Dreamville Festival, the brainchild of Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole and his acclaimed Dreamville team, is set to triumphantly return to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, 2024. After an immensely successful previous edition, which saw a record-breaking 100,000 attendees worldwide, Dreamville Festival is poised to make its mark again as the world’s largest artist-led music festival.
“Dreamville Fest 2023 was a major cultural moment for the spring festival season. We had amazing performances from some of the biggest artists of my generation, and we plan to bring that same energy in 2024! Lineup coming soon,” said Dreamville Festival President Adam Roy.
For fans eager to secure their spot, an early-bird ticket sale will commence in the coming days. Subscribers to the festival’s e-newsletter and SMS updates will receive priority access by signing up at www.DreamvilleFest.com.
Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh’s expansive public park, will host the festival. Spanning over 300 acres, the park boasts picturesque landscapes, skyline views, and a variety of family-friendly attractions, including carnival rides and immersive art installations. Attendees can look forward to a diverse array of local vendors, food trucks, and community organizations from the Wake County region.
Emphasizing community, diversity, and inclusivity, the festival is not just a music event but an annual reunion for Dreamville fans worldwide. The festival is also committed to making a significant economic and cultural impact on North Carolina, contributing to the state’s growth and culture.
Dreamville Festival’s return promises a weekend of music, art, and unity, a testament to J. Cole’s vision and the enduring power of Dreamville.
Dreamville Festival will return in 2024, as J. Cole and Dreamville announced the dates for next year’s event, along with sharing some presale information.
The festival is returning to Raleigh, North Carolina on April 6 and 7, 2024. More info will presumably be shared as the date gets closer.
Dreamville’s 2022 comeback festival was headlined by Lil Baby, with performances from Kehlani, DJ Drama accompanied by Lil Wayne, Jeezy, and T.I., Blxst, Ja Rule and Ashanti, Moneybagg Yo, Larry June, Wizkid, Wale, and T-Pain. Meanwhile, this year’s festival saw J. Cole and Drake play a tandem headlining set, with Usher headlining the first day, and Lil Durk, City Girls, Sean Paul, Jessie Reyez, Key Glock, Summer Walker, GloRilla, Waka Flocka Flame, Mario, Ayra Starr, Baby Tate, and Burna Boy all performing throughout the weekend in addition to the Dreamville roster.
Drake and J. Cole are coming for the neck on their new collaboration, “First Person Shooter.” While the Toronto-born rapper has been teasing the release of For All The Dogs, it was clear that his intention was to deliver an undeniable body of work. Sure, it’s only been a few hours since it dropped but there are already a handful of highlights that have the timeline buzzing. One of which happens to be his long-awaited collaboration with J. Cole, “First Person Shooter.”
Produced by Vinylz, Boi-1da, OZ, Tay Keith, Coleman, FNZ, Drake and J. Cole showcase their lyrical prowess in their latest collaboration together. The high-octane production leads with a warped vocal sample while J. Cole kicks off with a few bars before The Boy enters. The futuristic and energetic production allows the two rappers to showcase their vivacity. It’s a hard, playful banger that adds to the impressive list of collaborations that they’ve accumulated over the years.
From the sounds of it, Drake and Cole locked in this collaboration at the last minute. While Drake confirmed during Table Of One that J Cole just submitted his verse for the album, the Fayetteville MC dishes some bars addressing NBA Youngboy. “N***as so thirsty to put me in beef/ Dissectin’ my words and start lookin’ too deep/ I look at the tweets and start suckin’ my teeth/ I’m lettin’ it rock ’cause I love the mystique,” he raps. “I still wanna get me a song with YB/ Can’t trust everything that you saw on IG/ Just know if I diss you, I made sure you know that I hit you like I’m on your caller ID.”
Meanwhile, Drake reiterates his GOAT status as he gains one more Billboard record that pushes him closer to Michael Jackson. Towards the end of the record, the rapper states, “N***as talkin’ ‘bout when it’s gon’ be repeated/ What the f**k, bro? I’m one away from Michael, n***a, beat it.” Earlier this week, Billboard reported that Drake is one #1 single away from tying Michael Jackson for the most amount of chart-topping hits on the Hot 100. Check out “First Person Shooter” above.
Quotable Lyrics The one that they call when they shit ain’t connectin’ no more, feel like I got a job in IT Rhymin’ with me is the biggest mistake The Spider-Man meme is me lookin’ at Drake It’s like we recruited your homies to beat demon deacons, we got ’em attending a wake
Reason’s issues with Top Dawg Entertainment spilled out into the public eye last week. The TDE rapper and label president Moosa went head-to-head on the Bacc On Figg podcast over Reason’s release schedule. However, one thing Reason made clear is that he’s received plenty of love from the Dreamville crew over the years. He’s a frequent contributor to the Dreamville compilation efforts and it seems that he got the opportunity to hear some new music from J Cole.
During a recent interview on New Rory & Mal, Reason reflected on Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse before sharing his thoughts on J Cole’s upcoming album, The Fall Off. Reason explained that Cole is on pace to surpass Kendrick Lamar once the new album drops. “I think when The Fall Off drops, only on the strength of — ’cause TDE fans are f**king crazy — not ’cause he’s better than Dot, but just because he’s been more active. I feel like when The Fall Off drops, the fruits of his labor from being so active are gonna show,” Reason explained.
Fans have frequently debated whether J Cole or Kendrick Lamar is the better rapper. Although Kendrick’s earned a list of accolades that have set him apart from his peers in hip-hop, J Cole’s undoubtedly been far more consistent in recent years. Projects like K.O.D. and The Off-Season silenced many of Cole’s critics over the years. However, Reason feels as though Kendrick and J Cole have their respective moments. “But they’ve done this for years, though. To me, they’ve kinda like — Dot is bigger at this point, Cole [is bigger at that point]. They’ve kinda done that for a long time,” he explained.
Reason is fresh off of the release of his latest album, Porches, which arrived on Aug. 11th. The body of work boasts an array of features from TDE artists including Doechii, Ray Vaughn, Sir, and Zacari. Artists like Baby Tate and London Money also appear across the tracklist. Maybe, we’ll see him on J Cole’s upcoming album, which has yet to secure a release date. We’ll keep you posted on anymore updates.
Summer Walker is ready to deliver her new CLEAR 2: Soft Life EP. The EP was originally announced during Walker’s appearance at the 2023 Dreamville Festival. In a video with Sukihana and Sexxy Red, Walker reveals the complete tracklist.
To Summer, From Cole (Audio Hug) Hard Life How Does It Feel Mind Yo Mouth Pull Up New Type Feat. Childish Gambino Finding Peace Set Up (2017) Agayu’s Revelation (Prod. by Solange, Steve Lacy, and John Kirby)
Summer Walker announced the release of CLEAR 2: Soft Life EP for May 19, The new EP is available for pre-order here.
J. Cole is best known for his musical endeavors. However, in 2020, the North Carolina rapper embarked on a professional basketball career. Cole had hopes of becoming the second-ever rapper to make it to the NBA, with the first being Master P. While Cole has not achieved his NBA dream, he has played professional basketball across the world in the past few years. J. Cole’s journey in basketball gained lots of media attention, as the rapper even graced the cover of SLAM Magazine. Having said that, news about Cole’s basketball career has been quiet recently. Let’s take a look at J. Cole’s career and find out if he is still hooping.
J. Cole’s Early Basketball Career
CHICAGO – JUL 28: Recording artist J. Cole performs on day one of Lollapalooza on July 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
J. Cole’s basketball career began when he was a child, first in a rec league then, at Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After he was cut from the varsity team in his first two years of high school, Cole went on to become a starter in his senior year. He had faith that he could play at the Division 1 level of college basketball but ultimately, attended St. John’s University on an academic scholarship. There, J Cole tried out for the university’s basketball team as a walk-on and made it to the final ten out of 70-80 players. According to Cole, he was not cut by the team but instead, elected not to play because he believed he wasn’t ready for the commitment or lifestyle. Despite this, J. Cole frequently practiced with St. John’s women’s team and played intramural basketball.
Beginning of Professional Career
KIGALI, RWANDA – MAY 16: Jermaine Cole #15 of the Patriots Basketball Club is congratulated by teammate Brandon Costner #33 during the second half against the Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club at Kigali Arena on May 16, 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda. Today is the start of the inaugural regular season in the 12 team league, which is a partnership between the NBA and FIBA. (Photo by Nicole Sweet/BAL/Basketball Africa League via Getty Images)
On July 20, 2020, J. Cole shared an article with The Player’s Tribune that detailed his desire to play in the NBA after he graduated from college. In the article, he stated, “If I can blow up in the next three years, that means I’ll only be 27. That still might give me enough time to train and pursue a professional basketball career. I’ll work hard enough to go play overseas and then try to work my way to the NBA.” A few weeks after The Player’s Tribune article, Master P confirmed J. Cole was training for the NBA.
Though he didn’t make it to the big leagues, in 2021, J. Cole signed a contract with Rwanda-based Patriots Basketball Club in the Basketball Africa League. Finally, Cole found himself one step closer to the NBA. In his first game with the Patriots, Cole played seventeen minutes and finished with three points, three rebounds, and two assists against Rivers Hoopers.
J. Cole went on to play two more games for the Patriots Basketball Club. In his time with the team, he averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and one assist in fifteen minutes per game. Cole’s contract stated that he must play a minimum of three games. He fulfilled his obligations and shortly after his third game, Cole left the team. Despite the small sample size, J. Cole proved he could play basketball on a professional level. Along with this, his professional career continued in Canada.
On May 19, 2022, J. Cole signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League — the premier basketball league in Canada. Players in the league are expected to have played either collegiate or international professional basketball. J. Cole played four games with the Scarborough Shooting Stars where he averaged 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and shot 50% from the three-point line. On June 2022, Cole confirmed he was taking an indefinite leave of absence to go on tour.
In regards to his time with the team, Cole said, “Man, it’s been phenomenal. I was telling the guys in there like, ‘I’m going for these shows, I’m not sure if I’ll be back.’ But just in case, I had to let them know how incredible this was. The players, the coaching staff, the organization, the league, it’s a crazy thing when you see it on paper, when you see what’s actually happening, and they made me feel so welcome.” J. Cole did not confirm if he would be back in the interview.
CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 17: J. Cole performs at halftime during the 68th NBA All-Star Game at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
While J. Cole’s basketball career is still up in the air, the rapper has neither confirmed nor denied if it is officially over. Since his leave from the Scarborough Shooting Stars, J. Cole has not played another professional basketball game. While it seems that Cole is currently spending his time on music and his Dreamville label, it is still possible that the rapper may once again return to the court. Whether that be in Canada or somewhere else, it seems that J. Cole has not yet closed the door on shooting hoops in the future. Though it may be on hiatus, only time will tell if it is over.
Dreamville came through with another legendary festival over the weekend. Usher, Summer Walker, and more graced the stage while Drake and J Cole closed out Sunday night on a high note. Though Drake’s slew of guests, including Lil Wayne and Lil Uzi Vert, caught everyone’s attention, Cole’s surprising shout-out to Kanye West remains one of the most highly-discussed moments. Though Ye and J Cole have had their fair share of issues over the years, the Fayetteville native hoped to get Ye clear a few samples for him.
J. Cole’s iconic mixtape, Friday Night Lights, included many remixes of Kanye’s records. “Villematic,” which Cole performed on Sunday, samples Ye and Rick Ross’s “Devil In A New Dress.” It’s one of the many samples from Kanye’s catalog that Cole used in his mixtape but it seems that the Chicago artist is stalling the release of FNL on streamers. “Shout out to Kanye West,” Cole said after performing the song. “Please clear the sample for me, my brother. I appreciate it.”
Dreamville’s Ib Reveals J Cole “FNL” Hold Up
when y’all keep asking me everyday for FNL and The Warm Up and The Come Up on streaming just remember cole rapped on like 10 Kanye beats. I swear Once Kanye clears it I got y’all. https://t.co/SjkAvDo1wM
As artists like Lil Wayne and many others have taken their iconic mixtapes to streaming services, Friday Night Lights hasn’t followed suit, largely due to Kanye. Ibrahim Hamad, co-founder and president of Dreamville, reacted to Cole’s shout out on Twitter. He explained that the “GOMD” rapper used 10 Kanye beats on Friday Night Lights. Without Ye’s approval, it will be impossible to bring the project over to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music for commercial use.
“when y’all keep asking me everyday for FNL and The Warm Up and The Come Up on streaming just remember cole rapped on like 10 Kanye beats. I swear Once Kanye clears it I got y’all,” Ib said on Twitter. Though Cole hasn’t announced plans to release a project anytime soon, we’re hoping that his mixtapes will head to DSPs soon enough to hold us down in the meanwhile. Hopefully, Cole’s public plea will catch Ye’s attention in the near future. Check out Ib’s tweet above and let us know which one of Cole’s mixtapes you want to see on streaming services first.
