J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2LP, 10th anniversary edition, red vinyl, with poster) [INTERSCOPE]

Why you'll love it

This 10th anniversary edition spreads the album across a 2LP set on red vinyl and adds a poster. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 353,000 copies in its first week and is now certified six times platinum.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Red vinyl
• 10th anniversary edition
• Poster included
• Limited edition

About the album

The title is an address. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is the house in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where J. Cole grew up with his mother and brother, wrote his first songs and decided to make music for a living. In 2014 he bought it back, the first home he ever owned, and offered it to struggling families at a very low rent.

The album tells the story of that journey from Fayetteville to New York and fame, and Cole produced most of it himself, with help from Illmind, Vinylz, Phonix Beats and Willie B. It arrived with three weeks' notice and no singles in advance, and there isn't a guest verse on it. "January 28th" sets the tone, "A Tale Of 2 Citiez" and "Fire Squad" hit hard, "G.O.M.D." bounces, and "No Role Modelz" became a modern standard. "Love Yourz" is the warm, plain-spoken heart of it all, and "Apparently" picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance.

It won Album of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards and Top Rap Album at the Billboard Music Awards. Most of us visit our childhood homes for Sunday dinner; Cole bought his and named an album after it.

Also at Kops: more J. Cole on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Interscope (cat# 12119370), a reissue of the 2014 album.