(Truly yours 1 and 2 are side pieces he made before born sinner, they are not essential to the album and are not a preview to the album, but they are really good.) There are other j cole singles along the way such as everybody dies. * Starting from 4yeo isn't a good idea because j cole at that point truly wanted to pour out a sincere story for the fans that truly want to hear it. * The come up-the warmup - Friday night lights - Sideline story -(truly yours 1 and 2 ) - born sinner - forest hills drive - 4 your eyez only. However I suggest listening to all of j cole from the very beginning. So if you really want to only listen to albums to begin with, you could start from the beginning and listen to SS-BS-FHD-4YEO, Or start from born sinner and listen to fhd then either the sideline story or 4 your eyez only. Some parts are about happiness, some are about him, and some are about the world. He raps about money bitches and street shit, but keeps it really fucking real. His second album born sinner, in my opinion, is his most complete album. If you want to start from the beginning it's not a bad start at all and it's not a bad album. Most hardcore j cole fans will tell you that that's where he makes his greatest work.īut then again, you asked for albums. You could theoretically start by listening to his mixtapes, of which he has 3. So if you want everyone else's view of j cole and the start for people that kinda listen to j cole, then start there. Well a lot of people really believe J cole at his peak was 2014 forest hill drive, it is really fucking good for everyone.