J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story (2-LP Vinyl)

Fayetteville, North Carolina's Shawn Carter-signed prodigy had spent years building a devoted fanbase through a series of mixtapes before this debut finally arrived, and the patience paid off. Cole wrote, rapped, and produced across much of the record himself, establishing the self-sufficiency that would define his entire career and set him apart from his peers in the Roc Nation era.