Hollywood & Entertainment J. Cole Proves His Legendary Status As He Reaches A Historic Milestone

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J. Cole Proves His Legendary Status As He Reaches A Historic Milestone

Hugh McIntyre

Senior Contributor

Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.

Dec 2, 2024,09:30am EST

2023 Dreamville Music Festival

J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive is one of only a [+]

few hip-hop albums to spend 10 years, or exactly 520 weeks, on the Billboard 200. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 02: J. Cole performs during the 2023 Dreamville Music festival at Dorothea Dix Park on April 02, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

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J. Cole has reigned as one of the biggest names in hip-hop for more than a decade now. He immediately made himself known to the world with his debut project, Cole World: The Sideline Story, which dropped in 2011, but it wasn’t until a few years later when he hit what some would call his artistic stride.

2014 Forest Hills Drive changed public perception of the rapper, and it made him not just a hitmaker, but a powerhouse artist and creative. In the years since that title arrived, Cole’s star has continued to rise, and even as fans continue to listen to everything he releases, they haven’t forgotten about the 2014 project.

This week, 2014 Forest Hills Drive joins a very exclusive club in the U.S. The title has now lived on the Billboard 200 for 520 frames, or exactly 10 years. That’s a rare accomplishment, especially for hip-hop musicians, and Cole is surely celebrating the incredible staying power of what may be his most famous full-length.

There are likely only a few dozen albums that have racked up at least 520 stays on the Billboard 200. That grouping includes only a handful of hip-hop musicians and their collections, as the majority of projects that hit that mark are classified as either pop or rock.

Cole joins rappers like Eminem (Curtain Call: The Hits, 711 weeks), Kendrick Lamar (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, 630), Drake (Take Care, 612), and 2Pac (Greatest Hits, 549), who have all already entered the 520-frame club. Some of the biggest non-rap artists who have done the same include Fleetwood Mac, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Metallica, and Michael Jackson, among others.

This week, 2014 Forest Hills Drive slips a few spots on the Billboard 200. The title tumbles from No. 119 to No. 126, but that’s still a notable placement for a decade-old studio effort.

2014 Forest Hills Drive moved another 11,000 equivalent units in the past tracking frame, according to music industry data tracker Luminate. Just 550 of those were pure purchases, as Cole’s powerful project is still a huge stream generator.

Cole launched 2014 Forest Hills Drive at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in late 2014. It gave the rapper his third champion on the tally, and it wouldn’t be his last. He’d go on to add three more rulers, and he’s also snagged another top 10 full-length as well.

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Hugh McIntyre

Hugh McIntyre is a reporter who covers the music industry, with a particular focus on charts… Read More

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