With the release of his album KOD on April 20, J. Cole has taken his music to the next level this year, both lyrically and visually. KOD became Cole’s fifth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart and the singles “KOD” and “ATM” have kept fans bouncing to his music for the past four months.

KOD Album Cover

The most recent song to be released from KOD is the energetic “ATM” (Addicted To Money). The song was released on July 31 and it gave Cole his highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 6. KOD touches on several sensitive subjects including overdosing, depression and addiction, and on “ATM,” Cole raps about the “quick thrills” and greed behind money.

Cole’s signature flow, his lyrics and the repetitive chorus of “ATM” make it one of the most memorable tracks from KOD, and the music video is a vibrant satire clip that brings the song to life.

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Directed by Scott Lazer, the “ATM” music video takes Cole out of his usual element of playing himself, and instead he plays different characters including King Overdose, a hustler and car salesman. The video was inspired by Busta Rhymes’ “Gimme Some More” that was released in 1998 and directed by Hype Williams. “ATM” was shot with the wide angle lens effect that was popularized in the ’90s by artists such as Busta and alternative rock bands including Bush (see the “Comedown” music video from the Sixteen Stone album).

“A lot of what was fun about this video was that it’s such a left turn from everything Cole has done for the last three years,” Lazer said.

The video was recently nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Art Direction for the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. And now fans across the U.S. can see Cole live as the KOD Tour hits the road with a stop in Houston on Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Toyota Center. Now is your chance to see the hip-hop heavyweight in-person, performing some of your favorite J. Cole hits. Young Thug, Jaden Smith, Earthgang and Kill Edward have all joined the tour, so get your tickets here so you can see one of the biggest hip-hop shows of the year.

Toyota Center | 1510 Polk, Houston, TX 77002 | 713.758.7200 | Buy Tickets

Watch the “ATM” Music Video