A New Peak for J. Cole's Latest Album as It Sells Strongly Again

J. Cole first spoke about an album called The Fall-Off in 2018, by which point he had already been working on the project for several years. It did not arrive until February of this year, and the rapper's latest full-length has since become another worldwide hit.

The set is a bestseller once more in the United Kingdom, and the long-awaited project has now reached a higher position than ever before on a chart the hip-hop powerhouse knows well.

The Fall-Off re-enters the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Albums chart this week at No. 4. This is only the second time Cole's newest album has appeared on the genre-specific ranking. It debuted in mid-February at No. 6, which had stood as its peak until now.

The album's return to the U.K. charts follows the release of its physical editions. Fans can now buy it on CD and on red vinyl, two formats that have regained huge popularity after fading considerably in previous decades. Dedicated listeners like to support a favorite artist by purchasing a project on one or both formats, and that appears to be the case with Cole this week.

Cole has placed nine projects on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Albums chart since first reaching the list in October 2011. Even with The Fall-Off climbing to a new peak, it does not rank among his highest-placing releases.

The rapper has reached No. 1 twice: 2014 Forest Hills Drive and KOD each spent two weeks at the top. Born Sinner, 4 Your Eyez Only and The Off-Season all missed the top spot by a single place, while Cole World: The Sideline Story, his breakout release, peaked at No. 3.

Only two of Cole's studio efforts have peaked lower than The Fall-Off. Might Delete Later spent one week at No. 9 after debuting there in April 2024. The Warm Up is his only project to reach the genre-specific chart without entering the top 10. It opened at No. 38 in the fall of 2014, barely making the list, and has not been seen since.

Cole holds two places on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Albums chart this week. While The Fall-Off returns near the top, 2014 Forest Hills Drive moves sharply in the opposite direction. This week, the classic, one of the most successful hip-hop albums of the past two decades, drops from No. 10 to No. 25.

The former No. 1 is by far Cole's longest-charting release on the chart, having already spent 177 weeks on the list. No other release by the Grammy winner has managed even half that long. Born Sinner, his second-longest-running album, has accumulated just 23 weeks on the ranking.