In honor of one of the greatest rappers of all-time, J. Cole, we decided to give you our top 5 albums by the North Carolina rapper.

TOP 5

HONORABLE MENTION. REVENGE OF THE DREAMERS III

These last couple of years, J. Cole appears to be more involved in cultivating his label, Dreamville records — under which he’s signed some great talent — instead of focusing on his own projects.

As much as J. Cole fans would love a new project from him, they cannot deny that he’s doing a bang up job so far with Dreamville. If you haven’t heard Revenge Of The Dreamers III, definitely give it a listen, you might find one or two of your favorite artists lurking.

5. KOD

“KOD” is the album that shares J. Cole’s feelings about the evolution of life.

in KOD, Cole speaks about the ways our understandings of love and money have changed, in addition to the way we’ve gotten used to instant satisfaction as the world has become more digitized. He demonstrated his raw musical talent by packaging his message in a digestible form that could be enjoyed by everyone.

4. 4 YOUR EYEZ ONLY

J. Cole’s fourth album was the shortest out of his first five albums but he by no means skimped in terms of the content.

In only 10 tracks, J. Cole was able to create an intricate story with songs that warmed the heart, fed the soul, and caressed the ears. There’s a track for every mood in the book on 4 Your Eyez Only.

3. COLE WORLD: THE SIDELINE STORY

J. Cole broke out onto the music scene with “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” fully intending to make his mark, and guess what, he did exactly that!

Cole was able to cement his place as one of the most influential rap artists of the 21st century with Cole World: The Sideline Story (Yes, you read that right). Not to mention that his feature list would be wicked for anyone’s album… I mean, Drake, Missy Elliot, Jay-Z… Come on, this man deserves his props!

2. BORN SINNER

Yes, the infamous album with two artworks has entered the chat.

Since Born Sinner is J. Cole’s second studio album, he sounds more comfortable, more fearless, cockier, and more agitated on it. In this album, you can tell that the Fayetteville rapper wanted to start lapping folks in his field.

1. 2014 FOREST HILL DRIVE

This album is where we all could feel like we grew up with J. Cole. It didn’t matter how old we were or that he was 29 when it dropped.

The imagery Cole used in songs like “Wet Dreamz” and “03′ Adolescence” brought us back to the first time that we experienced those emotions. All in all, the youthful vibes this album boasts should connect with you mightily.

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Sachael Carter

Saschael is a Brooklyn native, and currently a senior English major at Howard University. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, baking, being in nature and writing short stories and novels.