J. Cole

J. Cole Had Three Points And Two Assists In His Basketball Africa League Debut

by
Getty Image

It’s been a busy week for J. Cole, as he dropped his latest album, The Off-Season, to rave reviews last Thursday night and on Sunday, he made his debut in the new Basketball Africa League for Patriots Basketball Club in what turned into an 83-60 win for Cole’s squad in their season opener.

Cole has made clear his desire to make it in the basketball world for some time, and not just as a friend to NBA players and someone who name-checks his superstar friends on albums — although, to be clear, he does that too. Cole wants to prove he’s a real hooper and to show his commitment he tried out for and made the Rwandan squad in the new BAL. His debut was rather unspectacular, but he did get on the board with a putback bucket on a follow in transition for his first professional points.

He finished the game with three points, three rebounds, two assists, and three turnovers, doing the little things and not trying to impose his will too much. While he’s the superstar name on the team and in the league, J. Cole seems to understand and embrace being a role player for the Patriots. He’s happy to play defense, set screens, and try to space the floor for his teammates, while creating and taking opportunities when he can. Brandon Costner, former NC State star and a journeyman who’s played in the G League, China, and elsewhere, led the way for the Patriots with 20 points while Rwandan national Dieudonne Ndizeye added 13 points and six rebounds in the win.

Cole looks like another guy out there, which should be taken as a massive compliment. He doesn’t look wildly out of place with some really, really good basketball players, and for a 36-year-old who’s never played professionally otherwise, it’s a credit to him and the work he’s put in that he’s capable of doing that.

J. Cole Details How He Changed His Approach To Competing With Drake And Kendrick Lamar

by
Getty Image

J. Cole’s The Off-Season is the talk of the music world this weekend. The project is his first solo effort in over three years and everyone is raving about it, from everyday fans to NBA players. And in what’s been a unique press run, at least on Cole’s term, the rapper has shown his face to the media more than some might’ve expected.

From a documentary and a SLAM Magazine cover that also arrived with an interview to an LA Leakers freestyle, it’s clear Cole is not sticking in his cave this time around. Just a little over a day removed from the release of The Off-Season, J. Cole sat down for another interview with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez on the duo’s podcast, The ETCs.

One highlight of the trio’s nearly 90-minute conversation came when Cole spoke about competing with fellow heavyweight rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar and how he eventually realized it would be better to dial back his competitive nature.

“I’ve never been a reach-out [person], especially because when there’s competition involved,” he said. “It’s almost like working out together. I guess in the NBA, in the past, that was unheard of. Like, ‘Why would I work out with this n****? … I’m trying to destroy this n****.’ That was kind of my mentality early on.”

He added, “But as I’ve gotten older, I realize … no one is truly my peer or can relate to what’s going on in my life better than these people right here — just in terms of whatever pressures there might be … nobody can really relate to that like these dudes, and I really genuinely f*ck with these dudes.”

At that point, Cole realized he had to “strip competition” from not only his approach to Drake and Kendrick but music altogether. “I also see a time when I’m not doing this. That seems very realistic to me,” he revealed. “And in the time when I’m not doing this, I don’t wanna be like, ‘Damn, we never kicked it, we never really did nothing.’”

You can watch a clip of the interview above and listen to the whole episode, which touches on Cole’s family, basketball, and the new album, here. The Off-Season is out now via Dreamville/Roc Nation. Get it here.

J. Cole’s ‘Still Tippin’ freestyle bashed by Houston critic

by

North Carolina rapper J. Cole had the hip-hop community buzzing over the freestyle bars he dropped during a recent appearance on Power 106’s LA Leakers radio show. While it seemed the Grammy winner’s effort was universally praised, one Houston-based writer was not feeling Cole’s rhymes over Mike Jones‘ iconic “Still Tippin” beat. Critic says J. […]

The post J. Cole’s ‘Still Tippin’ freestyle bashed by Houston critic appeared first on SOHH.com.

NBA Players Could Not Get Enough Of J. Cole’s ‘The Off-Season’

by
Getty Image

J. Cole dropped his sixth studio album, and NBA players cannot get enough of it. Cole’s first release since 2018, The Off-Season became available to listeners on Friday at midnight, with fans taking to social media to heap praise on the record.

NBA players decided to join in on the fun, shouting out just about everything from the lyrics, to the album’s production, to the mere fact that Cole — who is adding professional basketball player to his list of responsibilities by joining the Patriots Basketball Club of the Basketball Africa League — put together a new album.

One player, Eric Paschall of the Golden State Warriors, ran into some trouble trying to listen to it right at midnight, but eventually got to listen and really liked what he heard.

Plenty of dudes had something to say about the number of nods Cole gave to the basketball world. Ja Morant appreciated getting some love on “My Life,” Bradley Beal was glad to see Russell Westbrook’s name get dropped on “Amari,” and both C.J. McCollum and Donovan Mitchell were fans of Cole sampling Damian Lillard’s postgame comments after he dropped 61 points on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble on “Punchin’ the Clock.”

And unsurprisingly, Dennis Smith Jr. had the highest possible praise for his friend from Fayetteville.

J. Cole’s Rwandan Basketball Team Shares A First Look Of Him On The Court

by
Getty Image

J. Cole is notorious for keeping his projects under wraps but the musician has been busy lately. Not only has Cole just dropped his anticipated album Off-Season, but he’s gearing up to play his first-ever game as part of the Rwandan basketball team the Patriots.

The clip was shared to the Basketball Africa League’s official Instagram account. It shows footage of the Patriots going head-to-head with an opposing team for a friendly scrimmage game ahead of their season’s opening game against the Nigerian team River Hoopers this Sunday. The team had been practicing against each other to prepare for the upcoming season, and this was their first time competing against another team. Cole’s cameo in the video was brief, only being seen walking on the court and dribbling the ball past an opponent.

It hasn’t been long since Cole was first announced as part of the Patriots team. Earlier this week, Rwanda’s English newspaper The New Times Rwanda confirmed that the rapper was on the Patriots’ roster. It means that Cole is joining on for the BAL’s inaugural season and is one of the few Americans who will play in the league.

Watch the clip above.

Off-Season is out now via Dreamville. Get it here.

A Song From J. Cole’s ‘The Off-Season’ Has Fans Recalling His Tiff With Noname

by
Getty Image

J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season arrived last night to plenty of fanfare as listeners expressed their awe at his refocused rapping and generated enough streams to drive the new project to the top of Apple’s charts. However, not all of the reactions have been positive, as one song seems to be reminding fans of last year’s altercation with Chicago rapper Noname.

To recap: J. Cole and Noname became the center of a wide-ranging debate on social media when J. Cole released “Snow On Tha Bluff,” a reflective track in which Cole attempts to unpack his complicated emotions about social justice work and language. Many fans interpreted some of the song’s lyrics as references to Noname, who’d previously tweeted about celebrities keeping silent during the 2020 uprisings over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others. She responded with “Song 33,” calling out his poor timing, and fans on both sides debated the merits of both points of view.

Today, it appears many are either reevaluating or reaffirming their positions, thanks in part to a line from “Applying Pressure,” the fourth song on the concise The Off-Season. “If you broke and clownin’ a millionaire, the joke is on you,” Cole asserts. However, it looks like plenty of listeners disagree, turning “Noname” into a trending topic as they revisit the debate, which Noname herself commented on just a few days ago.

While “Applying Pressure” is seeing its share of attention, fans also expressed fascination at “Let Go My Hand,” on which Cole confirms the rumored scuffle between himself and Diddy in 2013… right before inviting the man himself to close out the track with one of his trademark prayers.

The Off-Season is out now via Dreamville Records and Roc Nation. Get it here.

Diddy really took hands from J. Cole over Kendrick Lamar

by

Dreamville’s J. Cole didn’t hold back on his The Off-Season album. One standout song from the project references a rumored 2013 altercation between himself and music icon Diddy. Diddy really took hands from J. Cole On Cole’s “Let Go Of My Hand,” he clearly name-drops Diddy and doesn’t hold back on what went down 8 […]

The post Diddy really took hands from J. Cole over Kendrick Lamar appeared first on SOHH.com.

J. Cole Confirms His Rumored Fight With Diddy On ‘Let Go My Hand’ － Which Features Diddy

by
Getty Image

Fans everywhere are rejoicing over J. Cole’s new project The Off-Season, which arrived more than three years after his last solo effort. While some believed the project would drop without features, it turns out its guests — 21 Savage, Cam’ron, Lil Baby, and more — were just unlisted on the tracklist. As listeners continue to take in the new album, one of its tracks is causing many to take a trip down memory lane, one that brings them back to the summer of 2013.

On “Let Go Of My Hand,” J. Cole raps, “My last scrap was with Puff Daddy, who would’ve thought it? / I bought that n**** album in seventh grade and played it so much / You would’ve thought my favorite rapper was Puff.” This, of course, confirms a rumored fight that Cole had with Diddy at an after-party event for the MTV VMAs. Diddy himself appears on the outro of the song to deliver one of his signature prayers, “Lord, please guide our steps / Watch us, cover us / So that every move we make is in alignment with your will.”

While the cause of the fight was never confirmed, rumor has it that it started when Diddy, who was heavily intoxicated, began an argument with Kendrick Lamar at the party about his infamous “Control” verse and the TDE rapper’s claim that he was the “King of New York.” Diddy eventually tried to pour a drink on Kendrick, an action that upset Cole, a close friend of Kendrick. As a result, Cole allegedly took it upon himself to fight Diddy for trying to douse Kendrick, which led to their respective crews going at it. Nearly eight years later, it’s good to see that they’ve patched things up.

Press play on “Let Go Of My Hand” above to hear the line yourself.

The Off-Season is out now via Dreamville/Roc Nation. Get it here.