With just one tweet, J. Cole has validated the hype for his upcoming album in the eyes of many and set social media abuzz with anticipation. Although his Dreamville labelmate Bas teased something coming in two weeks at the end of April, there was always a possibility that the teaser could have been invalid or plans might have changed. However, now that the notoriously social media shy Cole has checked in — even without actually sharing any real information — fans are convinced that the release of his new music is imminent, even though all he wrote was, “Is this thing on?”
Is this thing on
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) May 4, 2021
Cole, who originally teased a 2020 release date for his new album way back in 2019 at Day N Vegas, pushed back the release as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown of the live entertainment infrastructure like many other big-name artists. He postponed his Dreamville Festival and went more-or-less into seclusion for most of 2020, popping up to offer a handful of singles, including the ill-advised “Snow On Tha Bluff,” which prompted a tesy back-and-forth between J. Cole and Noname. And while members of Cole’s crew, including Earthgang’s Olu, continued to tease Cole’s upcoming project — tentatively titled The Fall Off — he seemed more interested in chasing his hoop dream than rapping.
https://twitter.com/Team_Dreamville/status/1389623128444346371
We’re ready for the new album, king! pic.twitter.com/REcgwYYGdW
— Ronald Isley (@yoyotrav) May 4, 2021
J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar might actually drop music soon pic.twitter.com/YnJYwF2cUZ
— Joey (@gothamhiphop) May 4, 2021
People tweeting J Cole about dropping the album like: pic.twitter.com/4SyEHZd9Zc
— Ty (@PFCCaldwell) May 4, 2021
However, after a long, uncertain wait, Cole crossed off one item from his list after another, and now, here we are. Perhaps the full album will release, or just the video for “The Off-Season,” but it looks like Cole’s fellow Dreamers are going to be watching his newly reactivated account intently for the foreseeable future.