J. Cole is hands down one of Hip Hop’s most underrated acts to debut in the past several years, but despite that the rapper has earned another notch on his respected belt this week. To our surprise he has just earned his first platinum album and has done so without the major help that some of his counterparts have received. Via Billboard:
J. Cole earns his first million-selling album in the U.S., as his chart-topping 2014 Forest Hills Drive has surpassed a million copies sold, according to Nielsen Music. The set’s cumulative sales rose past the threshold in the week ending Sept. 3, as it sold another 6,000 copies, bringing its total to 1.004 million.
The album was released in December of 2014 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming his third consecutive No. 1. It continues to rules has the rapper’s biggest selling set. His previous album Born Sinner (released in 2013) has sold 747,000 while his first set, Cole World: The Sideline Story(released in 2011) has sold 772,000.
2014 Forest Hills Drive has generated five entries on the Hot Rap Songs chart: “Apparently” (peaking at No. 10), “Wet Dreamz” (No. 12), “No Role Modelz” (No. 18), “Fire Squad” (No. 24) and “A Tale of 2 Citiez” (No. 25).
He’s also currently topping the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart, but with a song that isn’t on his album: Janet Jackson’s “No Sleeep.” He’s the featured guest on track, which has spent three nonconsecutive weeks atop the list (and crowns the Sept. 26-dated list).

