The ‘Ville is set to hit the road
MUSIC – Fans can expect J. Cole to bring his ‘Forest Hills Drive’ tour to a city near them.
By Zaida Diaz, Valley Life Editor
“The real is back,” tweeted rapper J. Cole Friday, when he announced his “Forest Hills Drive” tour. “The real,” as he puts it, refers to himself and his Dreamville team.
The Roc Nation MC unexpectedly released his album, “2014 Forest Hills Drive” at the end of last year, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Since then, it has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and is on its way to attaining Platinum certification with nearly 800,000 in total sales.
Although Cole didn’t officially release any singles for his third studio album, his songs “Apparently” and “G.O.M.D” have gotten significant radio play. Cole does a lot more singing in this album; his rough voice is often followed by verses that showcase his expert story-telling ability.
Appropriately, the album tracks Cole’s journey from adolescence to stardom. It considers the value of love relative to material success. The title comes from Cole’s childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which was foreclosed when the rapper was away at college. Cole bought it back in 2014 and gave fans the opportunity to listen to the project in the privacy of his home.
In addition to yesterday’s tweet, Cole posted a flyer with tour dates on his Facebook timeline. As fans will notice, “Act 1” fails to include a lot of the major cities such as Los Angeles. This was deliberate, as Cole says he aims to visit “all the cities that never get no love.” “Act 2 – The Journey” will take place in Europe, but rest assured L.A. Dreamvillians as Cole’s third act, “Hollywood,” will be dedicated to those bigger cities within the U.S.
Along for the ride are Dreamville labelmates Bas, Cozz, and Omen. The last time all these artists shared a stage was at Cole’s annual “Dollar and a Dream” tour last summer. With the dollar-entry concert, Cole continued to show a sincere-appearing fan outreach – what seems to be a pattern with the the Grammy nominated artist and producer.
The Dreamville team gave a lively performance and fans should expect nothing less for his “Forest Hills Drive” tour, especially with Cole performing upbeat songs like “A Tale of Two Citiez” and “Fire Squad,” from his album.
Cole has yet to reveal venues or on-sale dates. At this time, he has only announced cities.
The first tour set of 20 dates will commence March 2 in Eugene, Oregon and make stops in cities including Santa Ana, Wichita, and Tallahassee. It will wrap up in Providence, Rhode Island, only to later be followed up with Cole’s second act.
