Did J. Cole Wear The Rolex Watch Drake Gifted Him At Dreamville Fest?

Once upon a time, J. Cole was still trying to fit in with the upper echelons of the rap biz. The emblem of this time in his life is the Sideline Story song “Mr. Nice Watch,” featuring his then-mentor Jay-Z. That song sounds like an oddity compared to the rest of his catalog today, especially after he ascended to that top tier of rap stardom by abandoning the trappings of it on 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

Still, that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate a nice timepiece when presented with the opportunity to wear one. That opportunity came during Dreamville Festival 2023 when Cole performed his headlining set wearing what looks very much like a Rolex on his wrist. In fact, some eagle-eyed fans on Twitter noted a connection between the watch and Cole’s co-headliner Drake. In the 2019 single “Middle Child,” Cole mentions that his fellow blog-era alum gifted him exactly that brand: “Just put the Rollie right back on my wrist,” he raps. “This watch came from Drizzy, he gave me a gift.”

As noted by those fans — and by Cole’s own business partner Ibrahim Hamad, aka Ib, the co-founder of Dreamville — J. Cole rarely wears a watch, so it was an especially significant moment. All of these facts — Cole co-headlining with Drake, who supposedly bought him a Rolex — would suggest that the watch Cole wore during his set was likely the same one Drake gave him as a gift. The two rappers have often shared their appreciation for each other, including during the conclusion of their headlining set, so this would be just one more way the showed love.