Following the leak of his latest album 2014 Forest Hills Drive yesterday, J. Cole has shared a video for the opening track "Intro." The clip shows Cole riding around New York City on his bike, reflecting on how his life was much simpler back when money and success were just a dreams. The contemplative track features calming piano, jazzy horns, and Cole's soulful crooning. It's good to see the Fayetteville rapper hasn't let fame go to his head.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is officially slated for release 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.
The 13-track effort features the track "Fire Squad," which has been making headlines due to calling out Eminem, Justin Timberlake,Macklemore, and Iggy Azalea for appropriating black culture. It also warns challengers that they can't compete with him lyrically.
Cole also recently dropped a new mini-doc in anticipation of the new album and also gave a virtual a tour of the childhood home where his rap career began.
The new album isn't all Cole apparently has in the works, however. The Roc Nation rapper gave fans a sneak peek of his iTunes library in a photo posted to Instagram, revealing that he already has songs recorded for his EP series Truly Yours and a sequel to Dreamville's last mixtape titled Revenge of The Dreamers. The photo is also starting rumors of potential Chance the Rapper and Wale collaborations, stemming from playlists titled "wale" and "a cole chance."
Check out the video for "Intro" below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
