J. Cole Reveals "2014 Forest Hills Drive" Was The OG Double Album

BY Zachary Horvath
Link Copied to Clipboard!
2024 Dreamville Music Festival
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 07: J. Cole performs at the 2024 Dreamville Music Festival at Dorothea Dix Park on April 07, 2024 (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage)
Add HNHH as a preferred source on Google
J. Cole's new interview with Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis has revealed quite a lot about his relationships within rap and his albums.

J. Cole is officially getting his interview tour underway this weekend. It's starting with Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis and there's already loads of interesting moments throughout. One of them includes Cole's revelation about his beloved album 2014 Forest Hills Drive and its similarities with The Fall-Off.

As you all know, the latter is a double album with 12 songs each. However, during the creation of it, the Fayetteville native says the project was just 15 songs. But Cole reached a moment where he decided he was chopping it down too much.

"On this one, at a certain point, it was the opposite. I was cutting too many songs that I loved and felt passionate about... Eventually I was like, 'Yo, I think this is—there's two stories being told and I think this is a double disc project.'"

Ironically, the making of 2014 Forest Hills Drive was the exact opposite from The Fall-Off. "'Forest Hills Drive' was a double disc at one point. Then, right towards the end, I was like, 'Oh, I'm bugging. This sh*t is way too long.' Then we cut it down."

What's Next For J. Cole After The Fall-Off?

Later into this segment of the interview, J. Cole explains where 2014 and The Fall-Off differ. He specifically points to the storytelling and how the former was more interpretive rather than being clear cut.

On the latter, he says how "Disc 29" is more obvious in its approach. Essentially, he views that portion of the album as there being explicit chapters.

Overall, it's cool insight into both albums and how they are connected in their own way.

Elsewhere, J. Cole tells Nadeska that he's not totally done when it comes to making more music. While he does have a world tour and more interviews in the immediate future, there was some belief that The Fall-Off was the end.

But he puts all of that to bed here. "You reminded me of stuff that I have to go do, that I got to go finish. I don't know what it is, I ain't gon' lie. I'm inspired. I'm in an inspired place. But not necessarily to make an album, you know what I mean? I want to produce. If my pen is inspired still, I would love to do a verse here and there..."

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.

Comments 0