2014 Forest Hills Drive
| J Cole
2014 Forest Hills Drive
2014 Forest Hills Drive is the third studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on December 9, 2014, by Roc Nation, Dreamville Records, ByStorm Entertainment and Columbia Records. 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". Wikipedia3
Critic Reviews
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XXL
J. Cole is righfully satisfied with the end product, as will the fans.
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DJ Booth
Forest Hills Drive has enough twists and turns to inspire an almost schizophrenic stream of reactions.
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ExClaim
He shines without any features, standing strong in his delivery and carrying his story to the forefront of the 13-track project.
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HipHopDX
Its narrative, the tropes, and the strategies are completely overcome by the albums terrifying integrity. It is immensely relatable because it is not afraid to be corny and cliche.
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Los Angels Times
A deeply skilled empathizer, Cole can put you in his shoes too.
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Rap Reviews
He's been afforded a rare amount of artistic freedom on 2014 Forest Hills Drive and there aren't even any singles, so it's great that he's more or less delivered. But whilst this definitely misses out on classic territory, that doesn't mean it isn't a bloody good album for the most part.
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All Music
2014 Forest Hills Drive comes off as a great, experimental, and advancing mixtape, but it's insider to a fault, as slight as that fault might be.
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Pitchfork
It wraps itself in the garments of a classic, but you can see that the tailoring is off.
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Rolling Stone
He speaks some incisive truths about class, race ("Fire Squad") and relationships ("Wet Dreamz"), but those insights are too often undercut by crass humor. The production falls short, too, with dull beats to match his languid flow.
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Now Magazine
Consistent, yes, but not the king yet.
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The 405
Quite possibly rushed so the house number could match the year, J. Cole's latest album is a damn good attempt, but it just isn't the real deal.
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The Line of Best Fit
In the end it is a work crippled by its own indecision, and perhaps bowed by the weight of expectation: a shame, for sure, but hardly a reason to lose faith.
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The Observer UK
He’s a smart, self-assured lyricist--confident enough to end with a 14-minute thank-you track--but not as interesting in his contradictions as the likes of Drake or Kanye West.
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Spin
Cole's keen sense of injustice registers throughout 2014 Forest Hills Drive, whether slagging white artists for artistic thievery or seething over national media outlets pigeonholing black genius into sports/pop either/ors.... But the absence of "Be Free" still detracts. Unless you're the type of moviegoer who sits patiently through the end titles, feel free to duck out of "Note to Self" a bit early and head over to SoundCloud.
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Boston Globe
He’s undeniably an intelligent MC with a sense of social justice, which makes all the half-realized ideas, indulgence, and misogyny (clueless “No Role Modelz”) puzzling.
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Pop Matters
On 2014 Forest Hills Drive , we’ve still got the same ol’ Cole, but with diminishing returns and without any friends to help him.
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