Supply: David Peters / Courtesy of Dreamville

J. Cole has launched 4 new freestyles, packaging them as a mission titled Birthday Blizzard ‘ 26.

Hosted by the legendary DJ Clue, the Fayetteville MC raps over a choice of traditional instrumentals, giving followers a correct appetizer forward of The Fall Off, which is scheduled to reach Feb. 6.

Earlier than dropping the four-piece, Cole additionally launched a brand new monitor, “Disc 2 – Monitor 2,” the place he displays on his life in reverse. The tune begins at his funeral and works its means again to his birthday, serving as each a private reflection. On the display screen, Cole shared a written message that additional fueled hypothesis that The Fall Off could actually be his last album:

“For the previous 10 years, this album has been handcrafted with one intention: a private problem to myself to create my greatest work. To do on my final what I used to be unable to do on my first. I had no means of understanding how a lot time, focus, and vitality it could ultimately take to realize this, however regardless of the numerous challenges alongside the best way, I knew in my coronary heart I might in the future get to the end line. I owed it firstly to myself. And secondly, I owed it to Hip-Hop.”

Cole is making it clear that his final transfer might be his greatest transfer.

All through the Birthday Blizzard ’26 freestyles, the Born Sinner rapper reminded listeners why his identify nonetheless rings bells in Hip-Hop. On “Golden Goose Freestyle,” J. Cole appeared to take intention at artists he suggests could also be inflating their streaming numbers with bots.

“If the streams say you’re winnin’, why your excursions is losin? When the maths ain’t mathin’, after all you’re juicin’, that imply the bots is boostin’.”

Whereas Cole didn’t name out anybody by identify, stream manipulation has lengthy been an open secret inside the music trade. With these bars, it’s protected to say Cole has distanced himself from these ways and is standing on his personal work to construct organically.

Try a number of the early reactions to J. Cole’s shock drop of Birthday Blizzard ’26 under. With The Fall Off on the horizon, the dialog round Cole’s legacy is heating up as soon as once more.