Recommended tracks: “Safety,” “The Villest,” “Only You,” “I Love Her Again”
Similar artists: Kendrick Lamar, JID, Wale, Bas
“For the past 10 years, this album has been hand crafted with one intention: a personal challenge to myself to create my best work. To do on my last what I was unable to do on my first.”
These words come from GRAMMY award-winning rapper J. Cole about his final “magnum opus,” his final album before retirement, The Fall-Off. It’s an album consisting of 24 songs total, and a multitude of famous faces make an appearance as features, such as Erykah Badu, Burna Boy, Future, Tems, PJ, and Petey Pablo.
The album is divided into 2 sections, Disc 29 and Disc 39, representing distinct milestones in Cole’s life at ages 29 and 39 when new lessons and revelations came to light. For starters, the first few tracks (“29 Intro,” “Two Six,” “SAFETY,” and “Run A Train”) reflect on Cole’s return to his hometown. “Two Six” seems to be the pinnacle of division, during which Cole acknowledges how impactful his career is and the influence he has on younger audiences (especially the black youth).
In an interview with Vice, he stated: “…a decade after moving to New York, accomplishing what would have seemed impossible to most, I was at a crossroads with the 3 loves of my life; my woman, my craft, and my city.”
The rest of the album leading up to “39 Intro” contributes to the same revelation as Cole reaches his 40s, when he faces a similar “homecoming” on another trip back to his hometown, stating that he felt “older and a little closer to peace.”
He shines a light on events and people he associated himself with and relates how clashing mindsets and the chase for money and fame drives one into deep temptation. He communicates that it’s an evil that can destroy one’s life (“The Villest,” “Man Up Above”) while also recognizing how the women in his life were his muses (“Only You,” “I Love Her Again.”)
Though this may be the last album by the artist, J. Cole leaves us with a soothing and gentle love poem as a means of “goodbye” with “Ocean Way.” Whether or not this is truly the end remains to be seen as Cole gears up for his 2026 world tour. Tickets are available here.
The Fall-Off tour dates:
North America (tickets here):
July 11 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
July 14 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
July 15 – Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena
July 17 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
July 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena
July 23 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
July 25 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
July 27 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
July 31 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
Aug 04 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug 05 – Queens, NY @ UBS Arena
Aug 07 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Aug 11 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Aug 15 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena
Aug 16 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
Aug 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
Aug 19 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
Aug 21 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
Aug 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Aug 25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Aug 27 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Aug 29 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Sept 01 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
Sept 03 – Inglewood, CA @ Intuit Dome
Sept 06 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Sept 09 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
Sept 10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
Sept 13 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
Sept 14 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
Sept 16 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
Sept 19 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Sept 23 – Fayetteville, NC @ Crown Coliseum
EU/UK (tickets here):
Oct 07 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Arena
Oct 09 – Zurich, CH @ AG Hallenstadion
Oct 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
Oct 15 – Cologne, DE @ LANXESS Arena
Oct 17 – Antwerp, BE @ AFAS Dome
Oct 19 – London, UK @ The O2
Oct 20 – London, UK @ The O2
Oct 22 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
Oct 25 – Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena
Oct 26 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
Oct 28 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
Oct 31 – Nottingham, UK @ Motorpoint Arena
Nov 05 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena
Nov 08 – Hamburg, DE @ Barclays Arena
Nov 09 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena
Nov 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Avicii Arena
Nov 12 – Oslo, NO @ Unity Arena
AU/NZ/Africa (tickets here):
Nov 25 – Brisbane, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Nov 28 – Melbourne, AU @ Rod Laver Arena
Dec 01 – Sydney, AU @ Qudos Bank Arena
Dec 05 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena
Dec 12 – Johannesburg, ZA @ FNB Stadium
Keep up with J. Cole: Instagram // Facebook // Spotify // Youtube // Website
