Even though Cole is widely considered a legend, those who failed to connect with his first no-features effort might struggle to elevate its status to classic. It’s for that reason 2014 Forest Hills Drive elicits somewhat of a divisive response. In the same way nostalgia functions in Cole’s own writing, fans have come to associate the project with formative lifestyle events, thick with that longing so often associated with the “coming of age.” Memories were made to this album, many of them seeming to enhance the listening process itself. For many who consider the project to be a classic, especially in the context of this past decade, a perusal through a variety of online forums reveals a notable truth. Even with no features, 2014 Forest Hills Drive ultimately went platinum two years removed from its release today, it sits pretty at triple plat. Mainly, the connection he strove to build between himself and his fans, who returned the favor by showing up in droves. Like the same prophet he once deemed lost, Cole’s masterstroke arrived by way of connection. “No Role Modelz” found Cole exploring his past and present selves, culminating in the hardest-hitting dose of mainstream conscious rap since Kanye West’s College Dropout. “Wet Dreamz” served as both a window into an unexplored topic and a moment of comedic relief, although some might be quick to cry “oversharing.” “G.O.M.D.” revealed the technical skillset that foreshadowed the legendary feature run of 18’, while the minimalist backdrop of “January 28th” proved the power of words could move the masses. Songs like “A Tale Of Two Citiez” captured Cole at his hungriest, offerings for the thrillseekers. Forest Hills Drive feels like an immensely personal album, one wherein we can watch carefully curated scenes unfold from angles of Cole’s choosing. One who still valued the importance of narrative structure, deftly blurring the lines between autobiographical honesty and heightened conceptuality. As such, Cole stood emblematic of a nostalgic era, a modern-day boom-bap icon. Vain wishes for a shapeless formless return to “real hip-hop” were uttered, and the shifting musical landscape had yet to land on a favored sound. At least on a creative level.Ĭonsider that the aura cast by Nas and Jay-Z’s respective declarations that hip-hop and autotune were both laid to rest still lingered.
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The idea he came to represent manifested in full on Forest Hills Drive, perhaps for the first time in his budding career. It’s what helped him resonate so strongly as a public figure, even when he seemed to deviate from his own principles. Cole, publicity through antics was never a question. As the track progressed, it became clear that his words and delivery were as important as his hooks, if not more so. As a result, his third album was void of any major radio hit even the project’s lead single "Apparently" was risk-taking in a sense, with Cole flexing his melodic chops over his a purist’s production. Moving away from some of the more commercialized sounds that plagued his prior albums, Cole embraced the qualities of his comfort zone. With that in mind, Forest Hills Drive made for a pivotal project in his discography, a chance to establish himself further with an undeniable artistic tour-de-force - one penned entirely on the solo front, at that. Oft positioned alongside Kendrick Lamar and Drake as a generational trifecta, Cole found himself looking more and more like a cult hero. Despite grappling with label-led image uncertainty or the pesky narrative of having “boring” content, the North Carolina lyricist remained secure in his spot as a new school great, a bastion of hope that bars could retain their prominence on a mainstream stage. The third studio album from the self-proclaimed “Middle Child,” Cole’s acclaimed project arrived on the heels of a divisive effort in Born Sinner that’s not to say the project was weak, but many felt it didn’t live up to Cole’s massive artistic potential. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive celebrates its fifth birthday today, it’s time to reflect on whether this truly is the “classic with no features.” Sometimes, an album’s quality is so contested at the moment that a foregone conclusion can only arrive with time’s passage. Others are studied and analyzed with a more scrutinous eye, held to a standard set by the aforementioned albums and their ilk. Some are as immediate as they are undeniable, like DMX’s It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot or Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The 36 Chambers. And yet not every classic is created equal. For the most part, one is enough to clinch a spot in the hierarchy. Does he or she have a classic under his or her belt? More than one is an added bonus. In matters of GOAT discussion, a hip-hop artist is, perhaps unfairly, often held to simple criteria. Cole's third album celebrates five years.
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