Given the success J. Cole has experienced over the past few months, it is easy to forget how many had almost given up on the Fayetteville rapper. In 2008, J. Cole signed with Jay-Z’s new label, Roc Nation, and his debut album was initially slated for a 2009 release date. The year of 2009 came and went without a J. Cole album. After a strong promotional run in 2010, and the release of the “Who Dat” single, still no album came.
Promising to close 2010 with a release, J. Cole released his Friday Night Lights mixtape, which was met with positive reviews. In 2011, J. Cole announced his debut album would be released sometime before the summer. Several tracks were released and each was announced as the “lead single” from J. Cole’s debut album. When his album was pushed back with no release date, fans grew impatient.
In July of 2011, “Work Out” was released and announced as the official first single from the long-awaited Cole World album from J. Cole. Fans were not convinced of the single, even after the cover art was released. However, when the song hit radio and the official music video was released, J. Cole soon proved himself to those who began doubting him. Following the video release, the album was given a September 27 release date and the incredible run from J. Cole officially began.
“Work Out” became a hit single and was soon followed by the Trey Songz-assisted “Can’t Get Enough.” While “Can’t Get Enough” has gained significant radio play, replacing “Work Out,” the older single has still been getting buzz. The song recently returned to the headlines, as J. Cole revealed “Work Out” has gone platinum.
