J. Cole's Projects, Ranked Worst to Best

Image via Complex Original

Released: 2007

It always feels a little unfair to compare an artist’s debut mixtape with the rest of their discography. We all know that J. Cole went on to make much more refined projects than The Come Up throughout the rest of his career, and he was still figuring out his sound and sharpening his skills when he made this on a tiny budget in his early 20s. That being said, it still has its moments and remains a fun listen (especially for hardcore Cole fans) to this day. True to its title, The Come Up is raw and aspirational. Looking back on it now, you can see how he was planting the seeds for what was to come, even if he hadn’t quite pulled all the pieces together yet. —Eric Skelton

Released: 2013

(Note: For the purposes of this list, we’ve combined these two EPs as one project.) In the second year of awaiting his sophomore album, Born Sinner, and only months before its release, J. Cole fans received two free EPs: Truly Yours 1 in February and Truly Yours 2 in April. When Cole dropped the first one, he penned a letter, explaining that while working on his second album he “recorded at least 4 albums worth of material.” And while some of those songs didn’t make the cut for the album, he wanted the music to be released because the people “deserved” it. Both EPs are largely produced by Cole himself, and there are a handful of standout tracks, including “Can I Holla At Ya,” “Tears for ODB,” and “To Zion” on Truly Yours 1. On the intro of Truly Yours 2, Cole raps, “This right here is not a preview of what the album goin’ to bring you,’’ reminding us that these tracks were simply the crumbs of a gourmet forthcoming album. Overall, it was a palette-cleanser, highlighted by a few gems that still hold value to this day. —Ayaa Mesbah

Released: 2011

Major label debut studio albums are tricky. By the time he made Cole World: The Sideline Story, J. Cole had all the buzz in the world following three successful mixtapes. He had the money, resources, and relationships to take everything to a higher level and establish himself as a true superstar. Along with those blessings, though, came higher expectations and new benchmarks for success. How would he translate the magic of his mixtapes to a big-budget album with radio-minded singles? Well, he did OK. Many (including Nas) were disappointed with glossy records like “Work Out,” and felt Cole could have done a better job staying true to himself. Others were disappointed by the result of his first link-up with Jay-Z on “Mr Nice Watch.” But that disappointment doesn’t carry throughout the whole album. Sideline Story has plenty of worthwhile moments, and it accomplished its goal of stamping Cole’s place in the game (the album debuted at No. 1 and brought in plenty of new fans). Cole would figure out how to make more authentic and seamless major label albums later in his career, and Sideline Story was a learning experience in a lot of ways, but if you go back and listen to it now, you might be surprised with how many great songs are on here. —Eric Skelton

Released: 2016

4 Your Eyez Only covers a lot of ground for Cole. There’s rumination on death that introduces itself on “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and latches onto tracks like “Ville Mentality” and the outro “4 Your Eyez Only.” It also offers a window into his life trajectory at the time, becoming a husband and father. Later, he recounts the experience of a SWAT team house raid that occurred on one of his properties on “Neighbors,” the best track on the album. To drive home the point, he also dropped security camera footage of the raid as the official music video, and heavily incorporated it in his later tour. Overall, 4 Your Eyez Only presented a glimpse into Cole’s headspace at the time, bundled into a relatively understated project. —Ayaa Mesbah

Released: 2009

The Warm Up is one of Cole’s more apropos titles. The 22-track tape marks the moment that he went from another fledgling artist in a crowded New York scene to a Roc Nation signee off the strength of “Lights Please,” regarded as a mixtape standout. On the surface, it was a song about lust in a romantic connotation, but others have correctly interpreted the “she” and “hers” as personifications of the rap game. So, when he rhymes about the pride from “killin’ that shit,” it was just a self-fulfilling prophecy. He showed off a little bit of everything on The Warm Up, getting introspective on “Grown Simba,” talking about a crush on “Dreams,” and expressing how both a romantic dalliance and the streets of Fayetteville had him “Losing My Balance.” Though there were still some kinks to work out with his wordplay, his honesty and storytelling ability was promising enough for this to fit around the middle of his discography. —Andre Gee

Released: 2018

During a period in which many young rap listeners were watching their favorite artists battle mental health concerns and drug abuse, J. Cole’s KOD wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects—the intoxicating highs and depressive lows of drugs, fame, and love. Yes, at times Cole can come off a bit preachy, as if he’s a father figure who is heavily critical of a lean-fueled rap culture obsessed with material wealth. But in reality, Cole is offering a hand of support. Known as a conscious rapper of the new generation, he finds himself leaning more into current rap trends. Using catchy hooks and uptempo beats, he’s able to speak to the younger generation on their own terms, with hopes of giving them the tools to change their own realities. Some didn’t ask J. Cole to play hero, but KOD came at the right time. —Jessica McKinney

Released: 2013

Born Sinner may not be as consistent as some of J. Cole’s later work, but at its best, the rapper’s second studio album showcases his knack for lyricism and incredibly sharp ear for production. Its standout tracks, “Power Trip,” “Crooked Smile,” “Let Nas Down,” and “Forbidden Fruit” (featuring a young Kendrick Lamar), reveal a shy confidence and intense appreciation for rap’s history as Cole pays homage to the legends that came before him, while introducing his own spin on the genre. Born Sinner’s biggest fault may be that Cole struggles to find a balance between the demand of mainstream radio and his own personal direction. But still, Cole makes an earnest effort. For an album that debuted on the same day as Kanye’s Yeezus, J. Cole made a big splash. After coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week, it quickly beat Kanye for the top slot in its third week. Not bad for a newcomer. —Jessica McKinney

Released: 2010

“What good is being ‘the one’ if you the only one that knows it,” Cole toils on the intro to his third mixtape, Friday Night Lights. Acting as the prelude to his delayed debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole came into this project with everything to prove. Friday Night Lights marks the true beginning of his ascent to rap Mt. Olympus—a lyrical exercise of the gutsiest kind. Laced with soulful beats, the Carolina rapper leaves no stone unturned. Similar to the television show of the same name, Cole was still navigating the massive world that lies beyond the confines of Fayetteville, North Carolina at the time. On “Before I’m Gone,” he speaks about making it out the hood, then circles back and promises he’ll make sure others can too on “Home For The Holidays.” He ponders the effects of materialism on his psyche with “Cost Me A Lot,” while simultaneously lulling listeners into a lovestruck stupor on “In The Morning” with Drake. And using a skill he’d refine later, Cole injects Friday Night Lights with bar-centric bangers to balance his narrative ballads about grinding from rags to riches. 

Friday Night Lights could have just been a smooth resignation of loosies to hold fans over until the studio album arrived. But instead, Cole put his pregame jitters to wax and weaved his late-night anxieties into one of his most comprehensive projects to date. Closing with a lyrical steel cage match against the GOOD Music posse of Kanye West, Pusha T, CyHi, and Big Sean on “Looking For Trouble,” he proved that his late nights in the gym had paid off and put the doubters to bed about being able to perform on a grander stage. It’s ironic that his debut studio album couldn’t live up to the hype that Friday Night Lights generated, but over a decade later, this mixtape still stands as one of J. Cole’s best projects. —Jordan Rose

Released: 2021

As I’ve said before about The Off-Season, “the creative focus is the creative focus” on the album. At 36, Cole was staring at attrition in the face. He was at the stage when so many rap vets so-called “fell off” with projects that threw their fanbase for a loop. True to his ethos, he acknowledged the possibility of “The Fall Off” and got candid about it on a project full of some of his best rapping exhibitions in years. The 12-track project is a prolonged stream-of-consciousness, chock full of reflections, breakthroughs, and yes, admissions of fights with rap legends like Diddy on “let go my hand.” He also invited guests like Lil Baby (“pride is the devil”), 21 Savage (“my life”), and Bas (multiple tracks) to show up and represent. And Cam’ron helped introduce the ceremonies on “95 south,” but he mostly kept it a solo display of his reinvigorated pen over soulful production. The Off-Season is one of Cole’s most impressive, cohesive bodies of work, where he mostly forgoes sanctimony and finger-wagging to give us a thoughtful glimpse of his life and times. —Andre Gee

Released: 2014

Grappling with his new reality of being in La La Land, Cole decided to go home on his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, and took listeners down memory lane to the critical moments in his life that shaped him. On his earlier projects, he was a young, scrappy MC probing the rap game and trying to find his place in it, before brazenly demanding the throne. But Forest Hills Drive is different—that’s where he began questioning whether the spoils of rap fame were worth the costs of gaining them.

Produced mainly by Cole, the album finds him reflecting on the dangers of the home he left on “A Tale of 2 Citiez,” while acknowledging on “‘03 Adolescence” how the city’s trappings swallow many of its most hopeful. He laments over wanting to “go back to Jermaine” and be himself again, not just his rap moniker on “GOMD,” and questions the validity of the rap industry and its award systems on “Fire Squad.” Even the heavily clowned “Wet Dreamz” bangs sonically and tells an innocent, albeit awkward, story of a young Jermaine trying to navigate his budding adolescence. Every song on the album has its own narrative purpose, building upon a larger theme of trying to get back home, wherever that home might be. It’s a concept album that constantly finds the Carolina rapper looking inwards, and using what he finds to understand the changing world around him. This story, coupled with elite lyricism and beat selection, makes for a project that reflects the ultimate price of becoming a champion. Cole made it, but at what cost?

While some might call 2014 Forest Hills Drive J. Cole’s best album because it went double platinum without any features, it’s deeper than that. Cole is really rapping here, tapping into his most mature pockets to that point. And despite the “no features” meme that paints him as an isolated solo artist, Cole acknowledges that he didn’t reach these heights alone, making sure to spend upwards of 10 minutes saying on “Note to Self” thanking the instrumentalist, Dreamville family, his mom, and everyone in between for helping him put this album together. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is honest, self-critical, and as well-crafted as concept albums come. It’s his best album (so far). —Jordan Rose