J. Cole hasn’t dropped a full-length solo album since 2018’s KOD, but it looks like the highly anticipated follow-up The Fall Off, its precursor The Off Season and another mixtape called It’s A Boy could be arriving in the near future.
On Tuesday (December 29), the elusive MC popped up to share a rare Instagram post that featured an outline for either his year-end goals or an upcoming hiatus — at least that’s how it’s being interpreted by his fans.
He wrote in the caption, “I still got some goals I gotta check off for’ I scram…”
The post included a photo of a notebook with “The Fall Off Era” written across the top. Below the header, he wrote “Features,” “ROTD3” — which are both crossed out — “The Off Season,” “It’s A Boy” and “The Fall Off.”
View this post on Instagram
Cole and the Dreamville posse unveiled the compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III in July 2019. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 115,412 total album- equivalent units in its opening week.
In June, Cole was involved in a brief back-and-forth with Noname when he released “Snow On The Bluff,” which many determined was a shot at the Chicago rapper Noname, who’d been an outspoken critic of how “top-selling rappers” responded to the police killing of George Floyd.
A month later, Cole unleashed a two-song pack from The Fall Off titled Lewis Street: “The Climb Back” and “Lion King On Ice,” giving fans a taste of what to expect from the forthcoming album.
Even without a proper release date for The Fall Off — or even The Off Season or It’s A Boy — Cole madness is alive and well on Twitter, with many of his fans worried his post is pointing to his rap retirement. But with a schedule this packed, he’ll be around for awhile.
Check out some of the reactions below.
Cole can't be serious about retiring… can't be pic.twitter.com/hkPGmNDLHD
— don ? (@don_lefleur) December 30, 2020
Lawd, I hope Cole really isn’t trynna say He’s retiring after Fall Off. Someone stop that man. ?
— ? LEGACY ? (@legacyisborn_) December 30, 2020
I feel like maybe since he is retiring soon and he’s one of the biggest rappers in the world his mindset could be “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” also I just feel like cole cares about his fans but at the end of the day he makes music and does things the way he wants you know?
— CERTIFIED LOVER BOY (@__RashonSmith) December 30, 2020
damn I just realized Cole retiring pic.twitter.com/q28Y0mTUvh
— James (@2Face_11) December 30, 2020
What if Kendrick and Cole both haven’t dropped because The Fall Off is their collab album? ? what if they both retiring ?
— MightyMorphinPowerNigga (@c00terintruder) December 30, 2020
Plot twist; The Fall Off is actually coming is 30 years so we don’t have to worry about Cole retiring anytime soon
— Blizz (@Blyizz) December 30, 2020