Work Out
A song that interpolates Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" and samples Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan," released as the lead single from J. Cole's debut album.
"Work Out" is a song by American hip hop recording artist J. Cole, released as the lead single from his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011). The song was officially released on June 27, 2011, through Roc Nation and Columbia. It interpolates the chorus from "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, and samples the ending production of "The New Workout Plan" by Kanye West. J. Cole released "Work Out" on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his highly acclaimed mixtape The Warm Up. The song, produced by Cole himself, is featured as a bonus track on Cole World: The Sideline Story.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- J. Cole
- Album
- Cole World: The Sideline Story
- Released
- 15 June 2011
- Recorded
- 2011
- Genre
- Hip hop, R&B
- Length
- 3:54
- Label
- Roc Nation, Columbia
- Writer
- Jermaine Cole
- Elliot Wolff
- Kanye West
- John Stephens
- Miri Ben-Ari
- Sumeke Rainey
- Bosco Kante
Lore & Background
Nas voiced his displeasure with "Work Out," which inspired J. Cole to create the song "Let Nas Down" for his album Born Sinner. The song was released on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his mixtape The Warm Up. It charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the week of July 23, 2011 at number eighty-five, re-entered on the week of September 24, 2011 at number ninety-eight, and has since peaked at number thirteen. As of September 2013, the song has sold 1,853,000 downloads in the United States. On May 6, 2013, the single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million digital copies in the United States.
More in Songs & Singles
Elsewhere in J Cole
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced