Recent headlines might have you believe North Carolina rapper J. Cole is attempting to juggle full-time careers in both music and basketball. But the Dreamville boss could actually be retiring from his day job sooner than later. J. Cole Could Be ‘Done’ With Rapping After New Album Grammy winner J. Cole is scheduled to drop […]
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Ever since J. Cole closed his 2018 album KOD with a song title “1985 (Intro To The Fall Off),” fans have looked forward to the album of that title with both anticipation and apprehension. For one thing, lyrics, interviews, and social media posts he’s made since then have all seemed to imply plans to retire from rap once the album drops. However, in a new cover story in Slam magazine, of all places, Cole denies that he has any such plans, explaining that while he’s at peace with never making another album, he has too much love for the game to simply declare he’s done.
“I’m super comfortable with the potential of being done with this sh*t,” he tells Slam. “But I’m never going to say, ‘Oh, this is my last album.’… Because I never know how I’m going to feel two years, three years, four years down the line, 10 years down the line, but please believe, I’m doing all this work for a reason. I’m doing all this work to be at peace with, ‘If I never did another album, I’m cool.’”
If it seems a little out-of-place for a rapper to be doing cover stories for a basketball magazine, Cole made sure to legitimize that as well; yesterday, it was announced that he’d signed a contract to play in the newly created Basketball Africa League as part of Rwanda’s Patriots team ahead of the release of his next album, The Off-Season, which is decidedly not the same as The Fall Off.
In his revealing Applying Pressure: The Off-Season documentary, J. Cole breaks down the rationale behind his new album’s title, details its creation, and pursuing his basketball dreams.
From the opening scenes, in which Cole converses with 21 Savage, recalling the moment he decided to take rap seriously, the documentary provides insights into Cole’s work philosophy, such as his belief that “comfort is the enemy,” and his reactions to becoming a father.
The documentary precedes Cole’s upcoming album The Off-Season, which is due to drop this Friday after Cole took 2020 off to try to make a pro basketball roster. This week, he’ll also accomplish that dream; earlier today, famed reporter Shams Charania revealed that Cole had signed a contract for three to six games with the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League, the joint venture between the NBA and FIBA to create a premiere international league on the continent.
While Applying Pressure also features some of Cole’s basketball ambitions, the primary focus is on his new creative process. He talks about having writer’s block, comparing rapping to playing basketball, and putting in the work on being the best player he can be.
Watch Applying Pressure: The Off-Season above.
The Off-Season is due 5/14 via Dreamville/Interscope.
Dreamville boss J. Cole knows the countdown has officially started. The hip-hop superstar has hyped up anticipation for his sixth studio album by putting out his Applying Pressure: The Offseason documentary. J. Cole Drops ‘Applying Pressure: The Off-Season’ Film With a new project dropping on Friday, Cole surprises fans with his must-see visual. The doc […]
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J. Cole may not have played himself onto the roster for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons but it appears his hoop dream isn’t done quite yet. It looks like he’s about to compete for a roster spot in the newly-created Basketball Africa League according to Rwanda’s English newspaper, The New Times Rwanda. The New Times‘ Twitter account posted a video of J. Cole apparently preparing to play for the country’s Patriots team. The newspaper confirmed that his name is listed on the roster.
#BREAKING: American rapper J. Cole @JColeNC is in Rwanda and could feature for local side Patriots at the upcoming Basketball Africa League.
The New Times has learned he is on the club’s roster for the competition. pic.twitter.com/mhHOBCAvhx
— The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) May 9, 2021
If he makes the team, there’s no telling how it’ll affect the rollout for his new album, The Off-Season (aside from turning the title into the biggest misnomer in hip-hop), but it’ll be the culmination of a lifelong dream for him to play professional basketball — a dream that saw him taking advice from Master P, who once made it onto the Toronto Raptors’ preseason roster, and working with Puma on his own basketball shoe.
It’ll also make Cole a member of the BAL’s inaugural season, as well as one of the few Americans to play in the new league. The BAL is a joint effort between the NBA and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) to promote the sport on the continent, developing its talent for international competition. It consists of 12 teams and is scheduled to begin May 16, 2021, after being postponed from March of 2020.
According to Shams Charania, Cole is signing with the Patriots and will play three to six games, beginning with Sunday’s game against Nigeria.
Sources: American rap star J. Cole is signing a deal in the Basketball Africa League with Rwanda’s Patriots B.B.C. J. Cole will play 3-to-6 games, the first of which on Sunday vs. Nigeria.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 10, 2021
J. Cole is one of two import signings by Rwanda’s Patriots B.B.C. team in Basketball Africa League, joining former NC State star Brandon Costner.
Album drops on Friday. First pro basketball game in FIBA/NBA league on Sunday. https://t.co/gXytKIDQvN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 10, 2021
After three long years, J. Cole will finally release a new album on Friday. The Off-Season arrives after quite the wait following his last solo full-length effort, 2018’s KOD. Fans of the Dreamville rapper haven’t been exactly deprived of music from him since the 2018 effort as they received an impressive guest feature run from Cole as well as Revenge Of The Dreamers III which he appeared on multiple times. Nonetheless, just five days remain until The Off-Season drops and now, the project will be preceded by a documentary as Cole revealed in a tweet on Sunday.
Applying Pressure
The Off-Season DocumentaryDropping tomorrow at 1pm eastern. pic.twitter.com/mfYX3AMqFu
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) May 9, 2021
Cole shared a trailer for the documentary on his Twitter page, one he recently reactivated, with the announcement. In it, he speaks about the current stage of his career over videos of him in the studio and shooting some hoops at a basketball court.
“This is the moment that a lot of your favorite rappers hit a crossroad,” he says. “Are you okay with getting comfortable? Did you leave no stone unturned creatively? And when I thought about that feeling, I was like ‘Nah, I’m not cool with that.’” The upcoming documentary will be released on Monday at 1 p.m.
The trailer arrives after Cole shared the first single, simply titled “Interlude,” from the upcoming album. Fellow Dreamville rappers Cozz recently shared his thoughts on The Off-Season, calling it Cole’s “best sh*t to date.”
You can watch a trailer for the documentary in the post above.
Hip-hop superstar J. Cole knows what his fans want and he’s showing them he’s prepared to deliver. The North Carolina rapper dropped a new song just days ahead of his “Off-Season” album release. J. Cole Drops Song Ahead Of New Album J. Cole announced the release of the new track, “Interlude” through social media. In […]
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