Underrated Albums: 2014 Forest Hills Drive

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, known as J. Cole, is an American rapper who records and produces hip hop music. He first kicked off his career and gained popularity by dropping a mixtape called, The Come Up in 2007.

Since then, he has released multiple albums with Dreamville Records, one of which is his most successful 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

The title of the album is the address of his childhood home in North Carolina where he created his first raps and where he decided to officially pursue his music career. The album is basically about North Carolina and moving to New York City to chase his dreams and what he had to go through to reach his success.

His album earned the double platinum status with no features, and in 2014, was nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy Award. In 2015, it earned Album of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards and Top Rap Album at the Billboard Music Awards.

With his unique sound and new perspective on rap, Cole’s 13 track, hour long album for sure deserved every award.

If you’re looking for some bangin’ hip hop and rap music, “Wet Dreamz”, “A Tale of 2 Citiez”, “Fire Squad”, “G.O.M.D.”, “No Role Modelz”, “Apparently”, and “Love Yourz” are definitely songs to check out.

Overall, Cole put together a well built album that tells his story and his rise to success, so introduce yourself to the Cole World because you won’t regret it.