• Taylor Swift Continues Reign on 'Billboard' 200 with '1989'; Nicki Minaj's 'Pinkprint' Hits No. 2

    Taylor Swift's "1989" moved back into the No. 1 spot on the "Billboard" 200, bringing its total, nonconsecutive weeks at the top to six. It sold 375,000 copies last week, bringing the total for the year to 3.34 million. The record is on pace to overtake the "Frozen" soundtrack, which sold 3.46 million so far. Nicki Minaj's "The Pinkprint" sits comfortably at the No. 2 spot, "Billboard" notes. Swift is tied with Mariah Carey for total weeks at No. 1 with 30. Only one other woman has them beat with 46: Whitney Houston. The Beatles are still in first for all artists with 132 weeks at No. 1. Pentatonix has the No. 3 spot with "That's Christmas to Me." Minaj was able to crack the top 10 recently, and D'Angelo's new "Black Messiah" hit No. 5. "The Pinkprint" did not perform as well as the artist's previous effort "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded." The former sold 244,000 in its first week while the latter hit 253,000 — it also debuted at No. 1.

  • J. Cole '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Gold in 2nd Week

    The holiday buying season has been kind to J. Cole. It has been so kind that he just received a large delivery of gold to his doorstep. That gold comes in the form of an RIAA-certified gold record, which reportedly is for his new, critically acclaimed album "2014 Forest Hills Drive." Last week, his album sold 371,000 copies and earned him the No. 1 spot on the charts, the third consecutive time he has done that. Second-week sales reportedly have dropped to 135,000, which is the fourth highest for the week and earns him his third gold record at more than 500,000 albums sold. The album sales include equivalents from album streams.

  • J. Cole Performs Ferguson Protest Song 'Be Free' on 'David Letterman'

    J. Cole released his third studio album, "2014 Forest Hills Drive," Tuesday, Dec. 9, and went on the "Late Show with David Letterman" to perform "Be Free," which is not on the album. Cole's commentary on Ferguson and tribute to Michael Brown, he used the stage to make his voice heard on the current issues facing the African-American community. His performance captured the sentimentality of "Be Free," as Cole delivered each word with poise and emotion. A simple performance with little fanfare, Cole stood on stage moving little but still showed his time-tested charisma, while a keyboardist played the simple and moving instrumental in the background, reported "Complex." He even wrote a new verse for the occasion and elicited a positive reaction from Letterman, who invited him back anytime. "Be Free" has been the No. 1 trending song, according to "Billboard," since it came out. Cole has been one of the few artists who have been using his status to protest the grand jury decisions in Ferguson and New York City, writing a song and going out on the streets and protesting.

  • J. Cole's '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Set To Be Third Consecutive No. 1

    Even with very little promotion around the album, J Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive has been the talk of the music industry over the past couple weeks. How Cole is able to authentically reconnect with his childhood and tell a nostalgic story of his past has resonated with fans new and old for what could be his greatest work to date. That critical acclaim and buzz is translating into sales, according to a report from Billboard. According to industry forecasters, Cole could sell over 300,000 copies of 2014 Forest Hills Drive in the first week. This would catapult him to the top of the overall album charts.

  • J. Cole Doesn't Disappoint With New Album '2014 Forest Hills Drive' [ROUND-UP REVIEW]

    Last month, J. Cole officially announced the iTunes preorder for his "2014 Forest Hills Drive" album and fans had been anticipating its release ever since. The album ended up leaking before its official release and fans contemplated whether or not to listen early. Buzz surrounding a track called "Fire Squad," where Cole calls out Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore and Iggy Azalea for appropriating black culture, made the album hard to resist. Whether fans decided to take a listen early or wait for the official drop, all can agree the North Carolina rapper did not disappoint. It has been reported that the album may have the biggest hip-hop sales week of the year.

  • J. Cole Shares 'Apparently' Music Vid [WATCH]

    J. Cole officially released his third artist album "2014 Forest Hills Drive" yesterday, Dec. 9. Though the album leaked last week, the full retrospective look into the "Fire Squad" is now available to all. He has released the music video for the 11th track on the album, titled "Apparently." Cole takes a more minimalistic approach to his video: Instead of bringing out nice cars and scantily dressed women, he kept with the down-to-earth and grounded theme of the album that focuses on family and his childhood, via "Complex." Cole keeps the personal theme of the album and the track in the video, rapping in front of grainy projections of home movies taken at his childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, at 2014 Forest Hills Drive. It remains minimal with a small lighting fixture standing in for a chorus before Cole returns to his projector background of abstract imagery, similar to an iTunes visualizer. The first verse from "Apparently" hits home right away with Cole's theme of family and the home he grew up in:

  • J. Cole Talks Rough Childhood On '2014 Forest Hills Drive'

    Rap heads know the story of 2014 Forest Drive by now. It's the house J. Cole grew up in as a teenager in Fayetteville, N.C., and the one he just re-purchased this summer. But the 29-year-old rapper recently offered up some interesting new details from his upbringing.

  • J. Cole Eminem Diss: Trick Trick Responds To 'Fire Squad'

    It was the diss heard 'round the rap community last week when J. Cole's "Fire Squad" leaked to the public. The new cut calls out Justin Timberlake, Iggy Azalea, Eminem and Macklemore for making careers in primarily black genres.
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