Even with very little promotion around the album, J Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive has been the talk of the music industry over the past couple weeks. How Cole is able to authentically reconnect with his childhood and tell a nostalgic story of his past has resonated with fans new and old for what could be his greatest work to date. That critical acclaim and buzz is translating into sales, Billboard reports. According to industry forecasters, Cole could sell over 300,000 copies of 2014 Forest Hills Drive in the first week. This would catapult him to the top of the overall album charts.
If he manages to land the top spot, which it seems likely that he will, 2014 Forest Hills Drive would be Cole's third consecutive No. 1 album. Cole World: The Sideline Story debuted at No.1, while Born Sinner, which sold 297,000 copies in its first week only managed to break the top 3 with first week sales, before sliding up to number one two weeks later. The projected 300,000+ sales would break his previous single week sales record set by Born Sinner.
If these numbers come to fruition, then 2014 Forest Hills Drive would become the hip-hop album with the largest first week sales in 2014. It would overtake Rick Ross's first album of the year, Mastermind, which sold 179,000 copies in the first week (via Hot New Hip Hop). However Cole's sales would not come close to Eminem's numbers from The Marshal Mathers LP 2 last year, which moved 792,000 copies.
Cole is showing that doing virtually no promo for an album can work, versus the traditional model of singles, interviews and teasers that precede an album, as long as you have a loyal fan base that believes in what you're doing. Stay tuned for the official numbers coming in about a week.
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