2014 Forest Hills Drive [2 LP]

by J. Cole

Overview

Named after the address of his childhood home in North Carolina, J. Cole's third studio effort was released with no supporting singles, and there are no featured artists, either, because 2014 Forest Hills Drive is one of those personal, conceptual, and "heavy" albums. Most importantly, it's admirable bordering on excellent, sure to inspire returning fans to herald it as a classic even if it doesn't woo the skeptical, casually wandering out of its intro with two smooth and soulful numbers that are so free, they're just shy of being clumsy. Key cut "January 28th" puts gut-wrenching hard truths of the Pusha-T type ("What's the price for a black man's life?/I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight") next to wobbly wordplay that could have been lifted off some old Digable Planets LP ("Flow is bananas/Here, peel this back"), while "Wet Dreamz" finds J. Cole the producer offering a beat that's rather Alchemist or 9th Wonder inspired, and then slathering it in plush strings for a perfect single on an album that refuses singles. Later, "No Role Modelz" mixes a tribute to the late actor James Avery ("Rest in peace Uncle Phil"), with a bubbling beat that's a variation on cloud-rap (co-produced by Phonix Beats and Cole), and a snarky, snappy set of put downs that are like an elevated Fergie ("I don't want no bitch from reality shows/Out of touch with reality hos"), but all these flights of fancy fly freely since the album lacks an anchor. 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. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/2023
Label:	Dreamville / Interscope
UPC:	0602455059390
Rank:	71

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Intro
2. January 28th
3. Wet Dreamz
4. 03' Adolescence
5. A Tale of 2 Citiez
6. Fire Squad
7. St. Tropez

Disc 2

8. G.O.M.D
9. No Role Modelz
10. Hello
11. Apparently
12. Love Yourz
13. Note to Self

Album Credits

Performance Credits

J. Cole   Primary Artist,Vocals
Esther Phillips   Primary Artist
Aguaturbia   Primary Artist
Milt Jackson   Primary Artist
Carlos Bess   Primary Artist
Yuji Ono   Primary Artist
Hi-Fi Set   Primary Artist
Filippo Trecca   Primary Artist
Damone Coleman   Primary Artist,Sampling
Nervous Reck   Primary Artist,Sampling
Stanley Turrentine   Primary Artist
Sonia Rosa   Primary Artist
Branford Marsalis   Primary Artist
Family Circle   Primary Artist
The Honeydrippers   Primary Artist
Nuno Malo   Strings
Jeff Gitelman   Guitar
Nate Jones   Bass
Yolanda Renee   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jack Mason   Horn Engineer
James Casey   Saxophone
David Linaburg   Guitar
Kaye Fox   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Ron Gilmore   Bass,Keyboards
T.S. Rose Desandies   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Chargaux   Strings
James Rodgers   Bass,Trombone,Trombone (Bass)
Travis Antoine   Trumpet
Mazim Bohichik   Director
Ronald Gilmore   Bass,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Paul Beauregard   Composer
Tenina Stevens   Composer
Andre Fischer   Composer
Jamali Carthorn   Composer
Mark Farner   Composer
Weldon Irvine   Composer
Brian Gardner   Mastering Engineer
James Van Heusen   Composer
Roy Hammond   Composer
David "Hawk" Wolinski   Composer
Yumi Matsutoya   Composer
Carlos Bess   Composer
Jeremy Cimino   Assistant Engineer
Public Domain   Producer
Jeff Gitelman   Composer
Willie Brown   Composer
Mayfield W. Small, Jr.   Composer
Johnny Burke   Composer
Brandt Jones   Composer
Earl Stevens   Composer
Deongelo Holmes   Composer
Nathaniel Alford   Engineer,Recording
Juro "Mez" Davis   Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
J. Cole   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Timothy Thomas   Composer
Brian Unger   Composer
Charles Simmons   Composer
Dewayne Williams   Composer
Jordan Houston   Composer
William Brown   Composer
Andre Thomas   Producer,Additional Production
Dwight Andrews   Composer
Darius Coleman   Composer
Kunihiko Murai   Composer
Warren Griffin III   Composer
Mark Pitts   Producer,Executive Producer
Eric Jackson   Composer
Marvin Whitemon   Composer
Deon Williams   Composer
Kathryn Frazier   Public Relations
Manzel Bush   Composer
Jack Mason   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Filippo Trecca   Composer
Darius Barnes   Composer,Producer
Andrew Wansel   Producer
DJ Dahi   Beats
Jermaine Cole   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Carl McCormick   Composer,Instrumentation
Sean Kellett   Assistant Engineer
Ron Gilmore   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Julius Garcia   A&R,Coordination
Jonathan Smith   Composer
Raphael Lee   Engineer,String Engineer,Assistant Engineer
JProof   Producer
Ramon Ibanga   Composer,Producer
Roc Nation   Producer,Executive Producer
Danielle Hollis   Composer
Anderson Hernandez   Composer,Producer
Vinylz   Additional Production
Adam Rodney   Creative Director
Ibrahim Hamad   A&R
April Pope   Product Manager
Calvin Price   Composer,Instrumentation
Anthony Blasko   Photography
Camille Mathews   Product Manager
Dreamville   Producer,Executive Producer
Felton Brown   Design,Art Direction,Graphic Design
Justin Thomas Kay   Design,Art Direction,Graphic Design
Mwango "MK" Kasote   A&R,Administration
Nelly Ortiz   Product Manager
Team Titans   Producer,Additional Production
Timothy "Nick Paradise" Thomas   Producer,Additional Production
William "Willie B." Brown   Composer,Producer
Danell Stevens   Composer
Pop Wansel   Producer
Mazim Bohichik   Editing,Video Editor,Video Director
Yasha Malekzad   Film Producer,Video Producer
Nate Alford   Engineer
Ronald Gilmore   Producer
David Wolinski   Composer