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J Cole ‘The Fall Off’: Release date, concept, tracklist, how to live stream, pre-buzz and all you need to know about rapper's sixth album

There is much chatter on social media about the release date of J Cole's ‘The Fall Off’ but here's the truth behind those rumors

J Cole's sixth album ‘The Fall Off’ has been on fans' minds for a long time now. Did you know it's his first full-length release since April 2018’s ‘KOD’? Titled ‘1985’, the final song on KOD includes the subtitle (Intro to ‘The Fall Off’) and it sparked much speculation. Six days after the album’s release, Cole confirmed in a tweet that he was working on his new album and as expected the title was ‘The Fall Off’. 

In a May 2018 interview with Power 105’s Angie Martinez, Cole said that fans should look forward to the album in 2019. However, it didn't release last year and music lovers are still waiting for it to drop. On November 1, 2019, while headlining his show at the inaugural Day N Vegas Music Festival, Cole reportedly said that ‘The Fall Off’ will be out in 2020. There is much chatter on social media about the release date but here's the truth behind those rumors. Apparently, the rumors sparked after Zane Lowe, record producer and television presenter, said that “something big” was about to happen and J Cole fans thought he was pointing to the album release. Looking at all the buzz, he soon clarified, “I said, we can’t tell you who is releasing, so why not assume it’s your favorite artist. It was a joke with the team. No mention of anyone specific. And I will say, I am not referring to him...”

Release date

After teasing his fans for months, J Cole took to his official Instagram account to share the big news with his 6 million followers. ‘The Off-Season’ now finally has a release date. The album hits the Internet on May 14, 2021.    

Concept

On July 20, 2020, Cole wrote for The Players’ Tribune in a blog titled ‘The Audacity’ and disclosed how he first got the idea for the album, including a few personal events in 2016.

“For the next three months I would wake up in that old, familiar room, putting myself through morning writing drills before heading off to Electric Lady Studios with a short term plan to finish the '4 Your Eyez Only' album before the arrival of my first child, and a long term plan of becoming the best rapper I could possibly be before hanging up my jersey, leaving nothing on the table when all was said and done. The seeds for ​‘The Fall Off’ were planted,” he penned down.

Cole also added, “Four years have passed. In that time I’ve been blessed with two sons, learned the delicate art of balance between parenthood and career, had the pleasure of working with a ton of talented artistes as a featured rapper, spent 10 magical days recording a Dreamville album in Atlanta, and put a lot of time and energy into sharpening my sword and growing as an artiste.”

The very next day, on July 21, 2020, he announced the release of the album’s first two singles, ‘The Climb Back’ and ‘Lion King on Ice’, saying the album won't release anytime soon. The songs were jointly dropped on July 22 as ‘Lewis Street’.

Album cover

Taking to his Instagram account, Cole revealed the official cover art of his sixth studio album. In the picture, we could see a basketball ring burning in the background as the rapper stands on the basketball court looking the other way. 

Below is what fans assumed the album cover would be like: 

“J Cole returning to the 'Friday Night Light' form with 'The Fall Off' album cover. Super dope. #TheFallOff,” one fan tweeted. Check out the rumored album cover here: 

Tracklist

In his interview with Power 105’s Angie Martinez, Cole stated that his December 2016 singles, ‘False Prophets’ and ‘Everybody Dies’, were originally songs from ‘The Fall Off’, so they may end up on the final tracklist. Here are all the songs listed on Genius until now. Its lead single is reportedly said to be ‘1985’ and is the album's intro as well. 

1985

The lyrics go: “1985, I arrived / 33 years, damn, I'm grateful I survived / We wasn't s'posed to get past 25 ... Everybody say the music that they make is dumb / I remember I was 18!”

Lion King on Ice

The lyrics go: “I got blood on my hands, I ain't gon' lie / I got mud on my shoes, I ain't gon' lie / I got real, real big plans, I ain't gon' lie / Got a whole lot to prove, I ain't gon' lie.”

The Climb Back

The lyrics go: “Are you doin' this work to facilitate growth or to become famous? / Which is more important? / Getting or letting go? / You can do anything, anything you can do (You can do anything) / You can do anything, anything you can do (You can do anything).”

Javari (Want You to Fly)

The lyrics go: “God is real and he usin' me for a bigger purpose / So f**k the world that would have you think that a — worthless / Sometimes I think that these verses can help a person / Way more than the ones they readin' in churches on days of worship.”

However, the actual tracklist is yet to be released and we will update this space soon.

Where to stream

J Cole's album will be up for streaming on digital platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and YouTube.