In a story-filled genre of music like hip-hop, details and anecdotes can be found by simply pressing play of a random pull from iTunes or your neighboring record store. But you will be hard pressed to find an effort like 2014 Forest Hills Drive that encompasses a deep introspective examination and pairing it with allusions of upbringing and current personal struggles like J.Cole has. Both boastful but comfortable, while maintaining a sense of being relatable and transparent, Cole has pulled off a LeBron James-esque homecoming, however, the championship for the Ville was packaged within 13 tracks and delivered upon arrival.

For those of you who resisted the temptation of listening to leaks and viewing links to lines annotated by RapGenius, you find yourself knee deep in a soundtrack to many experiences, both for Cole and listeners. As customary with our First Listen series, we share what are our current favorites. To get a glimpse of what’s to come within J.Cole’s third solo effort hit the pages below.