It’s been a long journey for North Carolina native, J. Cole. But despite the countless delays on his album release date and having the project prematurely ripped apart by critics for not having enough of public appeal, he’s managed to rise above it all and make history. Cole World: The Sideline’s Story topped the charts at #1 by selling an estimated 217,234 copies in its first week, making him the highest this year. “Thanks to yall, we shook the game up. No chart topping single, just 2 years of hard work, great music and real ass fans,” Cole said after hearing the news. That’s one small step for Cole and a giant step real for hip-hop. Salute!