J. Cole Drops 'Album Of The Year (Freestyle)' And Teases Next Project
By Peyton Blakemore
August 8, 2018
J. Cole just blessed the world with new music!
The "FRIENDS" rapper dropped a track titled "Album Of The Year (Freestyle)" on Tuesday (August 7), along with its corresponding music video.
The new song, which proclaims Cole's last album KOD as the album of the year, features Cole rapping over the beat of Nas' "Oochie Wally."
The "Motiv8" rapper kicks off the track's music video, which was directed by Simon David, with a message to his fans that read, "What you are about to witness is a master class on preparation. THE OFF-SEASON," which seems to be a tease for his next project.
Cole mentioned the rumored mixtape again in the YouTube description of "Album Of The Year (Freestyle)'s" music video, writing, "The Off Season coming soon...All roads lead to The Fall Off."
The Fall Off is a reference to the last song on KOD, "1985 (Intro to 'The Fall Off')."
While Cole didn't reveal when the project would be released, fans think he dropped a clue in the track's artwork. In the picture released with the song, a sign reads: "The Off Season, 7:05 7:50 AM, 2:05 2:50 PM."
“ the off season” gonna be a mixtape probably with a brunch of other people’s beats on them. But did anybody else notice the time ? Both are 45 mins apart 🤔 wonder what’s that about pic.twitter.com/5sKZAb66b1
— DREamville💭 (@_dre215) August 8, 2018
I feel like this is a clue for when “The Off Season” dropping pic.twitter.com/jOi7lxEvlg
— Ry (@DJRYN_) August 8, 2018
On Sunday (August 6), just hours before dropping "Album Of The Year", Cole tweeted out a PSA asking for new music. "Feed me beats," he wrote. "Everything gettin murdered." The rapper's call was answered by producers everywhere, with many assuming Cole was getting back in the studio. Seems like they were right!
Cole's last project, KOD, was released in 2018.
Photo: Getty Images