2014 Forest Hills Drive

The title of J. Cole's third album is an address: the house in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he spent his formative years. The family lost it to foreclosure when he was 18, and Cole later bought it back. On the cover he sits on the roof of that house at dusk, looking down into the camera.

The rooftop shot was Cole's own idea, and he climbed up to the second story to get it. It was taken by the documentary photographer Anthony Blasko during a five-day shoot in Fayetteville, with art and creative direction by Justin Thomas Kay and illustrations inside the package by Jason Jägel. Kay kept the crew to three people so the sessions stayed relaxed.

2014 Forest Hills Drive was released on 9 December 2014. It went platinum with no guest features, which became a running joke among fans, and the house on the cover turned into a landmark that fans travel to see.