Life thrives on chaos, and in the unpredictable theater of showbiz, it is always a storm before the calm. This year, hip-hop turned back the clock with a heavyweight showdown when J. Cole squared up to Kendrick Lamar. But just as the verses started flying, Cole pulled a Houdini, leaving Drake and Lamar to trade the barbs and fans to speculate where he had bowed out of the GOAT debate. Little did the fans know that Cole is a player of the long game who flipped the script with an anniversary celebration of ‘Forest Hills Drive’ only to have fans coil back and hail the wordsmith. 

J. Cole may have hit the exit on the rap beef that made the world stop and think, but he never clocked out on his craft. If anything, he catalyzed the rap battle into a moment of introspection to secretly hone his expert skills to surprise fans with a 10th-anniversary edition of ‘Forest Hills Drive,’ leaving them in an unrecoverable frenzy. The record, a “double album” at one point, contains 8 unreleased tracks in the new version. 

Slated for digital availability from December 10 onwards on Inevitable Live, the album hits the shelves at 12 PM ET. The reinstated unreleased tracks include, ‘Home Soon,’ ‘Die Together,’ ‘ Judgement Day,’ ‘ Winter Wonderland,’ ‘Keep Heaven Dancing,’ ‘Miles,’ ‘Black Man in Hollywood,’ and ‘Obviously.’ These additional songs are from the record sessions that gave birth to his 2014 smash hit record, ‘Forest Hills Drive.’ 

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While J. Cole has recently left hip-hop fans surprised with several confessions and unreleased previews from collaborations that they thought will never see the light of the day, none hit home like the anniversary edition he just teased on social media.

Unlike the aura naturally preemptive of hip-hop moguls, J. Cole tends to tenderness with his craft. Although scathing bars, diss guns, and mic-drop moments are what rap music is made up of, Cole’s craftsmanship is all about de-familiarizing the established components. While his about-turn on the rap rumble of the era already showed where his stance lies in the realm of hip-hop, his consistent efforts to do better with his music prove he was never really the one to back out.

With fans turning up to show their attendance for what is coming from his coattails with the anniversary special edition of ‘Forest Hills Drive,’ they have already hit the festive jackpot early on.

No flashy promos, cryptic teasers, or wild tactics to clear calendars, and yet fans showed up in droves, proving his ripple in the music industry is swirling into a tsunami. And while rap battle losers rarely escape quick dismissal, his mic-drop announcement coupled with record-breaking fan attendance ultimately flipped the narrative, making it clear the only ‘L’ he is holding is for Legend.

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What do you think of J. Cole's special anniversary edition of 'Forest Hills Drive'? Let us know in the comments below!