A Tale of 2 Citiez
"A Tale of 2 Citiez" | |
---|---|
Song by J. Cole | |
from the album 2014 Forest Hills Drive | |
Released | December 9, 2014 |
Recorded | 2014 |
Genre | Hip hop, hardcore hip hop |
Length | 4:29 |
Label |
|
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Vinylz |
"A Tale of 2 Citiez" is a song by American rapper J. Cole from his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.[1] The song samples "Blocka" by Pusha T and "Bring Em Out" by T.I. It was produced by Vinylz.[2] The song was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over 2,000,000 copies in the United States. The title references the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.[3]
Remixes
On January 28, 2015, Juicy J released a remix to the song in honor of J. Cole's birthday.[4] On November 27, Kendrick Lamar released a remix for Black Friday, as Cole put out a remix to "Alright" the same day.[5]
Critical reception
"A Tale of 2 Citiez" has received mixed reviews from music critics. Marshall Gu of PopMatters was quoted as saying, "Thankfully, the album manage to gain a steady footing after its shaky start". "A Tale of 2 Citiez" could gain from just being a tad faster to match the menace, but the menace is there—both in the twisted soul sample punctuating each line and with J. Cole's own rapping (rhyming "tints" with "rinsed" with "since" with "limits" with "pimps" and finally "glimpse" in the first verse)".[6]
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[8] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Peters, Mitchell. "J. Cole Unveils '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Track List". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Trevor Smith (30 November 2014). "J. Cole Reveals "2014 Forest Hills Drive" Tracklist". HotNewHipHop.
- ^ "A Tale of Two Cities, King's Head, review". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "New Music: Juicy J – 'A Tale of 2 Citiez (Freestyle)'". Rap-Up.
- ^ "Kendrick Lamar - Black Friday (A Tale Of 2 Citiez Remix)". HotNewHipHop. November 27, 2015.
- ^ Gu, Marshall (December 12, 2014). "J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive". PopMatters. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "British single certifications – J. Cole – A Tale of 2 Citiez". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – J. Cole – A Tale of 2 Citiez". Recording Industry Association of America.
- v
- t
- e
- Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011)
- Born Sinner (2013)
- 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)
- 4 Your Eyez Only (2016)
- KOD (2018)
- The Off-Season (2021)
- Forest Hills Drive: Live (2016)
- Revenge of the Dreamers (2014)
- Revenge of the Dreamers II (2015)
- Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019)
- D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape (2022)
- Creed III: The Soundtrack
- Truly Yours (2013)
- Truly Yours 2 (2013)
- Lewis Street (2020)
- The Come Up (2007)
- The Warm Up (2009)
- Friday Night Lights (2010)
- Might Delete Later (2024)
- "Lights Please"
- "Who Dat"
- "Work Out"
- "Can't Get Enough"
- "Nobody's Perfect"
- "Miss America"
- "Power Trip"
- "Crooked Smile"
- "Forbidden Fruit"
- "She Knows"
- "Apparently"
- "Wet Dreamz"
- "No Role Modelz"
- "Love Yourz"
- "Everybody Dies"
- "False Prophets"
- "Deja Vu"
- "High for Hours"
- "Neighbors"
- "KOD"
- "ATM"
- "Album of the Year (Freestyle)"
- "Tribe"
- "Off Deez"
- "Middle Child"
- "Shea Butter Baby"
- "Snow on tha Bluff"
- "The Climb Back"
- "Lion King on Ice"
- "Interlude"
- "My Life"
- "The Jackie"
- "Your Heart"
- "London"
- "On the Street"
- "The Secret Recipe"
- "H.Y.B."
- "Grippy"
- "Just Begun"
- "All I Want Is You"
- "A Star Is Born"
- "Feel Love"
- "Trouble"
- "Only Wanna Give It to You"
- "Party (Remix)"
- "I'm On 2.0"
- "This Time"
- "Planez"
- "No Sleeep (Remix)"
- "A Lot"
- "The London"
- "Down Bad"
- "Poke It Out"
- "Johnny P's Caddy"
- "Scared Money"
- "All My Life"
- "First Person Shooter"
- "In the Morning"
- "Let Nas Down"
- "A Tale of 2 Citiez"
- "Fire Squad"
- "G.O.M.D."
- "Immortal"
- "Change"
- "Photograph"
- "Motiv8"
- "Kevin's Heart"
- "1985"
- "Under the Sun"
- "Sacrifices"
- "95 South"
- "Amari"
- "Pride Is the Devil"
- "Stick"
- "Evil Ways"
- "Pricey"
- "Crocodile Tearz"
- "Ready '24"
- "Huntin' Wabbitz"
- "7 Minute Drill"
- "Red Leather"
- J. Cole: Road to Homecoming
- Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming
- Eyez
- J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only
- Dreamville Presents: Revenge
- Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary
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