J. Cole’s recently released KOD album has secured the rapper several wins: It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earned him three simultaneous song debuts in the Top 10, and also broke multiple streaming records. But if you think his current winning streak is confined to his latest album, think again.
Shortly after fans were blessed with KOD, Cole’s sophomore album, Born Sinner, returned to the Billboard 200 chart. It’s a pretty impressive feat considering the project came out nearly five years ago.
As pointed out by Chart Data, Born Sinner—currently at the No. 104 slot—spent 102 weeks on the 200 chart, peaking at No. 1. The the platinum-certified album preceded Cole’s featureless days, as it included singles like “Crooked Smile” with TLC, “Power Trip” featuring Miguel, and, of course, “Forbidden Fruit” assisted by Kendrick Lamar. Cole's following two efforts— 2014 Forest Hills Drive and 2016's 4 Your Eyez Only—sits at No. 33 and No. 72, respectively.
Born Sinner marked a big turning point in Cole’s musical direction, as he had shelved the basketball-themes of his previous mixtapes and debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.
“It was just time for something new. I wouldn't have minded doing it again but I felt that I closed that story,” Cole told MTV in 2013. “That metaphor and that storyline had really ended. Metaphorically I was just a kid working to get on this basketball team, got cut—that was The Come Up, then The Warm Up was like, alright I made the team, I'm on the team, now what? I'm not in the game, I'll just ride the end of the bench. Then Friday Night Lights was like ‘come on man, you're still not gonna put me in the game? What I gotta do? Here, I'm gonna kill it in practice.’”
While we wait for the KOD deluxe edition to drop, you can revisit the original version on all major streaming services.
