J. COLE GETS TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

J. Cole has created a powerful trailer for the just-released KOD (Dreamsville/Roc Nation/Interscope), which, as he explains at the top of the piece, as well as at listening events in New York and London, stands for “kids on drugs.” The album has flown to #1 at iTunes in the U.S. and 35 other territories (including but not limited to Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Burkina Faso and The Cayman Islands) and Top 5 in more than 100 others.

As the trailer—and disturbingly trippy cover art—make clear, this thoughtful and articulate artist isn’t messing around—he’s tackling one of America’s most pressing issues head on. One fan in our immediate proximity marveled that “It's kind of amazing hip-hop is leading the conversation about mental health.”