8 Things You Didn’t Know About J. Cole’s ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’

In 2013, while on the European leg of his What Dreams May Come tour, J. Cole had an epiphany that would inspire the best album of his career.

In his Inevitable audio series, Cole talked about how lost he felt during that period. It was months after the release of Born Sinner—an album that had been successful—but he was beginning to grapple with the pressures and pitfalls that come with being a popular rapper.

It was while he was on tour that he realized his next album would align with the address of his first family home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. (Also, because the next year was going to be 2014.) He wanted to go home on this album—literally in the album cover and figuratively with its content. 2014 Forest Hills Drive would be an album where Cole takes listeners on his journey from adolescence to stardom and the realization that the most important thing is staying grounded and loving yours.

J. Cole’s third solo album dropped on Dec. 9, and despite not having an over-the-top rollout, it became his highest-performing project at the time, selling 353,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was received rapturously by Cole’s core fanbase and rap fans at large, and notably became one of the first rap albums to go platinum without any features.

With the 2014 Forest Hills Drive celebrating its 10-year anniversary today, here are eight things you didn’t know about J. Cole’s magnum opus.