Did this write-up for my albums of the decade list:

“Triple platinum, no features” may be a stale meme about why J. Cole should be considered one of the greatest, but honestly it’s a real argument. Written and primarily produced by Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive is refreshing in both its story-telling and beat selection. Cole’s one-man-show never has a dull moment; he’s either revealing another part to himself or allowing another surprising instrumental to take center stage. The soul samples and cinematic piano interludes intertwined with heavy bass drum kicks sculpt Cole’s world as multi-dimensional. His home is his world on this record, getting personal about how he grew up with no role models and how he misses his “poorer” lifestyle. He even gets overly-personal on songs Wet Dreamz and G.O.M.D, but still sounds invulnerable. It becomes clear on the closer Note to Self, an album send-off reminiscent of Last Call from The College Dropout, how earnest and accomplished he feels. 2014 Forest Hills Drive will be cemented as one of the best modern hip hop albums, not because of the memes, but for the pure singularity.