Complete List Of J. Cole Albums And Discography

Feature Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole’s major-label debut, landed on September 27, 2011, entering the Billboard 200 at number one with 218,000 copies sold in its opening week. Singles from the project included “Work Out,” “Can’t Get Enough” featuring Trey Songz, and “Nobody’s Perfect” featuring Missy Elliott. His sophomore effort, Born Sinner, came in June 2013 and moved 297,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200, edged out by Kanye West’s Yeezus, a release Cole had deliberately scheduled his album against. That record introduced singles including “Power Trip” featuring Miguel, “Crooked Smile” featuring TLC, “Forbidden Fruit” featuring Kendrick Lamar, and “She Knows.”

With his third album, Cole made a clear statement about artistic independence. 2014 Forest Hills Drive, named for his childhood address in Fayetteville, arrived in December 2014 without a conventional lead single and with almost no traditional promotion. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 anyway, moving 353,000 copies in its first week on the strength of an audience Cole had built entirely on his own terms. Promotional tracks included “Apparently,” “Wet Dreamz,” “No Role Modelz,” and “Love Yourz.” The project took home Top Rap Album at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

4 Your Eyez Only opened at number one on the Billboard 200 in December 2016 with 492,000 album-equivalent units. All ten tracks landed simultaneously in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, with “Deja Vu” arriving at number seven despite never being formally serviced to radio. Cole totaled twelve simultaneous Hot 100 entries that week. KOD followed in April 2018, setting an Apple Music single-day streaming record with 64.5 million U.S. plays, surpassing Drake’s previous benchmark. The title carried three meanings Cole stated publicly: Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed, and Kill Our Demons. It debuted at number one with 397,000 album-equivalent units and made Cole the first artist in chart history to simultaneously place three separate tracks in the top ten of the Hot 100 at launch, with “ATM” at six, “Kevin’s Heart” at eight, and “KOD” at ten.

The Off-Season arrived in May 2021, also debuting at number one with 282,000 album-equivalent units and placing five songs in the top ten of the Hot 100, led by “My Life” featuring 21 Savage and Morray at number two. A guest appearance on Drake’s “First Person Shooter” in 2023 gave Cole his first career number one on the Hot 100. His seventh and final studio album, The Fall-Off, featuring Burna Boy, Erykah Badu, Future, Morray, Petey Pablo, PJ, and Tems, arrived on February 6, 2026.

Over the course of his career, Cole has earned two Grammy trophies from seventeen total nominations, with his first Grammy coming at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, where “A Lot” with 21 Savage took Best Rap Song. His additional honors include a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Album, eight BET Hip Hop Awards, and three Soul Train Music Awards. Every studio album he has released, along with the Dreamville compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III, carries platinum certification from the RIAA.

Cole handles the vast majority of his own production and has contributed behind the boards to work by Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Young Thug, Wale, and Mac Miller. He is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. In early 2007, he and his longtime manager Ibrahim Hamad launched Dreamville Records together, a label now distributed by Interscope Records with a roster that includes JID, Ari Lennox, Bas, EarthGang, Cozz, and Lute. The Dreamville compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2019 and landed a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album that same year.

Cole World: The Sideline Story

J. Cole’s Cole World: The Sideline Story was released on September 27, 2011. This was the debut studio album of his career. The album was recorded in 2007 and from 2009 through 2011. It was released through Roc Nation, Columbia, and Sony. The album featured guest appearances by Trey Songz, Drake, Jay-Z, and Missy Elliott. Four singles were released from the album, “Work Out,” “Can’t Get Enough,” “Mr. Nice Watch,” and “Nobody’s Perfect.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum.

Released September 27, 2011

CD Track Listings:

“Intro” – 1:22
“Dollar and a Dream III” – 4:43
“Can’t Get Enough” – 3:45
“Lights Please” – 3:28
“Interlude” – 1:39
“Sideline Story” – 3:57
“Mr. Nice Watch” – 3:59
“Cole World” – 3:04
“In the Morning” – 3:54
“Lost Ones” – 4:23
“Nobody’s Perfect” – 3:10
“Never Told” – 3:31
“Rise and Shine” – 4:34
“God’s Gift” – 3:32
“Breakdown” – 4:50
“Work Out” – 3:54

Born Sinner

Released June 18, 2013

J. Cole’s Born Sinner was released on June 18, 2013. This was the second studio album of his career. The album was recorded between 2012 and 2013 and released through Roc Nation, Dreamville, and Columbia Records. The album featured guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, TLC, Miguel, Amber Coffman, and 50 Cent. The singles released from the album included “Power Trip,” “Crooked Smile,” “Forbidden Fruit,” and “She Knows.” The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 before later reaching number one and was certified platinum.

CD Track Listings:

“Villuminati” – 5:06
“Kerney Sermon (Skit)” – 0:48
“Land of the Snakes” – 4:14
“Power Trip” – 4:01
“Mo Money (Interlude)” – 1:12
“Trouble” – 4:19
“Runaway” – 4:36
“She Knows” – 4:56
“Rich Niggaz” – 4:31
“Where’s Jermaine? (Skit)” – 0:53
“Forbidden Fruit” – 4:39
“Chaining Day” – 4:35
“Ain’t That Some Shit (Interlude)” – 1:15
“Crooked Smile” – 4:38
“Let Nas Down” – 4:37
“Born Sinner” – 3:29

2014 Forest Hills Drive

Released December 9, 2014

J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive was released on December 9, 2014. This was the third studio album of his career. The album was recorded in 2014 and released through Roc Nation, Dreamville, and Columbia Records. The project featured no guest appearances, placing full focus on J. Cole’s writing and performance. The singles released from the album included “Apparently,” “Wet Dreamz,” “No Role Modelz,” and “Love Yourz.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified multi-platinum.

CD Track Listings:

“Intro” – 2:09
“January 28th” – 4:02
“Wet Dreamz” – 3:59
“03’ Adolescence” – 4:24
“A Tale of 2 Citiez” – 4:29
“Fire Squad” – 4:48
“St. Tropez” – 4:17
“G.O.M.D.” – 5:01
“No Role Modelz” – 4:52
“Hello” – 3:39
“Apparently” – 4:53
“Love Yourz” – 3:31
“Note to Self” – 14:35

4 Your Eyez Only

Released December 9, 2016

J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only was released on December 9, 2016. This was the fourth studio album of his career. The album was recorded between 2015 and 2016 and released through Roc Nation, Dreamville, and Interscope Records. Like his previous album, the project featured no guest appearances, maintaining a focused and personal narrative style. The album included the single “Deja Vu.” It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum.

CD Track Listings:

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” – 2:08
“Immortal” – 3:20
“Deja Vu” – 4:25
“Ville Mentality” – 3:14
“She’s Mine Pt. 1” – 3:29
“Change” – 5:31
“Neighbors” – 3:36
“Foldin Clothes” – 5:17
“She’s Mine Pt. 2” – 4:40
“4 Your Eyez Only” – 8:50

KOD

Released April 20, 2018

J. Cole’s KOD was released on April 20, 2018. This was the fifth studio album of his career. The album was recorded between 2017 and 2018 and released through Roc Nation, Dreamville, and Interscope Records. The project featured minimal guest appearances, with vocals from Kill Edward, an alter ego of J. Cole. The album’s title carries multiple meanings, including Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed, and Kill Our Demons. The singles released from the album included “ATM” and “Kevin’s Heart.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum.

CD Track Listings:

“Intro” – 1:42
“KOD” – 3:11
“Photograph” – 3:28
“The Cut Off” – 3:58
“ATM” – 4:36
“Motiv8” – 2:13
“Kevin’s Heart” – 3:46
“BRACKETS” – 5:14
“Once an Addict (Interlude)” – 3:16
“FRIENDS” – 5:19
“Window Pain (Outro)” – 4:13
“1985 (Intro to ‘The Fall Off’)” – 3:10

The Off-Season

Released May 14, 2021

J. Cole’s The Off-Season was released on May 14, 2021. This was the sixth studio album of his career. The album was recorded between 2020 and 2021 and released through Roc Nation, Dreamville, and Interscope Records. The project featured guest appearances from 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Bas, 6LACK, and Morray. The singles released from the album included “Middle Child,” “The Climb Back,” and “Lion King on Ice.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum.

CD Track Listings:

“95 South” – 3:17
“Amari” – 2:28
“My Life” – 3:38
“Applying Pressure” – 2:57
“Punchin’ the Clock” – 1:52
“100 Mil’” – 2:53
“Pride Is the Devil” – 3:35
“Let Go My Hand” – 4:15
“Interlude” – 2:29
“The Climb Back” – 5:06
“Close” – 3:32
“Hunger on Hillside” – 3:58

The Fall-Off

Released February 6, 2026

J. Cole’s The Fall-Off was released on February 6, 2026. This was the seventh studio album of his career. The album was recorded from 2016 through around 2026 and released through Dreamville and Interscope Records. It was issued as a double album built around two discs. The album featured guest appearances from Burna Boy, Erykah Badu, Future, Morray, Petey Pablo, PJ, and Tems. The single released from the album was “Who TF Iz U.”

CD Track Listings:

“29 Intro” – 0:57
“Two Six” – 3:16
“Safety” – 5:18
“Run a Train” – 4:02
“Poor Thang” – 4:50
“Legacy” – 3:55
“Bunce Road Blues” – 5:10
“Who TF Iz U” – 4:37
“Drum n Bass” – 4:14
“The Let Out” – 4:14
“Bombs in the Ville/Hit the Gas” – 4:06
“Lonely at the Top” – 3:24
“39 Intro” – 6:06
“The Fall-Off Is Inevitable” – 2:56
“The Villest” – 4:30
“Old Dog” – 3:22
“Life Sentence” – 4:12
“Only You” – 4:46
“Man Up Above” – 4:58
“I Love Her Again” – 5:32
“What If” – 5:19
“Quik Stop” – 4:24
“and the whole world is the Ville” – 4:35
“Ocean Way” – 2:34

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