J. Cole Drops ‘Cole World: The Sideline Story’

Two years after becoming the first artist signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, J. Cole has finally dropped his first album.

It's called 'Cole World: The Sideline Story,' and for months, it's been the talk of the hip-hop world. The disc finds Cole collaborating with such artists as Missy Elliot, Trey Songz, Drake and label boss Jay-Z, who guests on 'Mr. Nice Watch.'

The record arrives as Cole -- a 26-year-old double-threat rhymer and producer out of North Carolina -- readies the release of single No. 2. In an interview yesterday with RealTalkNY, he revealed that 'Nobody's Perfect,' his Missy team-up, would likely be the next song released to radio.

"I think it's pretty clear," he said.

While 'Sideline Story' features some top-rank studio wizards, Cole produced much of the album himself. This is his first proper full-length, coming on the heels of several EPs and mixtapes, but the young climber is already thinking of himself in terms of the genre's greats. Last month, when he previewed the record at a New York City listening party, he discussed the effort he puts into tweaking the song order -- a seemingly trivial detail he gives tremendous thought.

"I go and look back at tracklistings," Cole says. "What did Kanye do? What did Drake do? What did these people do on projects we love?"