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. On August 15, 2014, Cole released the song 'Be Free', as a response to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. 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. 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. In 2014, Cole bought the house, and was the first home he had purchased. 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. The album's title is the address of a home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Cole lived from his early youth, until 2003. The single 'Apparently' was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The album won Album of the Year at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards, and Top Rap Album at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in May 2019. As of September 2015, the album has sold one million copies in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week.

The album was supported by four singles: ' Apparently', ' Wet Dreamz', ' No Role Modelz' and ' Love Yourz'.Ģ014 Forest Hills Drive received generally positive reviews from critics who admired its ambitious concept, production and lyrics. It was announced three weeks before its release and had very little marketing, with no singles or promotion taking place prior to its release.

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

J. cole forest hills drive live m4a