Two weeks ago, rumors surfaced that J. Cole was making his long-awaited return after three years of no solo music. He still managed to top charts with his incredible feature run and his Dreamville compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers 3, but fans were anxious for Jermaine on his own.
No one expected the rumors to be true -- rap fans have been burned time and time again -- but days later Cole posted the cover art for his new album/mixtape hybrid the Off-Season to Twitter and a release date: 5/14.
Nearly every active hip-hop account on Twitter was abuzz on Friday morning not only rejoicing with Cole's return, but praising his lyrical talent on the latest release. Below, we break down our favorite moments from the new tape.
20. The entire "a m a r i" video:
Sheesh!
19. h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e - “I can see right through you [homies] like a 2Pac hologram”
18. i n t e r l u d e - “This summer, I do real numbers, couldn’t dare touch it if they sold a double disc”:
Don't get ahead of yourself, Jermaine. Your good friends Drake and Kendrick aren't spoken for just yet.
17. h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e - “[Homies] can’t see me one-on-one, that’s word to Kyla Pratt”
16. p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l - Lil Baby's verse:
Cole famously dissed a whole generation of rappers on his KOD outro, "1985," and most specifically Lil Pump, so seeing one of hip-hop's rising stars appear for a feature is somewhat of a surprise. Baby has been destroying guest spots here and there, most recently Drake's "Wants and Needs," and I think it's safe to say he washes Jermaine on this track.
15. 1 0 0 . m i l ' - “I’ma reign until FEMA show up”
14. i n t e r l u d e - “Christ went to heaven aged thirty-three, and so did Pimp C and so did Nipsey”:
My mind did that galaxy-brain meme thing at this line. 🤯
13. Bas’ contributions:
Cole's right hand man and Dreamville signee had some very tender and crucial moments on two songs. The two have created a lot during their partnership, and hearing Bas sing rather than rap was an unexpected mixup.
12. 9 5 . s o u t h - “Bullets be hummin’ like Cudi, but one of yo’ hoodies Spaghetti-O splashin’ “
11. m y . l i f e - 21 Savage: “I got a good heart, so I send teddy bears every time we make they mommas cry”
I didn't peg 21 Savage as the sympathetic type.
10. m y . l i f e - Morray’s chorus
09. l e t . g o . m y . h a n d - Diddy's prayer outro:
Back in the early 2010s, many media outlets reported that J. Cole and P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Puffy/Diddy had been involved in a small fight at a nightclub. While details of the fight differed, many agreed that it began when Diddy drunkenly approached Kendrick Lamar and confronted him about his infamous "Control" verse, then attempted to throw a drink on Kendrick.
Cole stepped in, slapped Diddy across the face, then was thrown out of the club.
Anyway, hearing Cole speak briefly about that scrap and then recruit Diddy for a very humble prayer is absolutely wild. Apparently, the two are on good terms and have been since the incident. Maybe one day we'll hear the whole story...
08. 1 0 0 . m i l ' - “Don’t care if it’s Michael B Jordan calling my woman, she ain’t never gonna pick up”:
That's loyalty. I mean, c'mon...
07. 9 5 . s o u t h - “Could put a M right on your head, you Luigi brother now”
06. 9 5 . s o u t h - Cam’ron & Lil Jon's appearance:
Getting Killa Cam, the pink legend, to kick off your long-awaited new mixtape will go down in history as one of the most incredible hip-hop flexes in memory. Then, to close the song with a sample from Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz track "Put Yo Hood Up"? No words.
05. l e t . g o . m y . h a n d - “Today my son said, 'Dad let go my hand'”:
I can't be the only one who shed a tear at the first listen of this line?
04. m y . l i f e - "Ja Morant, I'm on my Grizzly"
" ja morant i'm on my grizzly " heard you @JColeNC 🤝😤
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 14, 2021
03. p u n c h i n ' . t h e . c l o c k - “I got more cribs than Habitat for Humanity”
02. Features!!
Honestly, I'm just thankful the "platinum with no features meme" is dead, but also thankful that Cole has forced himself out of his comfort zone and welcomed friends and rappers back into the studio during his creative process. Especially after his last full-length album, where he said no one else was "worthy to be on my shit."
01. a m a r i - “Kill em on a song, walk up out the booth, do the Westbrook rock-a-baby”
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What'd you think of the Off-Season? Did it live up to the hype? Sound off in the comments below or holler at us on Twitter!
- Ritter
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