I'm sure by now you were worrying if there would ever be another Weekend Playlist again. After a brief hiatus, we're back with a week's worth of fresh new music wrapped into one cute playlist that will get you through the weekend! And, personally, I couldn't be more excited than I am now.
After obsessing over Sabrina Carpenter's new album, Short n' Sweet, for the past few weeks...it's time to look for some fresh tunes. There's no better feeling than when you're playing a song and someone asks you what the name is because they love it so much. It means, as the DJ, you're doing your job.
And maybe it's because my name is 50% of the word "DJ," but I love to be on the aux. I have a constant stream of playlists going that fit every mood and situation. Want to be hyped up? I've got you. Want to be sad and weep your eyes out? I have a playlist for you. Sad the summer is over? Check my End of Summer playlist.
Since there's new music released every Friday, I like to comb through press releases, Spotify playlists, and more to find the best new songs released that day. Whether it's a big artist like Taylor Swift, or a more indie sound, I'm looking everywhere for music you'll actually want to listen to.
Now that we're all equally excited, there's no more time to waste! Here are my picks for the best new tracks released the week of September 6, 2024! Let's get listening.
Joe Jonas, Alan Walker, Julia Michaels- "Thick Of It All"
What I love about this collaboration is that it bands together three titans in the music industry. Joe Jonas, the childhood heartthrob who made headlines as one of The Jonas Brothers. Alan Walker, the mastermind behind some of the biggest dance tracks in the world. And Julia Michaels, one of the most prolific singer-songwriter-producer combinations in the game right now.
"Thick Of It All" combines what each artist does best in one smooth track. With a dreamy back beat, Julia Michaels' rings in the chorus as she croons "all the way in the thick of it all." It's a great mix of Jonas and Michaels' complementary vocals with an iconic backing from Walker. You can't lose.
Sabrina Sterling- "take a shot"
If you need a silky, synthy pop song that details what it feels like to be in a toxic relationship, then come listen to Sabrina Sterling's new song. With lyrics like "my boy hates who I'm out with/says it's not allowed if/I do things for me I know he'll tell his friends about it," Sterling sums up the pain and confusion of not being able to leave.
We all need a song that puts our feelings into words, which is exactly how Sterling steals our hearts with this introspective, honest single. An easy pick for this week's playlist. This one's for the heartbroken, yearning listener who likes a melancholic, upbeat track.
The Chainsmokers, Kim Petras- "Don't Lie"
We already know that Kim Petras and The Chainsmokers can make a radio hit with their eyes closed. A bouncy, sexy house track that I can already hear being played in New York City clubs..."Don't Lie" is yet another reason why Petras and The Chainsmokers are so highly reveled in the industry. They understand their audience, and they make music everyone can enjoy.
The summer of house music continues into fall, and who better than The Chainsmokers to remind us they still have it?
Fred again..., SOAK- "just stand there"
Fred again... keeps pushing boundaries with his progressive house music that has stolen the hearts of millions. He's become one of the most innovative DJ's in the game right now, whose music may be unconventional at times but equally thrilling. "just stand there" is another example of how Fred again... is akin to RUFUS DU SOL in terms of groundbreaking dance music.
"just stand there" may not be your most typical dance song, but it's classic Fred again...calm in the right places, nostalgic in others, and an overall good time.
A$AP Rocky, J.Cole- "Ruby Rosary"
A$AP has finally put his time in in the studio and he's coming in hot. Linking up with another big name in the rap game, J. Cole, proves A$AP Rocky can reclaim the crown at any time. This melancholic rap song is quintessential for those who like to keep it old school.
"Ruby Rosary" is classic and familiar in a good way. Not unoriginal by any means, but a reminder that real rap still exists.
BENEE- "sad boiii"
BENEE has a sexy, synthy, dreamy voice that has captivated listeners. She has the ability to slam a catchy hook into a fun chorus, and that's exactly what she's done again with "Sad Boiii." BENEE is every bit the jazzy popstar that we needed in the world.
This song is a reminder that she doesn't need another sad boy, someone who's going to disappoint her. It's the bad bitch energy this playlist needed.
Rex Orange County- "2008"
On a more relaxing note, Rex Orange County reminds us how he's going to prioritize mental health, take life slow, and enjoy. It's a sweet, calming number that shows Rex Orange County's maturation as an artist, and as a person. The song is delicate, lighthearted, and feels like the beginning of a new era for the singer.
It's a confident approach to a song that is much needed for many. A great end to our Weekend Playlist.
Summer began with one definitive truth: if you thought you were a hater, you’re not a hater like Kendrick Lamar is a hater. I’ll admit: Drake has won his share of rap beefs. In 2015, he got into it with Meek Mill over claims that Drake doesn’t write his own songs. He emerged victorious, though he’s never beaten those ghostwriting allegations. Still, he took the crown, and “Back to Back” is still one of my favorite of his songs. However, we can’t forget that he’s taken some big hits and some super public losses, too.
In the summer of 2018, he and Pusha T started a fire that culminated in the revelation that Drake had a son, Adonis. While now, Adonis is frequently at his father’s side at public appearances like basketball games and even appeared on his album, being forced into claiming your son by a Soundcloud diss track is crazy.
But what’s crazier is how Kendrick shut this summer down for Drake. For a pop star who usually spends summers at the top of the charts, he’s spending this one in hiding. All because Kendrick decided to instigate probably the greatest rap feud of our generation and
win it. I want the next season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud to be about this. I want to take a class at a liberal arts college about the ethics or psychology or marketing behind it. I want political scientists to write think-pieces about what this says about the political and economic state of the world. But until then, here’s the Popdust take on Kendrick’s war on Drake — and why there’s one obstacle that keeps me from celebrating his victory lap.
First things first: The history of Kendrick Lamar starting beef
For context: Kendrick Lamar is the greatest rap artist of our time — decorated with Grammy wins, American Music Awards, and even a Pulitzer Prize for the album
DAMN. He is also a Gemini. Unpredictable. Opinionated. Occasionally, arrogant. It’s what makes him great and why we love him. Other famous Geminis include Gwyneth Paltrow and Kanye West. You get it. Figures who are unstoppable when they use their mercurial madness for good, and problematic at best when they get a tad too unhinged. The question is: on which side of this line does Kendrick Lamar’s latest venture fall?
The braggadocious rapper is known for taking shots at his peers. His message is always clear:
I’m the greatest rapper of our time, but it would be nice to have some competition. In 2013, he issued this direct challenge when he appeared on Big Sean’s “Control” with Jay Electronica. This verse is the equivalent of Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster.” It’s so fire that most people forget whose song it was in the first place. When you talk about “Monster,” you talk about Nicki. When you talk about “Control,” you talk about Kendrick and the shockwaves he sent through the industry.
The year before, he dropped his career-defining concept album
good kid, m.A.A.d city. Knowing he’d just released one of the most dynamic rap albums of all time, he appeared on “Control” to make sure everyone else on the planet knew it too. In a three minute verse, he issued a challenge to every rapper in the game, name-dropping 11 of the biggest rappers at the time (like the good old days) — including J.Cole and Drake.
“Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller — I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you,” he rapped. “What is competition? I'm tryna raise the bar high,” he continued.
The verse was a wake-up call. Kendrick was banging on everyone’s doors and telling them to get to work. And, to his credit, they did. Every rapper felt like they had to prove themselves, and the music we got in the verse’s wake was their attempt. From Drake’s
If You're Reading This It's Too Late mixtape, which took him finally from R&B to full rap star, to J. Cole’s Forest Hills Drive, some of these rappers released their best work.
But while there was love in “Control” — especially since Kendrick had collaborated with and even toured with some of the artists mentioned a few years prior — the past decade certainly changed things.
A definitive timeline of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef in 2024
The Big Three? Kendrick, Cole, and Drake
Though some say Kendrick started the current iteration of the feud, it actually goes back to Drake’s album
For All the Dogs. In “First Person Shooter,” J. Cole actually gives Kenny props — describing him, Ken, and Drizzy as the “big three.”
But in March 2024, Lamar appeared on “Like That" alongside Future and Metro Boomin
We Don’t Trust You album to say: “motherf**k the big three, n*gga, it's just big me.”
In response, Cole released “7 Minute Drill” in early April. He went album for album, giving a pretty ungenerous take on Kendrick’s albums, insinuating he is washed up, irrelevant, and jealous — mad talk from someone who’s just called him part of the “big three.”
“Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put niggas to sleep, but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive, and that was your prime / I was trailin' right behind, and I just now hit mine / Now I'm front of the line with a comfortable lead / How ironic, soon as I got it, now he wants somethin' with me.”
However, in a surprising move, Cole soon took himself out of it. At the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina just days later, Cole publically apologized on stage — not a common occurrence in the rap world. Calling it “the lamest shit [he] ever did in [his] f**king life," he said that though the internet seemed to “want blood,” he didn’t. While the decision was met with an overall groan from fans and the rap community — tapping out of beef so soon made him look like he couldn’t handle the heat. However, now, it seems like Cole knew something Drake didn’t: when to quit.
At first, critics pointed to other times Kendrick has thrown shots. It didn’t have to be personal, they said, and a rap battle is distinct from rap beef. Rap battles are integral to the genre, and the fire is always friendly. But J Cole was soon proved right when Drake put his two cents in, and the battle went from a tiff about artistry to something increasingly more personal.
Drake v Kendrick, one on one
On April 19th, Drake released his first response: "Push Ups." Its notable lyrics included digs on Kendrick’s height (even though short kings are up right now) and on his TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) record deal — namely for making him do that verse on Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.”
The most incensed lyrics, however, were about Kendrick’s legacy. “What's a prince to a king? He a son. / Get more love in the city that you from.” Drake implied that he was bigger physically and career-wise, “Sonning” Kendrick. But it was implying that Drake was more popular in the West Coast, where Kendrick is
Regal, that really took this beef to another level.
Known for his “Back to Back” disses, Drake doubled down days later with “Taylor Made Freestyle” — with Swift catching strays again. The title implies that Kendrick pushed back his latest release out of fear of Taylor Swift’s
Tortured Poets Department and says that Taylor’s running the music industry (kinda true).
However, the song’s controversy doesn’t end there. Drake used AI to take on the voices of Kendrick’s West Coast idols and make more jokes about Lamar not being the “West Coast savior” he thinks he is. However, the Tupac Shakur Estate threatened to sue if Drake didn’t delete the track. For those counting at home, that’s two diss tracks wiped from the internet before Kendrick could even respond.
Still with me? This is where it really gets interesting.
“Euphoria” et al
Kendrick released “Euphoria” on April 30, 2024. One of the definitive two tracks from this feud, “Euphoria,” is a six-minute saga that essentially says
you wanted to get personal? Let’s get personal. Up until this point, Kendrick’s jabs were about the music. But in “Euphoria,” he takes shots at everything imaginable about Drake: his fashion sense, his friends, his hip-hop credentials, and even his Blackness — saying no one wants to hear him say the N-Word anymore.
The more hateful the bar, the better. The most-quoted lyrics were even a reference to a DMX interview about Drake from a few years ago, implying that hip-hop legends don’t respect Drake or his posturing. “It's always been about love and hate, now let me say I'm the biggest hater,” he said before going on a tirade that put all other haters to bed and crowned Kendrick the biggest hater ever. “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress / I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct / We hate the bitches you fuck 'cause they confuse themself with real women / And notice, I said "we," it's not just me, I'm what the culture feeling.”
Early in the morning 3 days later, Kendrick released another track: “6:16 in LA.” This song is about OVO, Drake’s team and brand, and how there might be disloyalty in the ranks. He rapped: “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me?/ Fake bully, I hate bullies / You must be a terrible person/ Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it/Can’t Toosie Slide up out of this one, it’s just gon’ resurface.”
Hours later, Drake responded to the claims about his team with claims about Lamar’s family in “Family Matters.” This, again, took the beef to another level. He made claims about infidelity and even domestic abuse in Kendrick’s relationship. While the jury is still out on whether or not these claims are true (Kendrick denied them), like anything, words are about impact, not intent. And these words got Kendrick riled up.
Now that they were talking about family, literally minutes later Kendrick released “Meet the Grahams”, making good on the line in “Euphoria”: “Don’t tell lies about me, and I won’t tell no truths about you.” He confirms that this beef won’t end with an apology, though it started with one. It’s for life. Petty king. “F**ck a rap battle, this a lifelong battle with yourself,” he raps.
“Not Like Us”: The Finisher
And in quick succession, Kendrick released the defining song of the beef — a real contender for song of the summer. “Not Like Us” compares Drake’s OVO crew to Kendrick’s West Coast crew, specifically calling them sex offenders. The cover art is an aerial photo of Drake’s Toronto hellscape of a mansion with a cluster of sex offender symbols over it. Scathing. Humiliating. And when the lyric of the summer is about your penchant for grooming young women? How will Drizzy ever recover?
He put in a valiant effort with his next track, “The Heart Pt. 6.” He came back at Kendrick’s family and even asserted that he’d fed Kendrick false information — a goofy move for a goofy man. But maybe it would’ve worked the way he wanted if not for “Not Like Us.” As it was, there was nothing he could say to top that. Kendrick was at his most spiteful, most hateful, and most talented. And the song became an instant anthem. What could Drake really do about that?
Kendrick won. Now he’s on his victory lap
For a minute, rap fans were divided. With each new track showcasing the rappers at their best, some were divided about who was winning. From the salacious revelations to the actual bars, everyone was talking about the beef and what it meant. But after the release of “Not Like Us,” even Drake fans had to agree that their man was cooked.
Even worse, they started playing “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” on the radio. That’s how you know you’ve lost a rap battle: they play one person’s songs on repeat but never spin yours. And these were serious plays. Serious enough that “Not Like Us” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and “Euphoria” climbed to No. 3. Two songs of the summer? Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar behavior — our short stars!
And if that weren’t enough, “Not Like Us” might even win a Grammy. When TMZ asked Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. about the track, the music mogul said: “That’s a relevant record that’s impacting on so many levels. So much creativity and talent.”
All summer, I’ve been saying that if I were
Olivia Rodrigo, I’d be sick seeing the girl who stole my boyfriend top the charts with the most infectious songs of the summer (Sabrina supremacy … hope Olivia gets her driver’s license or whatever that song was about). Similarly, if I were Drake, I’d be ill at the thought that a song so scathing was doing numbers on the charts. Especially since Drake is used to sitting pretty at No.1 in the summer. Sorry, man, not this year.
The significance of Kendrick’s Pop Out show
We’ve established that Kendrick Lamar is the most petty person that ever exists. So it should have been no surprise when he announced a show in Los Angeles on Juneteenth. To double down on the fact that, despite Drake’s claims, he does get love from his city, he dedicated the night to the West Coast by bringing out, you guessed it, his friends.
With the Pop Out concert, Lamar proved that the feud wasn’t just about taking personal shots, it was about territories. Teams. Friends. And the love you get from your city. After his status as the definitive West Coast rapper was challenged and his ties to his city were questioned, Kendrick Lamar brought out not just West Coast artists but also united members from rival gangs on stage. It was an incredible show of unity and the power of culture on Juneteenth. But imagine being Drake, and people are literally ending beef just to dance on your grave? And to make matters worse, it’s streamed live online for the world to see?
The show — and the rap beef in general — was also about proving how embedded in Black culture Kendrick is, as opposed to Drake, according to his claims. It was ultimately about the difference between pop versus rap. Pop, where Drake falls, according to Kendrick, is about individuality and topping charts. That’s why all of Drake’s shots were about making hits and having a lot of fans. Kendrick even let him have his flowers for that on “Euphoria,” saying: “I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough.” Hop-hop, as Kendrick demonstrated, is about the culture. “This ain't been about critics, not about gimmicks, not about who the greatest,” he continues.
And Kenny is not the only person in the hop-hop community who feels that way. In January, Yasiin Bey — the rapper formerly known as Mos Def — called Drake a pop artist, not a hip-hop artist. In later statements, he clarified his critique but didn’t retract it, saying: “I require more of myself and others than just talent or charm or charisma — particularly in times of urgent crisis.” As a rapper who was prominent during the 90s and early 2000s, Bey sees the artform as connective, capable of having an impact outside of a club or Target shopping aisle. “What I would like to see, in terms of creators or creative people in the world as it relates to our culture, is for people to connect with us beyond the jukebox or the dance floor.”
Kendrick’s impact has always been felt in his music. From showcasing the realities of life in Compton in
Section.80 to analyzing the cultural impact of gang violence in good kid, m.A.A.d city, and talking about Black culture in To Pimp A Butterfly, his music, videos, and performances are always reflective of Black culture and life. The Pop-Out Show showed he walked the walk, too.
Until it didn’t.
The only flaw of Kendrick’s Pop Out show: Why Dr. Dre complicates Kendrick’s legacy
There are two main headlines from The Pop Out: Ken & Friends show. The first was how Kendrick broke the record for how many times he played the same song in succession. To close the show, he played “Not Like Us” not once, not twice, but FIVE times in a row. He’s petty! He’s a hater!
Over the course of the show, and including during the encores, he also brought out West Coast artists to show his connection to his city. The surprise guest list included: YG, Tyler, The Creator, Roddy Ricch, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Ty Dolla $ign, Dom Kennedy, Russell Westbrook, ScHoolboy Q, Steve Lacy, Mustard, and Tommy the Clown.
However, one surprise guest tarnished the legacy and made a hypocrite out of Kendrick. Dr. Dre. Kendrick brought out Dr. Dre to perform one of his songs. Introducing Dre, he said: “It's only right that we start from day one, you know? So where would we be without our legends?”
However, although Dre was a fixture in 90s California rap, his legacy has become problematic over the last few decades. Dr. Dre has been accused by multiple women of physical assault, from writer Dee Barnes in 1991 to singer Michel’le, who was in an abusive relationship with Dre between 1990-1996. This is extra ironic because Kendrick uses a sample from Michel’le in “Like That,” but is still platforming her abuser? Rightfully, critics have pointed out this hypocrisy in the wake of spending all that time on his diss tracks rapping about the abusers in Drake’s circle.
Bringing out Dre complicated the entire message of the Pop Out. Does solidarity only exist for Black men? Does calling out abuse only matter when it’s to knock someone down a peg — not to actually hold anyone accountable or get justice? At the end of the day, what good is a community gathering that celebrates Black culture when it’s still invested in some of the same toxic protections of misogynoir?
While I’ll still be playing “Not Like Us” for what it stands for, I will continue to hope that Kendrick takes his own words to heart so I can more wholly celebrate his victory.
On Friday, December 8, Nicki Minaj went back to her roots by releasing the second installment of her no-skips debut album,
Pink Friday, with Pink Friday 2. The 2010 debut included radio hits like "Super Bass", "Fly (feat. Rihanna)", and "Moment 4 Life", and went triple Platinum. So you can imagine the hype behind The Queen of Hip-Hop's fifth studio album is surging to an all-time high...
Enter Gag City.
A few days before the album dropped, Minaj invited her army of Barbz to a pink utopia: Gag City. Named after the slang term, which we now use to indicate a loss for words, Gag City's every Barbie lover's dream...that became an instantaneous meme.
X (or Twitter, whichever you prefer) took their own creative liberties alongside the help of AI to put virtually anything you could think of in Gag City. Most of the Gag City attendees are fan-approved queens who are worthy of Nicki Minaj's approval. So obviously that includes the Starbucks Lemon Loaf. Unfortunately, others decided that Cardi B was denied entry to Gag City due to their 2018 New York Fashion Week brawl.
But there's one ultimate Barb who was awarded the Golden Ticket to Gag City...and that's none other than "Roman's Revenge" cover rapper, Timothee Chalamet! Spotify made our new
Wonka star the cover of their Teen Beats playlist as he enters Gag City, which is just about the highest compliment.
Spotify, who had their own mega-viral moment with the introduction of Sound Towns during the release of 2023 Wrapped last week, also announced on X that they were including Gag City as a new destination. The streaming platform is seemingly teasing a visit from Nicki Minaj herself, making their headquarters on X "#GagCity" and interacting with the Queen Barb.
Pink Friday 2 is already a hit album, but we already knew it would be. Minaj hit every mark, including star collaborations like J. Cole, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future, and she has even promised to release a new track everyday. The gift that keeps on giving, Gag City and Pink Friday 2 will always be famous.
Each week one of Popdust's disposable clones — grown in a vault deep beneath the Mojave desert — is exposed to the outside world through a relentless feed of news, pop culture, and social media.
The arduous process accelerates their dissolution back into an amorphous clone slurry. But before they go, they leave behind a document of what they've absorbed and what they've learned — a time capsule preserving a single moment in the slow-motion collapse of civilization. We call these End Times Updates...
End Times Update 5/7/21: Dogecoin, J.Cole, and Caitlyn Jennerwww.youtube.com
Transcript: [Clone]: Oh hi! Welcome to another End Times Update, presented by Popdust. I'll be your clone host for this week, Sir Shh! Ronin.
Unfortunately, as a defective clone, my actual appearance would be far too disturbing, which is why I'm being depicted by the alien from Contact, being depicted by Jodie Foster's father, being depicted by actor David Morse. Okay, maybe just one quick shot… Did you catch the little bit of brain popping out of my nose?
As always, we'll be sifting through the week's news, pop culture, and social media to pick out the latest indicators of global dissolution. So, if you find yourself overwhelmed at any point by, you know, the onrush of mankind's inevitable downfall, just pause the video…long enough to smash that like button! And don't forget to subscribe for more existential dread.
This week has been chock full of sinister omens and disturbing portents. But where better to start than with Ben Affleck?
TikTok star Nivine Jay shared a video message that the Gone Girl actor sent her after she unmatched him on celebrity dating app Raya -- believing that he was a catfish. While Jay claimed that she was embarrassed by her mistake, and didn't find Affleck's message creepy, other people, uh...watched the video.
[Music]
[Ben Affleck]: Nivine, why did you unmatch me? It's me.
In financial news, this week the joke cryptocurrency Dogecoin, surpassed a 50 cent per DOGE price, up more than 200 times from a year. This puts the total value of Dogecoin around 60 billion dollars.
Spurred on by memes and hype promoted by the likes of Elon Musk, there's no telling how high the currency's value might climb. Especially after the Tesla CEO -- AKA the Dogefather -- appears on Saturday Night Live this weekend.
In political news, this week has been especially eventful for California Republican candidate for governor Caitlyn Jenner. Perhaps the most famous trans woman in the world -- because Laverne Cox, the Wachowski sisters, and about a million other trans women are badly underrated -- Jenner was once an Olympic champion decathlete known as the greatest athlete on Earth.
So it's only natural that people would want to know her opinion on the controversy that has recently been drummed up about trans girls competing in sports.
[Caitlyn Jenner]: This is a question of fairness. That's why I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls' sport in school. It just isn't fair, and we have to protect girls' sports in our schools.
[TMZ reporter]: But if someone transitions and now identifies as a girl, isn't it delegitimizing their identity to prevent them --
[Caitlyn Jenner]: I also want to acknowledge all the young trans athletes who are out there, given the chance to play sports as who they really are.
[Clone]: Whoops…
Another fun campaign trail highlight involved Jenner's appearance on Fox News' Hannity, where she made it clear why she's running for governor, championing the plight of California's beleaguered private plane owners, beset on all sides by the oppressive institutional power of, uh… homeless people.
[Caitlyn Jenner]: My friends are leaving California. Actually, we're -- my hangar, the guy across [unintelligible] airplane, he was packing up his hangar, I said, "Where are you going?" And he says, "I'm moving to Sedona, Arizona. I can't take it here anymore. I can't walk down the street and see the homeless."
[Clone]: Okay then…
Well, that does it for this week. If the world survives longer than I do, we'll send another clone with more updates. Until then, byyyyyyye...
J Cole has officially announced his next studio album: The Off-Season.
The upcoming album will arrive on May 14th, the anniversary of his debut mixtape, The Come Up. In commemoration of his debut, the album cover of The Off-Season seems similar to the album art from The Come Up, since both show J Cole standing in front of a burning background.
Just know this was years in the making.
My new album The Off-Season available everywhere 5/14 https://t.co/aBw4po8fvx
The album was announced on Twitter, following a cheeky tweet posted minutes earlier which just read, "Is this thing on". The cryptic message to the ether was enough to set fans alight in speculation.
Fans have been waiting for new J Cole music since his 2018 album KOD. In 2019, he released a compilation album with his label Dreamville, but a solo project has long been in the works.
Cole teased this upcoming album on Instagram in December, hinting at a three-part series called "The Fall Off Era" which starts with this project and will continue with two more projects, tentatively titled It's a Boy and The Fall Off.
The caption read: "I still got some goals I gotta check off for' I scram..." so The Off-Season might signal the beginning of the end.
While Cole hasn't released a full length album in a while, he was trending this summer for a single titled "Snow on tha Bluff," a single targeted at activist and rapper Noname, who tweeted about how so many rappers were silent in the face of June 2020's wave of protests.
Social media speculated that the tweet was about J Cole and Kendrick, which was never confirmed, but naturally J Cole responded.
Though he has been billed as one of the top "conscious" rappers, J Cole did not use his platform to acknowledge Noname's point nor really to talk about police brutality or the protests, but rather to tell Noname to be nicer.
The single's misplaced energy caused a lot of criticism, even getting a public disavowal from Chance the Rapper, but it was Noname who had the final word, dropping a mellow track of her own to redirect the conversation back to activism and justice.
Noname's "Song 33" said plainly: "He really 'bout to write about me when the world is in smokes? / When it's people in trees? / When George was beggin' for his mother, saying he couldn't breathe / You thought to write about me?"
While that saga was the last we heard from J Cole, we can only hope that he has gathered his senses and spent the year going back to the verses filled with nuanced social commentary that once defined him.
Much like Outkast and Little Brother, J. Cole helped reshape the narrative surrounding the lack of lyricism from southern rappers.
The Fayetteville, North Carolina native raps with the technical brilliance of New York City rap titans like Nas and Jay-Z. His sincere take on the Black Experience makes him a leading voice in Hip-Hop.
Cole and other rappers such as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, and Wale were instrumental in rap's transition from the block to the blogs. His legendary mixtapes, The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights, set the internet ablaze and were played in every HBCU dorm room in the country.
At only 36 years old, J.Cole is talking about an exit strategy from the rap game. He feels he's accomplished a great deal and looks to leave on his terms rather than overstay his welcome. His next three projects are said to be his last.
On the Dreamville general's birthday, we ranked his albums from worst to best.
Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011)
Cole World: The Sideline Story album cover
There has never been an artist with so much pressure on their debut album being a classic than J.Cole. Between being the first signee to Jay-Z's Roc Nation and being touted as the second coming of Nas, Cole had the world waiting for him to officially claim his throne as King of the New School.
Unfortunately, Cole would succumb to the pressure. Cole World: The Sideline Story was J.Cole doing a terrible impersonation of his mixtape self. The inorganic attempts at radio-friendly hits and uninspired B-side cuts turned what should've been a slam dunk for Cole into a missed game winner at the buzzer.
4 Your Eyez Only (2016)
4 Your Eyez Only album cover
Cole admits to tapping into the perspectives of others when sourcing for inspiration. He's penned some of his best material when writing about situations that Black Americans are exposed to daily.
2016's4 Your Eyez Only was an example of a great concept that was poorly executed. Cole seemed to struggle with curating a connected theme for this album. Songs like "Immortal" are from the point of view of a drug dealer facing an existential crisis while "Foldin Clothes" is about the joys of being a domesticated man.
Each song on its own is solid, but they clash when put together as a body of work.
KOD (2018)
KOD album cover
Addiction is common in today's society. We all have some sort of chemical or social dependency that forces us to be dependent on something. J.Cole used his fourth album, KOD, to call attention to the many vices that plague him and his fans.
Sonically, KOD is Cole at his best. The album is equal parts entertaining and enlightening. But Cole's cautionary tales sometimes come across as him being holier than thou. Coming from someone who often touches on how drugs have ravaged the Black community, Cole's "Just Say No" narrative comes across as tone deaf.
Born Sinner (2013)
Born Sinner album cover
After what many felt was a disappointing debut, it was back to the drawing board for J.Cole. He was down but not out, and he wanted a shot at redemption. This Mulligan was in the form of his sophomore release,Born Sinner.
On his second studio album, Cole found himself still trying to obtain that sure-fire smash single. The difference was that his attempts weren't as contrived as they were on Cole World. Songs like "Power Trip" featuring Miguel and "Crooked Smile" featuring TLC showed flashes of the J.Cole that astonished and amazed on those iconic mixtapes.
The mild gospel influence and Cole's trademark introspective bars gave Hip-Hop a glimmer of hope for its fallen angel.
2014 Forest Hill Drive (2014)
2014 Forest Hill Drive album cover
The phrase "the third time's the charm" never applied more aptly than it did with J.Cole's third album. 2014 Forest Hill Drive is not only his best album but an undisputed classic Hip-Hop album.
J.Cole scrapped the formulaic album release and opted for a more grass-roots form of promotion. The album had no official first single, and Cole even went as far as going to a lucky fan's house and playing them the album three weeks before its release.
Cole bucking tradition and doing things on his terms paid dividends. He continued to release albums without the pomp and circumstance to tremendous commercial and critical success. 2014 FHD was the formal introduction to the J.Cole we knew would someday be king.
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