Work Out (J. Cole song)

For other songs, see Workout (disambiguation).

"Work Out" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and record producer J. Cole, and 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. Nas voiced his displeasure with the song, which inspired Cole to create the song "Let Nas Down" for his album Born Sinner. It interpolates the chorus from "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, and samples the ending production of "The New Workout Plan" by Kanye West.

"Work Out"
Single by J. Cole
from the album Cole World: The Sideline Story
Released	June 15, 2011 (2011-06-15)
Recorded	2011
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	3:54
Label	Roc Nation Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Jermaine Cole Elliot Wolff Kanye West John Stephens Miri Ben-Ari Sumeke Rainey Bosco Kante
Producer(s)	J. Cole
J. Cole singles chronology
"Feel Love" (2011) "Work Out" (2011) "Trouble" (2011)
Music video
"Work Out" on YouTube

Background

J. Cole released "Work Out" on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his highly acclaimed mixtape The Warm Up.^[1] The song, produced by Cole himself, samples "The New Workout Plan" by Kanye West and interpolates "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul.^[2][3] The song is featured as a bonus track on Cole World: The Sideline Story.^[4]

Chart performance

"Work Out" charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the week of July 23, 2011 at number eighty-five.^[5] "Work Out" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 on week of September 24, 2011 at number ninety-eight.^[6] The song has since peaked at number thirteen. As of September 2013, the song has sold 1,853,000 downloads in the United States.^[7] On May 6, 2013, the single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a two million digital copies in the United States.^[8]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011–2012) Peak position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 32 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 13 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 10 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[12] 3 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[13] 13 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[14] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 85 Chart (2012) Position US Billboard Hot 100[16] 63 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] 64 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[18] 8

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19]	3× Platinum	210,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	Gold	40,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[21]	Gold	45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22]	4× Platinum	120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24]	2× Platinum	2,000,000[7]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Version	Format	Label	Ref
United States	June 27, 2011	Single version	Digital download	Roc Nation	[25]
	October 17, 2011	J Farell Remix		Roc Nation Columbia

References

1. J. Cole Debuts His First Single “Work Out”, Off His Upcoming Debut Album MissInfo.tv
2. J. Cole's Work Out sample of Kanye West's The New Workout Plan WhoSampled
3. J. Cole's Work Out sample of Paula Abdul's Straight Up WhoSampled
4. Cole World: The Sideline Story
5. J. Cole - Work Out Music Charts αCharts.us
6. "The Hot 100". Billboard. September 24, 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
7. Grein, Paul (September 11, 2013). "Week Ending Sept. 8, 2013. Songs: Race & The R&B Chart". Chart Watch. Yahoo. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
8. "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
9. "J. Cole Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
10. "J. Cole Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "J. Cole Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
12. "J. Cole Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
13. "J. Cole Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
14. "J. Cole Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
15. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
16. "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
17. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
18. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
19. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
20. "Canadian single certifications – J. Cole – Work Out". Music Canada.
21. "Danish single certifications – J. Cole – Work Out". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
22. "New Zealand single certifications – J. Cole – Work Out". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 22, 2023.^{[dead link‍]}
23. "British single certifications – J Cole – Work Out". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
24. "American single certifications – J. Cole – Work Out". Recording Industry Association of America.
25. "Work Out - Single by J. Cole". iTunes Store (United States). June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2023.

External links

• Official Website