2011–13: Born Sinner
On October 24, 2011, during an interview with Hot 106’s Rise & Grind morning show, Cole revealed he had begun working on his second studio album, with hopes of releasing it in June 2012. He had also stated that the album would consist of songs that failed to make his debut: "I don’t know how many, but I got songs that didn't make the last album that are automatically going to make this one," he said, revealing the release date. "June. End of June, maybe June."[49] On November 6, 7 and 8, Cole was the supporting act for Tinie Tempah, appearing at Bournemouth International Centre; Liverpool Echo Arena, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales; LG Arena, Birmingham, England; SECC Arena, Glasgow, Scotland; and MEN Arena, Manchester. J. Cole was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2012 Grammys but lost to Bon Iver. For the fourth installment, on August 29, he released his debut album's track list, once again through Twitter.
2011–13: Born Sinner
On October 24, 2011, during an interview with Hot 106’s Rise & Grind morning show, Cole revealed he had begun working on his second studio album, with hopes of releasing it in June 2012. He had also stated that the album would consist of songs that failed to make his debut: "I don’t know how many, but I got songs that didn't make the last album that are automatically going to make this one," he said, revealing the release date. "June. End of June, maybe June."[49] On November 6, 7 and 8, Cole was the supporting act for Tinie Tempah, appearing at Bournemouth International Centre; Liverpool Echo Arena, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales; LG Arena, Birmingham, England; SECC Arena, Glasgow, Scotland; and MEN Arena, Manchester. J. Cole was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2012 Grammys but lost to Bon Iver.
2014 Forest Hills Drive
On November 16, 2014, Cole released a video where he announced he would be releasing his third album, titled 2014 Forest Hills Drive, on December 9, 2014.[63] The video also featured footage regarding the making-of the album. Additionally, the album's name sake was revealed to be the address of Cole's childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cole also revealed he would be releasing this album with no lead singles and little promotion. The 13-track album was available for pre-order on iTunes before its general release. The album debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week. On February 13, 2015, Cole announced that he would further promote the album with a tour entitled, Forest Hills Drive Tour. On March 31, 2014 Forest Hills Drive was certified platinum