J. Cole Releases One Song As A Teaser For Upcoming Album

On Tuesday afternoon, Dreamville Records co-founder J. Cole announced that his new album, The Off-Season, will be out on May 14.

The Off-Season's gestation dates back to 2018 when Cole revealed that he already had a name for his next album. It was initially announced for 2020, but the year ended with no release.

In December, he shared a to-do list that included The Off-Season as something he wanted to complete before releasing his sequel, The Fall Off.

J. Cole's Off-Season

It was in the air for several days, but the definitive confirmation came only a little while ago: The Off-Season is the name of the new album by J. Cole. The news comes from the person concerned, using their social media to share name, cover, and release date.

The first rumors began to circulate on April 29, when colleague Bas published a post on Instagram. The photo, which he later removed, portrayed Cole in the recording studio, while the caption read: The Off-Season. Pack your bags. In two weeks.

Punctual as a Swiss watch, The Off-Season will be released on May 14, exactly two weeks after the announcement made by Bas. The Wet Dreamz rapper had already announced the arrival of this project last December.

On that occasion, Cole had shared on Instagram a list of the next steps in his career: after the season of collaborations, the compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers 3 and then The Off-Season would arrive. This will then be a prelude to It's A Boy.

The 'i n t e r l u d e'

Hip-hop superstar J. Cole knows his fans have been anticipating, and he's showing them he's ready to deliver. The North Carolina rapper released a new song days before his album "Off-Season" was released.

J. Cole announced the release of his new song "i n t e r l u d e" via social media. In the post on YouTube, the Dreamville boss made sure to credit the song's producers with himself and remind fans that the main project would be released within a week.

However, the song does not sound like an interlude as J. Cole delivers a complete, motivated verse over a soul sample. In this song, he reflects on his success in his stellar hip-hop career and looks back on the progress he's made in his life. He also made comparisons between Jesus Christ, Pimp C, and Nipsey Hussle, who all died at thirty-three.

Also, he made references to gun violence and mothers having to bury their children. It's the North Carolina rapper's first song since last summer's "The Climb Back" and "Lion King on Ice," but don't expect to see those on The Off-Season — they're the leadoffs from The Fall Off, Cole's planned follow-up to this album.

Off-Season Album Art

As we have anticipated, together with the cover, we see J Cole standing in front of a basketball basket on fire. This is a clear homage to the cover of The Come Up and The Warm Up: could this musical project mark a return to the rapper's origins? But what could this return to origins consist of?

The Off-Season will follow up on KOD, which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 200 and certified platinum with very little promotion. The expectations are really high, but, inevitably, J. Cole will not disappoint us this time either. Very little is missing until May 14: what would you like to hear on J Cole's new record?