Cole catalog: an album that draws on his past, while also giving listeners a glimpse of his future.

Born Sinner (Deluxe Version)

Guest verses on Cole's second studio album come from 50 Cent ("New York Times") and Kendrick Lamar ("Forbidden Fruit"), but it's the R&B touches that imbue the project with its defining soul. TLC's T-Boz and Chilli bring a summer sheen to "Crooked Smile," Miguel helps turn "Power Trip" into a melancholic lament on love, and the Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman graces the dramatic "She Knows."

Might Delete Later

2024

D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape

2022

The Off-Season

2021

Revenge of the Dreamers III: Director's Cut

2020

Revenge of the Dreamers III

2019

KOD

2018

4 Your Eyez Only

2016

J. Cole Essentials

The rare rapper capable of reconciling the conscious with the commercial.

J. Cole Video Essentials

No theatrics, just straight-up realness.

J. Cole: Chill

Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.

J. Cole: Deep Cuts

Thought-provoking gems buried in the rapper's discography.

Every song Drake and J. Cole are performing on their massive joint tour.

J. Cole: Influences

The artists that inspired the rapper from Forest Hills Drive.

The Secret Recipe - Single

2023

The Secret Recipe - Single

2023

Passport Bros - Single

2023

90 Proof - Single

2022

LONDON - Single

2022

Johnny P's Caddy - Single

2022

Your Heart - Single

2021

Forest Hills Drive: Live from Fayetteville, NC

2016

Let Me Calm Down (Extended Version) [feat. J. Cole] - Single

Nicki Minaj

Gucci Mane

All My Life (feat. J. Cole) - Single

Lil Durk

YG

Poke It Out (feat. J. Cole) - Single

Wale

Red Cafe

Family and Loyalty (feat. J. Cole) - Single

Gang Starr

J. Cole

He went to Ferguson and took a stand 10 years ago.

21 Savage, J. Cole

Their 2018 collaboration “a lot” is a classic.

Drake, J. Cole

These two icons had collaborated before, but this song is the one.

J. Cole

Two years ago, J. Cole woke up fulfilling both his lifelong dreams.

J. Cole

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Jan. 28: J. Cole

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April 6, 2019

We're doing this one for Nipsey Hussle… 🏁