"Work Out" is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

recording artist A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, ...

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born in a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his d ...

, and released as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from his debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' Cole World: The Sideline Story'' (2011). The song was officially released on June 27, 2011, through

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

and Columbia.

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

voiced his displeasure with the song, which inspired Cole to create the song "

Let Nas Down "Let Nas Down" is a song by American hip hop recording artist J. Cole, taken from his second studio album ''Born Sinner'' (2013). The song was produced by Cole himself as a dedication to one of his idols, fellow American rapper Nas, with whom C ...

" for his album ''

Born Sinner ''Born Sinner'' is the second studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on June 18, 2013, by ByStorm Entertainment, Columbia Records, Dreamville Records and Roc Nation. The album serves as the follow-up to his debut album, ''Cole Wo ...

''. It interpolates the chorus from "

Straight Up Various unique terms are used in bartending. Definitions and usage Straight, up, and straight up In bartending, the terms "straight up" and "up" ordinarily refer to an alcoholic drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained and ...

" by

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...

, and samples the ending production of "

The New Workout Plan "The New Workout Plan" is a song from Kanye West's debut album, ''The College Dropout''. Released as the album's fifth single on August 31, 2004, it peaked at number 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was written and produced by Wes ...

" by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Background

J. Cole released "Work Out" on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his highly acclaimed mixtape ''

The Warm Up ''The Warm Up'' is the second official mixtape from American rapper J. Cole. It was released on June 15, 2009. J. Cole produced the majority of the mixtape with help from Elite, and Syience. The mixtape has been viewed over 3,100,000 times, st ...

''. The song, produced by Cole himself, samples "

" by

and interpolates "

" by

. The song is featured as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

on '' Cole World: The Sideline Story''.

Chart performance

"Work Out" charted on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

on the week of July 23, 2011 at number eighty-five. "Work Out" re-entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on week of September 24, 2011 at number ninety-eight. The song 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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for sales of over a two million digital copies in the United States.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Work Out (J. Cole Song) 2011 singles J. Cole songs Roc Nation singles Song recordings produced by J. Cole Songs written by J. Cole Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Elliot Wolff Songs written by John Legend 2011 songs Columbia Records singles Pop-rap songs Torch songs