"A Tale of 2 Citiez"
Song by J. Cole
from the album 2014 Forest Hills Drive
ReleasedDecember 9, 2014
Recorded2014
GenreHip hop, hardcore hip hop
Length4:29
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Vinylz

"A Tale of 2 Citiez" is a song by American rapper Jermaine Lamarr Cole, more commonly known as J. Cole from his third 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 CertificationCertified 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

  1. ↑ Peters, Mitchell. "J. Cole Unveils '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Track List". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Trevor Smith (30 November 2014). "J. Cole Reveals "2014 Forest Hills Drive" Tracklist". HotNewHipHop.
  3. ↑ "A Tale of Two Cities, King's Head, review". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  4. ↑ "New Music: Juicy J – 'A Tale of 2 Citiez (Freestyle)'". Rap-Up.
  5. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar - Black Friday (A Tale Of 2 Citiez Remix)". HotNewHipHop. November 27, 2015.
  6. ↑ Gu, Marshall (December 12, 2014). "J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive". PopMatters. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ "British single certifications – J. Cole – A Tale of 2 Citiez". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ "American single certifications – J. Cole – A Tale of 2 Citiez". Recording Industry Association of America.
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