It's ironic that social media jerks tease Jermaine Cole with "J. Cole went platinum with no features." Once seen as an understudy to generational talents like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, the North Carolina musician didn't reach artistic fruition until 2014 Forest Hills Drive, when he abandoned the typical cameo-heavy big-budget formula for an idiosyncratic, self-produced organic sound
This article originally appeared on www.rollingstone.com: Review: J. Cole’s ‘K.O.D’ Is a Tough, Rewarding Meditation on Addiction