It’s time to add another accolade to J. Cole’s already lengthy lists of accomplishments. That’s because the rapper’s latest album, 4 Your Eyez Only, has already achieved gold certification status by the RIAA after the project has only bee out for a month.
The album’s release may have been somewhat of a surprise when it arrived in early December of last year, but nothing about its success should be shocking. Cole’s fourth studio album shot to the top of the Billboard 200 after it notched 492,000 equivalent units in its first week. Those numbers were the third-highest for any artist last year and gave him his fourth consecutive number album, a feat only accomplished by two other MCs, Drake and DMX. According to the RIAA, Cole’s Eyez is “the only 2016 fourth quarter Hip/Hop album release to earn RIAA certification.”
#4youreyezonly is the only 2016 4th quarter Hip/Hop album release to earn @RIAA certification, @JColeNC! @Dreamville @RocNation 📀 pic.twitter.com/T8Qb2SPhxi
— RIAA (@RIAA) January 12, 2017
Cole’s numbers will only increase from here. The album’s first single, “Deja Vu,” is heading to radio soon, which will give his numbers another strong boost. That ultimately means that everyone will be breaking out the “platinum with no features” quips one more time in his honor. But, in the big scheme of things, there are plenty of other artists who wouldn’t mind switching positions with Cole so they could be part of that particular joke if it meant they also gained the success that came with it.
