Tag: J. Cole

Cole takes inspiration from Kanye West’s blogging era as he shares personal insights with fans

J. Cole has kicked off the year in a unique way—by launching his blog, The Algorithm, just hours before celebrating his 40th birthday. The Dreamville rapper announced the new venture on January 27 via his Inevitable website, bringing fans back to the blog era that once saw artists like Kanye West and Tyler The Creator sharing their unfiltered thoughts online.

In his first post, Cole explained his motivation behind the project: “This is just a place for me to share. I been wanted a lil blog for years. Somewhere to post random shit I fuck with where the audience is way smaller than it is on the social media platforms.” He also shared a link to L.A. rapper Ahmad’s classic 1994 track “Back in the Day,” his first blog post after reminiscing about hearing the song when he was nine.

As he prepared to turn 40 at midnight, Cole reflected on his life and expressed gratitude, adding, “2025 will be a good one.” Fans are speculating that this marks the beginning of new music from the rapper, especially since Cole has hinted that his long-awaited album The Fall Off could be released before the Dreamville Festival in April.

Cole’s blogging initiative echoes the early days of Kanye West’s KanyeUniversecity.com, where the rapper shared thoughts on everything from fashion to music. Similarly, Tyler, The Creator ran a blog between 2007 and 2010, documenting his life before his rise to fame. Cole follows in their footsteps with The Algorithm, offering fans a more personal glimpse into his world.

J. Cole revealed two albums that really inspired him during the making of his 2014 iconic album (not surprising fans). In the most recent episode of his audio series Inevitable, the Dreamville rapper reflected on a considerable aspect of recording his third album but primarily on his new daily routine in Los Angeles during that time. According to him, 2014 Forest Hills Drive coincided with a personal and spiritual transformation, including meditating and accepting a much more comfortable, down-to-earth lifestyle instead of pursuing fashion.

Part of this new way of life included daily workouts at Runyon Canyon Park, with two particular albums serving as his soundtrack. “I’d wake up, put on some shorts, and take the alternate entrance to Runyon Canyon,” Cole explained. “It’s this cool back entrance that no one really uses, where you can walk from the house to a park area, then scale up the mountain.”

The initial trek was daunting, he said, but quickly became part of the routine. “Every day, I’d listen to Abbey Road by The Beatles and The Love Below by André 3000,” he said. “Literally every day, those albums were on repeat.”

After the hikes, Cole returned home to meditate, swim, shower, and then go to the studio to work on his album. He described the time as “one of the greatest of my life.”

J. Cole may indeed be retiring, revealing to his followers that his Dreamville Festival will be coming to a close after its fifth and last edition in 2025.

The bittersweet news was confirmed on Tuesday (December 10) by festival organizers through a post in social media pages, stating that the event will happen on April 5 and 6, 2025. “What a ride it has been. We can’t thank y’all enough for all the memories we’ve shared.” This was part of the message.

Cole’s manager, Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad, shared the gratitude by saying, “Thank You North Carolina. To everyone who’s travelled over the past 4 years to enjoy our little reunion,” declaring it a dream come true as well as a product of many people’s hard work. The festival has had a meaning.

The 2025 Dreamville Festival will take place at Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh, North Carolina, a few miles away from Cole’s hometown, Fayetteville. The complete line-up is yet to be disclosed.

J. Cole’s 2014 smash hit ‘No Role Modelz’ was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which is already far beyond the sales of 14 million units

This certification, proclaimed on December 10, already took the song far above the Diamond mark of ten million and into the arms of 14-dimensional platinum. By this, “No Role Modelz” has become Cole’s second Diamond song after “Middle Child,” which earned its crown in July.

However, “Middle Child” has never topped the Billboard Hot 100; after a debut at No. 26, it peaked at No. 4 and has become one of the most iconic tracks from Cole.

Despite the claims that “No Role Modelz” went diamond two years ago, the official certification was issued only this week.

Cole drops new music

J. Cole is celebrating ten years of his acclaimed album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, with the release of eight previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions for the album. Up until now, these songs were only available on the vinyl and CD versions of the album.

The expanded “10 Year Anniversary Edition” will only be available for purchase through Cole’s official Inevitable web store, where fans can also access Cole’s audio series, Inevitable, which reflects on his life and career.

Cole shared on Instagram the backstory for the album, stating: “Forest Hills Drive originally was a double album at one point during the finishing process. This anniversary edition contains 8 of the songs that were included in that version.”