2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)

2014 Forest Hills Drive is the third studio album by American rapper J. Cole, released on December 9, 2014, by ByStorm Entertainment, Columbia Records, Dreamville Records and Roc Nation.

Recording sessions took place over the whole year, while the production on the album was primarily handled by Cole himself, along with several others such as Illmind, Vinylz, Phonix Beats and Willie B. It was announced three weeks before its release and had very little marketing, with no singles or promotion taking place prior to its release. The album was supported by four singles: "Apparently", "Wet Dreamz", "No Role Modelz", and "Love Yourz".

2014 Forest Hills Drive received generally positive reviews from critics who admired its ambitious concept, production and lyrics. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week. As of September 2015, the album has sold one million copies in the United States. The album was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2024.

The album won Album of the Year at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards, and Top Rap Album at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The single "Apparently" was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The 10-year anniversary edition of the album was released in December 2024.

Background

The album's title is the address of a home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Cole lived from his early youth, until 2003. Cole lived at the property with his mother, his brother and his stepfather, and was the location where Cole wrote some of his earliest songs, and decided to pursue a career as a musician.

In 2014, Cole bought the house, and it was the first home he had purchased. The album's title is used to recount Cole's upbringing, and the transition from leaving North Carolina to New York; it battles with the transitions that were taken in order to find his success and fame within the music industry. Cole soon put the home up for an "extremely cheap" renting price, in the hope that any struggling residents could use it to progress their lives, without having to worry about frequent moving, an experience Cole underwent due to frequent financial struggles.

Recording and production

On August 15, 2014, Cole released the song "Be Free", as a response to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. In an interview with NPR's Microphone Check radio show, Cole revealed that the song was recorded the same week he recorded the song "Intro" from 2014 Forest Hills Drive, but was never intended for the album. In September 2014, during an interview with HipHopDX, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's manager Steve Lobel revealed Krayzie Bone and Bizzy Bone recorded a track with Cole for the album, though the song never made the album's final cut. The production on the album was primarily handled by J. Cole, along with its guest productions, including Dreamville's in-house producer Ron Gilmore, DJ Dahi, Illmind, Willie B, Phonix Beats, Vinylz and Pop Wansel, with additional production provided by Cardiak and CritaCal, among others. During production, Cole had envisioned 2014 Forest Hills Drive to be released as a double album.

Release and promotion

On November 16, 2014, Cole released a video trailer, where he announced he will be releasing his third album, titled 2014 Forest Hills Drive on December 9. The video also featured footage regarding the making-of the album. Additionally, the album's name sake was revealed to be the address of Cole's childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cole held a listening session at the home on 2014 Forest Hills Drive where he invited a select group of fans to hear the album. On February 13, 2015, Cole announced he would further promote the album with a tour called Forest Hills Drive. The tour was divided into three different acts. "Act 1: Hometown", "Act 2: The Journey" and "Act 3: Hollywood". Act 1 started on March 2, 2015, in Eugene, Oregon and ended on April 7, 2015, in Providence, Rhode Island, it featured Dreamville artists such as Bas, Cozz and Omen, who were also served as supporting acts on Act 2 and 3. Act 2 started on April 30, 2015, in Zürich, Switzerland and ended on May 18, 2015, in London, England, it featured Jhené Aiko and Pusha T. Act 3 was the longest leg of the tour, it started on July 12, 2015, in Seattle, Washington and ended on August 29, 2015, in Cole's hometown Fayetteville, North Carolina, and featured Big Sean, YG and Jeremih. Cole brought out Drake and Jay-Z to perform at the last show in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The tour sold over 570,000 tickets worldwide and grossed $20.4 million.