Man… I wanted to do another post building on the last couple days, and we will get back to that, but… I have to talk about this absolute HEAT J. Cole dropped last night.
Cole has his new album, The Fall Off, dropping 2/6 — something I have been waiting on for a long time. Cole is one of my all-time favorite artists. Always has been, ever since I discovered him way back. We’ll definitely do a post in the future about how he benefited from the Blog Era, but today is about the four-pack he dropped last night.
Let me say this first: I am really enjoying this rollout. This album has been teased for years. Cole has mentioned The Fall Off before — most notably on KOD in 2018, where the final song is literally titled “1985 (Intro to The Fall Off)”. So this isn’t something he’s kept secret, but we also truly had no idea when it was coming.
I was hyped when the rollout officially started with the video a couple weeks ago. There were rumors he might drop a “mixtape” before the album, and if these four tracks are that? I’m all in. And if he still surprises us with an actual mixtape this Friday? Even better. But if not, these four freestyles are more than enough to hold me over until next week.
Cole’s music is timeless to me. He’s one of those artists I can go back to at any point — early mixtapes, albums, features — and nothing feels dated or outgrown. Watching his growth over the years, both lyrically and artistically, has been dope as hell.
For this four-pack, Cole raps over some iconic New York beats:
- “Victory” by Diddy feat. Biggie & Busta
- “Can I Live” by Black Rob feat. The LOX
- “Who Shot Ya?” by Biggie
- “Money, Power & Respect” by The LOX
I don’t think that’s accidental. Cole has never shied away from showing love to New York and what it meant to his career. He attended St. John’s University, and while we’ll get deeper into that during the Blog Era series, it’s worth noting here. But let’s get back to this four-pack, because it’s straight fire.
“Bronx Zoo Freestyle”
This one is over the “Victory” beat. Cole briefly addresses the Kendrick/Drake situation from last year. He raps:
“I used to be top seed, apology dropped me way out the top three
No problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me.”
He’s clearly referencing the apology he made after dropping — and then deleting — his Kendrick diss. A lot of people in hip-hop didn’t like that move. Me? I didn’t mind it. Could that be bias? Sure. But if you actually listen to what Kendrick and Drake were saying to each other, it makes sense why Cole wanted no part of the personal shots. There are also rumors Schoolboy Q warned him about where it was headed.
Cole is basically saying: yeah, you might’ve knocked me out of the “Big 3” convo, but I’m still here, and I’m still that guy.
“Golden Goose Freestyle”
This one’s over Black Rob’s “Can I Live.” Cole is back on his “you can’t move me” talk:
“Cole the truth, got they throat in nooses
Grip never lettin’ up, though they hope it loosens
Nah, I’m on top, you can’t knock me off my spot.”
And honestly? He has every right to feel that way. Him, Kendrick, and Drake have been running this era since they came on the scene.
Then comes the bars that have the timeline going crazy:
“For crumbs, dumb dudes sold their soul to Lucian
Universal distribution, but I own the music.”
Later:
“If the streams say you winnin’, why your tours is losin’?
When the math ain’t mathin’, of course you juicin’
That mean the bots is boostin’.”
A lot of people think he’s subbing Drake — and honestly, I can see why. Drake is the most-streamed artist, yet had to cancel parts of his Australia tour due to “scheduling conflicts” that never got rescheduled. Kendrick also called out the tough-guy image on Euphoria. Cole did shout out Drake on “Port Antonio,” so who knows — things change. If they really are at odds now, that sucks, because Cole and Drake on a track together is always elite.
“Winter Storm Freestyle”
Over Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?” Cole raps:
“Memes say I’m humble, but trust this humility’s
From witnessin’ violence and turned off utilities.”
If you’re online and part of Cole’s fanbase (Carolina’s Finest), you already know the joke — Cole riding bikes, no security, regular clothes, just being… normal. But this line adds depth to that. His humility comes from real life, not just aesthetics.
Later he says:
“Cole gets older, but grows new abilities.”
And I completely agree. From around 2019–2022, his feature run was insane. Any song he hopped on? He snapped. Including collabs with one of my favorites, 6LACK.
“99 Build Freestyle”
The last track, over “Money, Power & Respect.” Cole raps:
“The only way of describin’ this way that I’m rhymin’
Is picture Jeffrey Dahmer walkin’ a carcass across the carpet.”
Dark, vivid, effective. Then he follows it with:
“The Marshall Faulk of the roster with all-star offense.”
That’s a fire sports bar. Marshall Faulk was the engine of the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams — stacked offense, Super Bowl squad. Cole’s basically saying he’s doing everything, but still surrounded by greatness.
Toward the end, he shouts out JID:
“If hip-hop is back, JID should chart platinum
Anything less than that, it means y’all cappin’.”
People love saying “real rap is back.” Cool — then prove it. JID is one of the dopest out, period. If that narrative is real, support it. Also, go listen to JID’s God Does Like Ugly if you haven’t already.
I loved this four-pack. I really think Cole chose New York beats as a way to pay homage to where he truly felt like he made his name. He’s always repped North Carolina proudly, but New York is a huge part of his story too.
There are rumors The Fall Off might be his last album, and man… I hope not. One of my GOATs can’t step away while he’s still rapping like this. He clearly still feels like he’s on top — and honestly, he might be right.
2/6 can’t come soon enough.
Go spend a dollar and run this four-pack.
– Jett Garden
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