j.cole
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Dreamville Festival, the annual music event put together by J. Cole and his Dreamville Records team, makes its return to Raleigh, N.C. next month, and the headliners have been announced. Nicki Minaj, SZA, Chris Brown, and the aforementioned Cole are headlining the two-day event.
Dreamville Festival is one of the leading music events and kicks off festival season lovely while showcasing Dreamville’s roster and also supporting North Carolina nonprofits and businesses. The festival will be hosted once more at Dorothea Dix Park, with opportunities for fans to take in local cuisine, and purchase exclusive merch on the grounds.
Hip-Hop Wired was at the festival last year, and it was one of the best live experiences we’ve had in years. This year promises to be just as epic with things kicking off on April 6 with Lil Yachty, ScHoolboy Q, Sexxy Red, Jeremih, Teezo Touchdown, Amaarae, Luh Tyler, and Domani rocking the stage.
On April 7, Rema, Jeezy, Monica, Rae Sremmurd, Key Glock, Muni Long, TiaCorine, and Chase Shakur are on the bill. Of course, no Dreamville Festival would be complete without the Dreamville musical collective which includes J.I.D, EARTHGANG, Bas, Cozz, Lute, and Omen.
“Some of the biggest names in music will travel to Raleigh in only a few short weeks, bringing about one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the year. Our team looks forward to welcoming all of our Day One fans from around the world back to Dreamville Festival,”
said Dreamville Cofounder and Festival President Adam Roy in a statement.
As we’ve shared on our pages before, the festival is far more than music as the Dreamville team will promote a weekend-long series of free events and educational programming, along with platforming local businesses of all kinds.
To learn more about the festival and to purchase tickets, click here. The full lineup is also below.
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Photo: Dreamville/Getty
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty
J. Cole is coming!
It’s been three years since J. Cole blessed us with his last album, The Off Season, and it seems like the man is ready to get back into the game as last night he dropped a clip from a new song that had heads bopping and faces scrunching with approval. Over a menacing melody, Cole immediately sets the tone for the track by kicking off his verse saying “I said I was finished but I want another two summers/ Hall of famer hungrier than all the newcomers! Ni**as swear they compare, but the truth humbled…”
Bars!
While not much is known about his next album, The Fall Off, or when it might release, you can bet your bottom dollar that the culture will be tuning in whenever it drops because if this teaser is any indication of what Cole’s been cooking in the kitchen, we about to get served something special.
Only question is, will The Fall Off be J. Cole’s swan song? Some assume it will be but Jay-Z retired numerous times in his rap career only to return with new classics, so we wouldn’t bet the house on that assumption. But heads are expecting a new classic from J because as Cole said in his verse, “The Fall Off is like Hov droppin’ Reasonable Doubt last.”
Check out J. Cole’s verse below and let us know if you’re hype for The Fall Off in the comments section below.
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Source: Live Nation / Live Nation
So much for the 6 God taking a long break. On Monday (Nov. 13), Drake announced that he’s going on tour with Dreamville head honcho J. Cole called It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?
That should sound familiar considering the Toronto rapper’s 2023 tour with 21 Savage was also named It’s All A Blur. But this series of concerts kicks off in 2024. The tour will start on January 18 with a pair of dates in Denver, CO at Ball Arena and hit cities like San Antonio, New Orleans (twice), Cleveland and Buffalo before wrapping up on March 27 in in Birmingham, AL at The Legacy Arena at BJCC. However, Cole’s final date will be March 10 in Lexington, KY at Rupp Arena.
The tour is sponsored by Cash App and Visa and is produced by Live Nation. Tickets will go on sale with the Cash App Card presale starting Wednesday, November 15 through Thursday, November 16, while the general sale kickinv off Friday, November 17 at 11am on drakerelated.com. To access the presale you’ll use the first 9 digits of your Cash App Card and complete your purchase with said card. More info is here: cash.app/exclusives/drake-presale.
J. Cole gotta be dropping a new project to perform, right? Also, get your coins up. Check out the full schedule of It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What? below as well as reactions in the gallery.
DRAKE ‘IT’S ALL A BLUR TOUR – BIG AS THE WHAT?’ 2024 TOUR DATES:
Thu Jan 18 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena +
Fri Jan 19 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Mon Jan 22 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
Thu Jan 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Mon Jan 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center +
Tue Jan 30 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Fri Feb 02 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Wed Feb 07 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena +
Thu Feb 08 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena +
Mon Feb 12 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Fri Feb 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Tue Feb 20 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center +
Wed Feb 21 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Sat Feb 24 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Tue Feb 27 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Sat Mar 02 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tue Mar 05 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum
Sun Mar 10 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
Thu Mar 14 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena ~
Mon Mar 18 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center ~
Sat Mar 23 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena ~
Wed Mar 27 – Birmingham, AL – The Legacy Arena at BJCC ~
+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole
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Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
Soulja Boy is back in the headlines but this time it is for his maturity. Draco has issued an apology to J. Cole, after cursing him out.
XXL Magazine is reporting that the Atlanta, Georgia native is showing contrition after going after Jermaine. On Monday, November 6 Big Draco went on a tirade against the “John P’s Caddy” MC after he admitted he was a Soulja Boy hater during the interview with Lil Yachty on the A Safe Place Podcast. “Around the time Soulja Boy came out, I don’t know how this happened, but I had a realization within myself ’cause I’m hearing that s**t and I’m like, ‘Man, this s**t, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em,” J. Cole said.
He went on to further detail the moment in time. “Sounds crazy to say now ’cause it’s such a classic to me. But at that time I had resistance. Similar to when you came out and your class came out, I had resistance. ‘Nah, that’s not the thing that I love. Like what? Y’all f**king with this?’ I was one of them.” Cole then admitted he had hate in his heart at the time. “But there was a part of me that had a realization. I was proud of myself for this realization. So, I was like, ‘Bruh, you a hater.’ Like, ‘Yo, you are literally hating. You know you like this s**t.’”
Needless to say Soulja Boy was not too pleased when this got on his radar and disparaged The Off-Season talent on X, formerly known as Twitter. “P***y n***a I wrote and produced a #1 record at 17 in 2006 drake just gave you your first #1 this year sit the f**k down n***a u not all that @JColeNC u don’t got a #1 solo record I do.” he wrote. Soulja continued on with the slander saying “You a b***h @JColeNC f**k you and ya fans,” Soulja Boy wrote on X. “N***az will slap the s**t out you, f**k your opinion dirty stank dreads having a** b***h.”
Well it seems Nicki Minaj out of all people talked some sense into the S.O.D. Money Gang CEO. “Nicki just told me I took what he said wrong,” he posted on X. “And that he was showing love. So I’m gonna let it go. My bad y’all I really thought dude was hating on me.” He continued “My bad dawg. @JColeNC sorry for the confusion. keep doing your s**t we from two different worlds. I stand on what I stand on, it’s hard coming from where I did man. I dealt with a lot of hate my whole career so it was just messed to think it would come from you.”
J. Cole has yet to acknowledge the situation. You can see Soulja’s social media posts below.
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty / J. Cole
J. Cole is best known for dropping albums without any features, but when other Hip-Hop stars throw up the Dreamville signal, he never lets them down, delivering straight heat. Now, many fans are shocked to learn that his lyrical prowess doesn’t come with a ridiculous asking price.
Speaking with Lil Yachty on a recent episode of his A Safe Place podcast, J. Cole spoke on his collaborative process. The conversation eventually landed on how much the North Carolina flame spitter charges for a verse and we were all shocked to learn he doesn’t charge for features.
“Yo, bro, it’s just a bar, bro. Like, a lot of my bars be really on point but that’s just a flex. I’m not gonna charge a ni**a $2,000 a word. I don’t even charge ni**a for the verse, I’m doing this shit because I’m inspired to do it,” Cole told Yachty.
Jermaine Cole’s comments come after the rapper, who is “first to do everything,” Soulja Boy, claims he charges $1 million for a feature.
“If you want a verse, it’s gon’ cost you a M. You want a show, it’s gon’ cost you $100k,” the “Turn My Swag On” rapper said to fans during a recent live stream.
We’re curious how much Trey Songz paid for that “LOL Smiley Face” feature.
J.Cole Has Thoughts On Him “Washing” Drake On “First Person Shooter”
Anyway, later in the podcast, sticking on the topic of features, Cole spoke about having his first No. 1 track on the Billboard Hot 100 with his feature on Drake’s “First Person Shooter.”
“If it would’ve went No. 2 it wouldn’t have mattered. I wouldn’t have felt no way. If the other song would’ve went No. 1, it’s like, bruh, I’m cool. If that other song would’ve gone No. 1, ni**a, I’m still grateful I’m a part of it,” Cole said.
By the way, many agree that J. Cole washed Drake on the track, including J.I.D and Joe Budden.
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Consider us shocked that Cole doesn’t charge for features. This is just another reason his legend continues to grow in the Hip-Hop world.
But, also, when you’re really good at something, you never do it for free.
Just saying.
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Photo: Christopher Polk / Getty
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Source: Paige Boyd / Paige Boyd
One of the culture’s most beloved outings is set to come back. J. Cole has announced that the Dreamville Music Festival is returning next year.
Digital Music News is reporting that the Fayetteville, North Carolina, talent and his team are bringing back the popular concert series. On Monday, (Oct. 23), the official Dreamville Records Instagram made the announcement. The caption read, “Raleigh, NC 🌻 April 6 & 7, 2024 🌻 Be the first to get your presale password by signing up for fest info at dreamville.com.”
President Adam Roy expressed his enthusiasm in a formal statement. “Dreamville Fest 2023 was a major cultural moment for the spring festival season,” the executive said. We had amazing performances from some of the biggest artists of my generation, and we plan to bring that same energy in 2024!”
The two-day event will be returning to Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh’s largest public park. Ticket holders will be treated to performances and activities including carnival rides, food trucks, art installations, branded experiences and more.
J. Cole and Usher headlined the 2023 edition. You can sign up for more information on the 2024 Dreamville Music Festival here.
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Source: Cole Burston / Getty / Drake
After countless months of teasing his fans, Drake has finally released his highly anticipated album, For All The Dogs, and, of course, the reactions are all over the place.
Fans were wide awake at 6 a.m. and ready to hear lyrics that will end up being Instagram captions when the Canadian Hip-Hop star dropped his new album, For All The Dogs.
The album arrives three months after it was first revealed, featuring artwork by his no-longer secret son, Adonis. as the cover art.
The 23-song album, which is ridiculously long, serves as a follow-up to his other 2022 projects, Honestly, Nevermind, and Her Loss, and there are many features.
Drizzy gets assistance from big names like Bad Bunny and SZA, whom he revealed he dated at one point and is featured on the album’s lead single “Slime You Out” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” which also features Trump lover and victim of a sex tape leak Sexyy Red.
Other notable features include Drizzy’s homie, Lil Yachty, his recent tour mate 21 Savage, Teezo Touchdown, Yeat, and PartyNextDoor.
One standout feature comes from J. Cole, who used his appearance in the song ‘First Person Shooter,” where he addresses his beef with NBA Youngboy.
Did Drake Take A Shot At Pusha-T & Rihanna?
What many fans expected would happen on this album would be Drake taking a shot at his nemesis, Pusha T.
Everyone assumed that would be the case on the album’s first song, “Virginia Beach,” which samples Frank Ocean’s “Wiseman.”
Still, to the disappointment of everyone, it’s just a typical Drake song.
But, in what could be a reach or a clever observation, one X user noticed that in a skit on the 21 Savage assisted track “Calling For You,” a woman complains about not being in first class.
Hilariously, Pusha T hit United Air on X (formerly known as Twitter) on October 3 about the airline not having a first-class option despite letting an agent book a first-class ticket.
Is this a coincidence? Who knows, but if Drake did that in such a short turnaround, it’s pretty damn hilarious.
Another eyebrow-raising moment has the Navy reacting, thinking Drake could have possibly taken a shot at Rihanna on the song “Fear of Heights” on his latest album.
If true, we know Rihanna will have that smoke for Drizzla.
For All The Dogs Production
On the production, the side For All The Dogs boasts help from Bnyx, Boi-1da, Cash Cobain, Justin Raisen, Sadpony, and Southside.
OVO regulars Noah “40” Shebib, Oliver El-Khatib, Noel Cadastre, and Drake serve as executive producers. NBA superstar Kevin Durant serves as A&R on the project.
Of course, like with any significant Drake release, the reactions and crazy are up and down X timelines, with some folks calling the album mid.
Uh oh.
You can see those in the gallery below.
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Photo: Cole Burston / Getty
3. Ruh Roh
4. Accurate
5. Pretty much
7. Interesting
9. HOWLINNNNGGGG
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Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty
Over the weekend, the internet was buzzing with word that Lil Durk and J. Cole just gave us the song for the summer. And luckily for us, the cut came with a video that captured the vibe that we need going into the hot months of 2023.
In their visual to “All My Life,” Lil Durk and J. Cole kick it on the porch on a sunny day with a gang of kids who sing the hook as Cole and Durk break down the obstacles they overcame to get this far in life and have no plans of stopping anytime soon. It was a pretty dope feel good video.
Back in NYC, Jim Jones doesn’t seem like he’s done with the life just yet and for his clip to the Sen City and Dub Aura assisted “Gang,” the trio pull a jux and run up in a cap store to make off with whatever they got stashed in the back room.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from NBA YoungBoy, Bailey Zimmerman and Dermont Kennedy, Albee Al and more.
LIL DURK FT. J. COLE – “ALL MY LIFE”
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JIM JONES FT. SEN CITY & DUB AURA – “GANG”
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NBA YOUNGBOY, BAILEY ZIMMERMAN & DERMONT KENNEDY – “WON’T BACK DOWN”
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ALBEE AL – “WHAT YOU KNOW”
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JAY WORTHY & ROC MARCIANO – “WAKE UP”
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VICTORIA MONET FT. BUJU BANTON – “PARTY GIRLS”
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38 SPESH – “DARK & GRIM”
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BREEZYLYN FT. LOLA BROOKE & KALI – “BAD B*TCHES”
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Dreamville Festival 2023 wrapped up epically on Sunday (April 2), surpassing the wildest dreams of most of the fans in attendance on the first day of the weekend-long celebration alone. On the final night, Dreamville honcho J. Cole took alongside a certain Canadian superstar, who then brought out a bevy of unannounced surprise guests much to the delight of fans.
Hip-Hop Wired attended Dreamville Fest 2023, adding to the event’s well-established legacy and one of the premier annual music events on the east coast and beyond.
Since the big reveal of the star-studded lineup, most fans in attendance that we overheard were most excited about the prospect of seeing Drake rock the Dreamville stages alongside Fayettville’s native son, and they were not left disappointed.
Cole came out to raucous applause and ran through several fan favorites before pausing his set to give praise to Drake. The two were in top performance mode with Drake truly delighting the masses by bringing out GloRilla, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Wayne to perform some of their biggest hits.
Forgive us for the lack of a set list because we were too busy screaming our lungs out taking in the show to take notes. Put it this way. Each of the aforementioned stars has huge songs in their catalog and in that short amount of time, we heard most of the best.
We also have to add that while it is still VERY EARLY in festival season, it will be hard to top what we had the privilege of witnessing in Raleigh, N.C. Kudos to the whole Dreamville staff, label, and crew.
On Twitter, the reaction to J. Cole and Drake closing out the Dreamville Festival with a few of their famous pals is still going strong. Check out those tweets below.
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Photo: @ITCHYEYEPHOTOS/Dreamville Festival/The Parallel Agency
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Dreamville Festival 2023 concluded its weekend-long celebration in Raleigh, N.C., and Hip-Hop Wired took in the festivities on the grounds. Much like the inaugural event which we also attended, the Dreamville team once again provided a safe and enjoyable experience for the attendees while packing the stages with plenty of star power.
As we noted during our first time attending the festival, the Dreamville organizers have figured out how to stagger performances that ensure fans get to hear their faves unencumbered.
From acts like Houston spitter Marqus Clae and his passionate performance, the soulful crooning of SiR, the City Girls, and the always energetic EarthGang duo, fans got more than their money’s worth before acts such as Sean Paul, the beautiful Ari Lennox, and day one closer Usher took to the stage.
Sean Paul
Ari Lennox
City Girls
Usher
Omen, who was also among the day one list of performers, showed and proved that while it’s been some time since he’s released a proper project, his conviction and confidence are unwavering. We spoke with Omen briefly backstage at the event, and he promised that new music was on the horizon.
“It’s always difficult to put yourself back out there because I’m naturally shy and introverted but I try to put all I can into the music and I think this new project will showcase Omen at my best,” the Chicago native explained. Omen said that the album should drop in either the third or fourth quarter of this year.
Omen added, “My focus on this new album is that I want the music to mean something and to live beyond me. While Chicago influences almost everything in my art, this is also about my journey of me as a man. Being away from the scene for these years was hard but trust me, we got something to be proud of and I’m glad to be doing this with Dreamville behind me.”
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to speak to many of the performers on the festival’s first day, but the second day provided grander opportunities.
Reuben Vincent
EarthGang
Baby Tate
Waka Flocka Flame
Before the interviews, the performances from Reuben Vincent, Cozz, Mario, and Baby Tate, along with a rousing set from both J.I.D. and Waka Flocka Flame were mindblowing as evidenced by the roars from the crowd. Of course, most fans packed themselves early in front of the Shine stage for the event’s closing set of J. Cole and Drake, more on that in another post to come.
Backstage, we chopped it up with Jamla Records artist Reuben Vincent fresh after his set. Vincent, who hails from the city of Charlotte, explained to us that his purpose is grander than being a famous musician, especially after releasing the excellent album, Love Is War.
“I created Love Is War to honor my Liberian heritage and what my parents survived during the Liberian War but it’s also just about the fact that love truly can be war at times,” Vincent shared in a quiet tone, a stark contrast from his stage performance.
Vincent continued, “Having the legacy of Liberia within the body of my music and having strong mentors like 9th Wonder and the Jamla team is amazing. I’ve been chasing this dream since I was a teenager and now it’s all coming together for me at the right time. I’m glad I got to share my art with the crowd and that they seemed to get it.”
Baby Tate also delivered a stirring performance at this year’s festival, which was her first and she spared a few minutes of her time to talk about the experience and the resurgence of her track “Hey Mickey!” via TikTok.
“This was my first time rocking this festival but I’m so glad people were vibing with me, especially because I haven’t put a whole lot of music out but that’s about to change,” Baby Tate shared.
“And that’s why “Hey Mickey!” coming back around because of the kids on TikTok is so dope because I know some artists get hate for making songs for [TikTok] but if the kids are vibing with it, why not? That’s why we locked in with Saweetie for the remix. Because of that, we have a lot of stuff in store for y’all,” Baby Tate concluded.
Waka Flocka Flame, another artist who has kept a low musical profile lately, shared with us that he’s got a ton of new music in the can. While Waka says we can expect more of his stadium-rocking anthems, he’s also concerned with continuing his I Can’t Rap mixtape run as well.
“My whole thing right now is putting other people on but not just with music, but also the spiritual aspects of life because this industry will try you if you let it,” Waka explained, exuding the most positive energy of all the entertainers we met during the festival.
“I have so many blessings that were given to me that I have to do more for the people and it’s always more than just music. Yes, we got new music coming, and I’m coming back with that I Can’t Rap series. So many things. I can’t share too much but trust me, a whole lot of Waka is coming to the people and I can’t wait to hit the road,” Waka stated.
Hip-Hop Wired wishes to extend its thanks to Omen, Reuben Vincent, Baby Tate, Waka Flocka Flame, and the entire Dreamville Festival team for sharing a bit of their time with us.
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Photo: K97.5/Getty