J. Cole is returning to a different rap world

There was a time when J. Cole’s possible swan song album, The Fall-Off, was the most-anticipated project in rap. Cole has been teasing the album, slated for a Feb. 6 release, for five years. He dropped hints about its release as far back as 2021, calling it “the most ambitious” project he’s ever done.

The Fall-Off was to be Cole’s opus and the album that solidified his spot as one of rap’s all-time greats. However, a high-profile feud and retreat and a changing rap landscape have Cole dropping his album in a vastly different world than when he first laid out bread crumbs for the project. Which begs the question: Is Cole an underdog once again?

If J. Cole had announced the release of The Fall-Off in the first half of 2024, the response would be pretty universally positive. But that was before the Great Rap War. Before Kendrick Lamar took a blowtorch to Cole, his buddy Drake and the idea that the three of them could coexist peacefully. Before Kendrick rapped “f— the big three, it’s just big me.” Before Cole decided to respond with his own diss at Kendrick — a self-admittedly lukewarm, half-hearted retort called “7-Minute Drill.” Before he decided to redact the diss in much-debated monologue, in which he said the moment “didn’t sit right with my spirit,” and it was the “lamest s—” he’s ever done.”

That singular moment changed J. Cole’s career.

Initially, Cole faced internet wrath and ridicule for his retreat. What kind of rap superstar skips a rap feud predicated on lyrics, especially when there was a zero percent chance of it escalating to violence?

As Drake and Kendrick Lamar continued on, however, Cole’s refusal to engage seemed more understandable — wise even. After all, Drake and Kendrick’s feud went to another level of vitriol, full of accusations of pedophilia and domestic violence. The two men were in a battle that was something deeper than just rap. Cole, a rapper with no real disdain for any parties involved, looked like someone who chose peace. And who can blame him for that?

On the other hand, Cole did technically duck a rap fade. And in the debate over who’s the best in the world that matters. A viral tweet has already declared that Cole can’t call himself the best in any of his upcoming bars. Fat Joe questioned if Cole’s legacy has suffered from his retreat: “Do we look at him the same, being that they screwed his head off the big three?”

Wherever you stand on the debate, the entire controversy has created the most compelling story in J. Cole’s career. And it can be a blessing in disguise. 

My main criticism of Cole over the course of his career was that he hasn’t really had much to say. He’s been a great lyricist. That’s undeniable. But that lyricism hasn’t always translated to music and stories that are compelling. He’s embraced this mundanity, too, rapping about losing his virginity and wanting to just fold clothes with his partner.

Cole has indicated that he lives a simple life of rapping and being a family man. That’s great for him, but oftentimes the art reflects that lifestyle simplicity. Compare that to his peers like Kendrick Lamar, who has used his albums to tell biographical stories and delve into his mental health battles. Tyler, The Creator used most of Chromakopia to ruminate on aging, the prospect of parenting and his own selfishness. Even Drake at least tells us the tea on the women he’s attempted to sleep with. Cole keeps a safe distance, but that comes at the expense of closeness to his story.

That hasn’t stopped fans from loving him. When I taught at Morehouse, my students held Cole in the highest regard. Yes, he made great music. But he also represented something that they could glean from. Cole represented the counter-programming to the popular rap du jour. He was the antidote to the NBA Youngboys of the world. “You need a certain level of intelligence to understand J. Cole” became the prevalent meme for those wanting to remind us that Cole is above the mumble rap fray. But it also became a way to attack Cole and his fans for their pretentiousness, creating just as much backlash.

For the past few years, Cole’s claim to greatness has simply been that he raps better than just about everyone. And that’s very true. Not that many rappers can keep up with Cole’s flow patterns and layered lyricism. He released his first teaser from the new album, an untitled track called “DISC 2 TRACK 2,” in which Cole raps his life backwards. It’s the J. Cole experience: impeccable rhyming — two minutes of the same rhyme scheme telling a coherent tale is masterful manipulation of the written word — but it’s not particularly illuminating. The appeal is the rhyming itself.

But again, what good is rhyming like the best in the world when you already recused yourself from the “best in the world” competition in so many people’s eyes?

This dilemma, though, has the potential to be Cole’s truly compelling story to tell for the first time in his career. He has an underdog tale to tell and a climb to remind everyone why they loved him. We want to hear his side of the stories and what’s next. We want J. Cole. And he has the opportunity to give us a full version of himself and his journey over the past 18 months. That in itself is an exciting prospect.

Now he just has to deliver.

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