18 Hip-Hop Artists Name Their Favorite J. Cole Projects
Watching J. Cole’s progression since his debut mixtape, 2007’s The Come Up, has been nothing short of astonishing. Hip-hop has watched and listened as Jermaine's learned life in the past 12 years. With thoughtful projects like The Warm Up, Cole World: The Sideline Story and Born Sinner, millions of fans have had the opportunity to grow with him.
In celebration of Cole’s 34th birthday today (Jan. 28), XXL rounded up a bevy of hip-hop artists near and dear to the self-proclaimed “Middle Child” to find out which of his projects are their favorite. Understandably, Friday Night Lights and 2014 Forest Hills Drive impacted more than a few of them. For Chicago rapper Dreezy, the former inspired her to quit her fast-food gig and pursue a music career. As for the latter, many—including fellow veteran T.I.—believe it paved a lane for J. Cole to be considered legendary in due time.
Others, like Ski Mask The Slump God and Dreamville singer Ari Lennox, were completely stumped when asked their fav and ultimately couldn’t decide. Then you have lyricists like Royce 5’9” and Moneybagg Yo who believe Mr. Nice Watch’s latest effort, KOD, is his best work to date without question. And the lot would agree—less than eight months after its April 2018 release, the LP went on to sell more than 1 million copies and sparked dozens of conversations in hip-hop throughout the past year.
So did his albums that went platinum with no features come out on top? Or are Young Simba's early mixtapes the most revisited? Read below to find out which project of J. Cole's is hailed in the highest regards by your favorite MCs, then head over to our Twitter and Instagram accounts to share yours.
See 18 Hip-Hop Artists' Favorite J. Cole Projects