J Cole is closing out his 2024 with a big bang, as he released two deluxe physical versions of his 2014 classic 2014 Forest Hills Drive for its ten-year anniversary. Both of them contain four bonus tracks each, and the blue variant arrived at select fans’ doorsteps this weekend. From what people with that exclusive sneak peek have said, they are very compelling storytelling tracks that show off the North Carolina rapper’s incredible skills. These tracks are “Die Together” – which some fans think parallels the theme of 4 Your Eyez Only – “Home Soon,” “Judgement Day,” and “Winter Wonderland.” As for the tracks on the other version, they are “Keep Heaven Dancing,” “Miles,” “Black Man In Hollywood,” and “Obviously.”
Hopefully they all land on streaming services soon, as we’re very excited to hear what else J. Cole had in the vault for the 2014 Forest Hills Drive era. But this isn’t all that he did to treat fans at the end of 2024, as he also released his mixtapes on streaming for the first time late this year. Specifically, fans can now enjoy The Come-Up Mixtape Vol. 1, The Warm-Up, and Friday Night Lights on their preferred DSP.
J Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive Deluxe Is Starting To Arrive
In addition, J. Cole launched his Inevitable audio series in which he goes over his career with his manager and Dreamville cofounder, Ibrahim Hamad. Their most recent episode had Cole talking about Kendrick Lamar‘s good kid, m.A.A.d. city and the pressure and inspiration it provoked in him when it released. “When Kendrick’s album dropped, the journey got harder, the mountain got steeper. Because similar to when [So Far Gone] dropped, where it was like, ‘Oh s**t, there’s another person out there that has the same ambitions as me,’ it happened like that with Kendrick.”
Not only that, but J. Cole even played some unreleased collabs with Kendrick Lamar during select Inevitable episodes, which fans obviously loved to hear. While their relationship is complex these days, all that admiration, care, respect, and collaboration balances all that out. In any case, we can’t wait to check out these bonus 2014 Forest Hills Drive tracks and see what Cole’s got in store next year.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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