Last month, J. Cole announced that his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, would be released on Dec. 9. The album is named after the last home he lived in as a child in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. No singles or videos were planned to precede the release. Instead, his promotional strategy was more personal. First he surprised one lucky fan at his Dallas home to play the album for him, and then Cole hosted listening sessions for fans at his own home. Although the official release isn't until next week, 2014 Forest Hills Drives has leaked online.
The BoomBox gave the leak a listen and said the 13-track effort "is filled with the rapper's usual brand of solid lyrical content over melodic beats."
"The album opens with a raspy-voiced Cole singing about some of life's big questions," they wrote, 'then it immediately launches into 'January 28th,' a laid-back cut where the 28-year-old rhymes about his skill level, childhood friends and his creative process. On the tune, '03 Adolescence,' he talks about growing up in Fayetteville, N.C., and desperately trying to get the attention of a girl he pines for."
The song "Fire Squad" has also been making headlines following the leak. The cut calls out Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore, and Iggy Azalea for appropriating black culture. It also warns challengers that they can't compete with him lyrically.
When the news of the leak hit, fans were divided on their opinions. Some people were thrilled to finally hear the album, while others promised to stay loyal to Cole and wait to buy the album when it officially drops.
"J. Cole worked too hard on his album for it to leak, but I'm fronting cause I already downloaded it,' one fan admitted on Twitter.
"Usually I'm all for it, but whoever got the leak from J. Cole new album is really taking a moment from hip-hp. The specialness of it man," tweeted another.
What do you think? Is it wrong to listen to the album ahead of its official release? Does that make you less of a fan? Is it okay as long as you ultimately buy the record? Sound off in the comments section below! (If you're okay with listening early, you can do so here).
