J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive is among the most beloved hip-hop albums of the 2010s decade, and for good reason. His excellent performances, deep but relatable themes, engaging instrumentation, and sequencing made for an eye-opening experience for many rap fans. In addition, it started a pretty common meme online: “Cole went platinum with no features.” It’s a true statement, one that the North Carolina MC’s repeated multiple times, and one that people sometimes clown stans for since they can’t shut up about it. However, his manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad recently revealed that said meme almost never happened.
“Bumping FHD all day,” Ib quote-tweeted an old anniversary post for the project this week (its anniversary is on December 9). “One of the best albums of the decade in any genre. And to think, we were trying to get Mos Def to do the ”03 Adolescence’ hook and Future to do the end of ‘No Role Modelz’ but it never worked out. Would have ruined all the platinum with no features jokes [various crying-laughing emojis].” All in all, these a pretty wild possibilities to consider in hindsight.
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Ib Reveals What Could’ve Been On J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Of course, Mos Def and J. Cole sounds like a match made in lyrical, dense, but still accessible and down-to-earth hip-hop heaven. Especially for a track as emotionally potent and narrative as “’03 Adolescence,” it would’ve made for a great link-up. What’s harder to imagine is how Future’s auto-crooned toxic street raps could’ve matched up on the Dreamville boss’ “No Role Modelz”- which interestingly aged poorly as of late thanks to the Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith drama. Sure, the song already has a trap-inspired beat, but emotively and chemistry-wise, it sounds a bit mismatched on paper. If you’re in that boat right now, just think about Fewtch singing “Don’t save her, she don’t want to be saved” and you’ll be convinced in due time.
Meanwhile, what other features would you have liked to see on 2014 Forest Hills Drive? Would Mos Def and Hendrix fit like a glove on these cuts, elsewhere on the tracklist, or not at all on the record? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. For more news and the latest updates on J. Cole and Future, check back in with HNHH.
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