Alexis Petridis of '' The Guardian '' praised the album , calling Cole " the conscience of mainstream hip hop " , he continued saying : " the goofy , self-deprecating humour of his 2014 single " Wet Dreamz " and the warm contentment of " Foldin Clothes " are both conspicuous by their absence . Instead , we find Cole repeatedly raising a concerned eyebrow at drug use in the world of Xanax-fuelled rap and probing hip-hop ’s obsession with money . It ’s the kind of thing that could come off a little preachy but it does n’t here , largely because Cole is always quick to implicate himself . " Writing for The Ringer , Justin Charity called the album " a rebuke to the druggy concerns of a younger generation of rappers . " He commented saying , " '' KOD '' is a curious treatise on how hip-hop might revise its principles in light of the genre 's growing discomfort with the personal darkness that some very recent rap stars , proud addicts and abusers , have wrought . " Trent Clark of '' HipHopDX '' praised the album , calling it " one of the most important rap albums ever " . He wrote : " J. Cole has a gift in turning tears into teaching tools and '' KOD '' is a concise , leather-bound audiobook of invaluable life direction goals . " In a positive review , Lawrence Burney of '' Vice '' deemed the album Cole 's " best effort yet " , saying " yes , there are times when he seems a bit out of touch on '' KOD '' , but what translates most successfully here is compassion and concern , not contempt . " Briana Younger , writing for '' Spin '' , stated : " '' KOD '' is a stark reminder that some of life 's most destructive elements do n't always come with a warning label . " Sam Moore of '' NME '' called the album " powerful " , he said : " Cole has emerged this decade as one of the US 's finest rappers . He 's a confident lyricist with an ear for a hip-pop hook , a willingness to address difficult subjects and an ability to weave compelling stories through his music . " Scott Glaysher of '' Now '' said , " Cole does n't sacrifice any inch of rhythm or melody while detailing his cautionary tales . It 's clear he 's mastered the art of hiding medicine in candy . " Mitch Findlay of '' HotNewHipHop '' gave the album a 90 % rating saying , " '' KOD '' is a trip worth taking " , the album got an 85 % audience rating based on over 400 user votes . In a mixed review , Jon Caramanica of '' The New York Times '' said the album " has the feel of a casual placeholder between bigger ideas -- it has neither the grim purpose or intense emotional acuity of his 2016 LP '' 4 Your Eyez Only '' , nor the cohesion of the prior one , '' 2014 Forest Hills Drive '' ... Mr. Cole is an empathetic rapper , but he can be a mean moralist , too . " Former '' HipHopDX '' writer Justin Hunte called '' KOD '' 2018 's most important album . He deemed it " a time-piece album for the year " saying , " '' KOD '' is my album of the year because it targets a generational crisis , and it ’s not afraid to take an audience to therapy precisely when it needs it most . Is there anyone else in Hip-Hop willing to sacrifice their cool points to play therapist ? If not J. Cole , then who ? " The music video for " ATM " received nominations in two categories at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards , including Best Hip Hop Video and Best Art Direction . '' KOD '' was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards . The album was nominated for Favorite Album at the 44th People 's Choice Awards
2018 MTV Video Music Awards
2018 MTV Video Music Awards
KOD (album)