J. Cole: Rapper’s Album “The Off-Season” Chalks A New Milestone

American rap star J. Cole has achieved an enviable feat with his 2021 album The Off-Season in terms of sales.

The album, released on May 14, 2021, has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), according to Daily Loud.

The sixth studio album by the American rapper, it features guest vocals from Morray, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Bas, and others. It was executive produced by Cole, Ibrahim Hamad, and T-Minus.

The Off-Season was supported by one single, My Life, and promotional singles, The Climb Back and Interlude. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 282,000 album-equivalent units in its first week 1.

At the time of its release, The Off-Season achieved the largest streaming week of 2021, accumulating over 325.5 million streams worldwide.

Four songs from The Off-Season debuted in the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100; every song on the album charted in the top forty 1.

J. Cole’s previous three albums, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, and KOD, have famously gone “platinum with no features”. However, The Off-Season features guest vocals from several artists.

Drake makes RIAA history

Meanwhile, another rapper Drake has registered his name in the history of the RIAA. Drake became the first artiste to surpass 200 million certified single units, according to the RIAA.

Drake’s list of accomplishments does not stop at singles, as his albums have also been making waves in the industry. His critically acclaimed album Take Care has now achieved an impressive 8x platinum status, while Nothing Was the Same stands at 6x platinum. Thank Me Later follows closely behind at 4x platinum, and his most recent release, Certified Lover Boy, has reached 3x platinum. Her Loss is also making waves with a 2x platinum status.