j. cole Archives

Big K.R.I.T. Explains How Using Other Producers Made Him A Better Writer (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. is finishing the decade strong. In 2010, he delivered a mixtape that elevated the medium in the form of K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. Earlier this year, he offered fans another high-level album in K.R.I.T. IZ HERE. It was an appropriate bookend in a decade where the MC/producer left an... Read more

November 18, 2019 Exclusive, Video

EARTHGANG Performs A Colorful Song From 1 Of This Year’s Most Original Albums (Video)

EARTHGANG, comprised of rappers Olu (aka Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot), is having a breakthrough 2019. Backed by J. Cole's Dreamville Records, EARTHGANG is now responsible for one of the year's best LPs with their full-length debut, MirrorLand. Earlier this summer, the duo appeared on the chart-topping Revenge... Read more

November 8, 2019 Video

Gang Starr’s Album Is Here & It’s One Of The Best Yet (Audio)

Less than six weeks ago, Hip-Hop Heads suddenly learned that a Gang Starr album was on its way. DJ Premier had spent more than a year producing songs around previously unreleased vocals from his longtime creative partner, Guru. The MC/producer had passed away in 2010, nearly seven years removed from... Read more

November 1, 2019 Audio

J. Cole’s Dreamville Is Flying High In Its Quest To Be Hip-Hop’s Best Crew (Video)

2019 has been an exciting year for the Hip-Hop crew. Buffalo, New York's Griselda Records continues to build an empire, brick-by-brick. Last week's first glimpse of a Shady Records-backed album from Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher shows even more promise to a calendar year that's seen... Read more

October 22, 2019 Video

Gang Starr Has An Album Coming & Their New Song Is Classic Material (Audio)

Gang Starr's legacy is everlasting. What Guru and DJ Premier assembled more than 30 years ago has influenced and informed Hip-Hop culture. In early 2010, the group's creator, Keith "Guru" Elam passed away from cancer in a New York City hospital. At the time, it had been more than six... Read more

October 18, 2019 Audio, News

YBN Cordae & Anderson .Paak Travel Back To The ’70s For A Video That’s Super Fly

Last year, YBN Cordae responded to J. Cole's "1985 - 'Intro To The Falloff'" with a song of his own. Cole's song, now more than a year and a half old, confronted some younger Rap peers who had been dissing him, and offering them some valuable game. It was a... Read more

October 14, 2019 Video

Gang Starr’s New Video With J. Cole Keeps Guru’s Legacy Alive (Video)

More than 15 years since the last Gang Starr video, DJ Premier releases "Family and Loyalty." It's a Fab 5 Freddy-directed visual featuring DJ Premier, J. Cole, Big Shug, and plenty of memories surrounding the impact Guru's life made on others. The video begins with Guru's family (including his son,... Read more

October 2, 2019 Video

DJ Premier Details Why He Chose J. Cole For Gang Starr’s New Song (Audio)

On Friday (September 20), Gang Starr released its first single in more than 16 years. "Family And Loyalty" features two verses from Guru (who passed away in 2010), a DJ Premier-produced track, and a guest appearance from J. Cole. Calling into Sway In The Morning, Premier explained some background on... Read more

September 23, 2019 Audio, News

DaBaby Makes A Song That Shows He’s A Grown-Up MC With A Real Message

Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, also known by his Rap moniker DaBaby, has been having a stellar campaign in 2019. After being featured in XXL's "Freshman" class this season, the 27-year-old MC released his debut album, Baby On Baby, which reached the top 25 of the Billboard 200 charts. It was accompanied... Read more

September 21, 2019 Video

Gang Starr Has New Music. J. Cole Joins This Moment Of Truth (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

September 20, 2019 Audio

J. Cole, Lute & DaBaby Show Why NC Is 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Hottest States Under The Sun

Dreamville continues to celebrate this year's release of Revenge Of The Dreamers III with more and more visuals. The label's collaborative record dropped this summer and presented vocals from each member of the collective: J. Cole, J.I.D, Bas, Lute, Ari Lennox, Cozz, Omen, and EarthGang. Just a month ago, Heads... Read more

September 16, 2019 Video

J. Cole, Saba, EARTHGANG & Smino Bring 1 Of Dreamville’s Most Heartfelt Songs To Video

Earlier this year, when J. Cole and his label Dreamville set out to make another entry in their Revenge Of The Dreamers compilation series, many fans and critics were ecstatic. Apart from its diverse and increasingly sprawling roster, the label sending invites to a reported 343 artists and producers to... Read more

August 12, 2019 Video

J. Cole’s Production Brings Out The Best In Anderson .Paak’s Rap Flow (Audio)

Late last year J. Cole and Anderson .Paak collaborated on Oxnard, care of the song "Trippy." That chemistry builds in a significant way thanks to a song Cole produced for YBN Cordae's upcoming The Lost Boy album (July 26). "RNP (Rich Ni**a Problems)" features an especially bouncy beat, with the... Read more

July 24, 2019 Audio

Big K.R.I.T. & J. Cole Prove Substance Is What Truly Makes MCs Great (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

July 12, 2019 Audio

J. Cole’s Dreamville Documentary Shows Creativity At Its Competitive Best

Throughout the ages, Hip-Hop benefits from the ensemble studio vibe. That was the case when Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg rolled their Chronic. As Sacha Jenkins' film recently showed, this energy made Wu-Tang Clan form like Voltron for its 36 Chambers debut. Such was the vision for Tupac's unfinished One... Read more

July 2, 2019 TV/Film, Video

Tired Of Waiting: Reason & Cozz Scheme To Rob J. Cole & Top Dawg (Audio)

Reason and Cozz are two rising sensations on stacked rosters. In 2018, Cozz played a respectable role in Dreamville's takeover, thanks to his Effected album. That LP saw the Los Angeles, California veteran working with Kendrick Lamar as well as the artist who signed him, J. Cole. Shortly after Effected,... Read more

July 2, 2019 Audio

Rapsody Announces Her New Album & Shows Why She’s A Top Rated MC (Video)

Earlier today (June 27), Rapsody endorsed a video through his social platforms. The montage visual features a series of Black women appear, including Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Grace Jones, Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Whoopi Goldberg, Maxine Waters, Aretha Franklin, and others. Available at Genesis320, the video features cryptic wording,... Read more

June 27, 2019 Fresh, Video

J. Cole, J.I.D. & Bas Are Out To Prove Dreamville Is The Best Crew In Hip-Hop

At the top of 2019, J. Cole and Dreamville Records hosted invitation-only studio sessions for Revenge Of The Dreamers III. For 10 days at the top of the year (January 6 to January 16), one of 2018's biggest stars and his ever-busy team that includes Bas, J.I.D., EarthGang, Lute, Cozz,... Read more

June 12, 2019 Audio

J. Cole & Ty Dolla $ign Cash In With A Modern Spin On A Classic Message (Video)

UPDATE: Ty Dolla $ign and J. Cole have released the music video for "Purple Emoji," nine days following the single. Both artists appear in the music video that also includes a variety of romantic couples: ORIGINAL MAY 20 STORY: J. Cole's collaborative spirit continues. While the platinum MC/producer's albums... Read more

May 29, 2019 Video

Stream J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival Live Featuring J.I.D., Rapsody, & More (Video)

2019 has been fruitful thus far for J. Cole, J.I.D., Ari Lennox, EarthGang, Omen, Lute, Bas, Cozz, and the Dreamville team. Earlier this year, the J. Cole's roster gathered in the studio to host a who's who of musical talent including Big K.R.I.T., Mike Will Made It, DJ Khaled, Swizz... Read more

April 6, 2019 Fresh, Video

J. Cole Explains Why Cancel Culture Is The Problem Not The Solution

Having spent more than the past decade polishing his craftsmanship as an MC/producer and staying true to his destined path as an uncompromising individualist, J. Cole has mastered the art of controlling one's narrative. While he admittedly isn't a fan of the "platinum, no features" memes that have become synonymous... Read more

March 29, 2019 Fresh

J. Cole Says Losing A Grammy Was A Win For His Career

At the 61st Grammy Awards, which aired in February, J. Cole was not a winner. He was nominated for his collaboration on Miguel's War & Leisure (namely for "Best R&B Song" for "Come Through and Chill." He was also nominated for "Best Rap/Sung Performance," his collaboration with 6lack on East Atlanta Love Letter ("Pretty... Read more

March 18, 2019 Fresh

Reason Adopts J. Cole’s Middle Child And Makes It His Own (Audio)

If you are not familiar with the South Central-born and Carson, California raised rapper Reason, it is a great time to pay attention. Although the TDE artist only started rhyming less than half a decade ago, his 2017 debut album There You Have It caught the attention of TDE and... Read more

March 9, 2019 Audio

Here Are All The Hidden Messages In J. Cole’s Middle Child Video

Nearly one month ago, North Carolina MC/producer J. Cole released the highest charting single of his career. "Middle Child," produced by T-Minus, opened the Dreamville founder's 2019 release calendar. Now a music video, the single has reached #4 on the Pop charts at the same time that Cole is also... Read more

March 3, 2019 Video

The Rap Purge Is Here & Bas Is Leading The Way (Video)

Since 2014's Last Winter, Queens, New York rapper Bas has been releasing material through Dreamville Records/Interscope, both solo albums and appearances on label compilations. He's earned a reputation for being an artist whose attention is paid closely to each facet of his image as Rap star: lyrical content, visual complements and... Read more

February 28, 2019 Video

J.I.D. & Mereba Look Out For One Another On A Soulful Soiree

In the wake of DiCaprio 2, Dreamville's J.I.D. is currently touring. But that's not stopping him from releasing new music. Last night (February 24), he promised that new music would be coming out today and he made good on his word. What fans probably weren't expecting is that he'd be... Read more

February 25, 2019 Audio

J. Cole Is Hunting Rappers & Keeping Their Heads As Trophies (Video)

One month ago, J. Cole opened his 2019 with "Middle Child." After some cryptic messaging leading into the T-Minus-produced song, Cole delivered on January 23 with some words aimed at those who doubt him. “Ni**as been countin’ me out, I’m countin’ my bullets / I’m loadin’ my clips / I’m... Read more

February 25, 2019 Video

Ari Lennox Is The 1st Lady Of Dreamville. J. Cole Helps Bring Her Biggest Song To Video

J. Cole’s Dreamville Records has one of the most talented and expansive rosters in music. While the Hip-Hop creatives include J.I.D., Bas, Cozz, EarthGang, Lute, and Omen, Ari Lennox has been the versatile songstress on the 'Ville for almost five years. The Charlotte, North Carolina singer has had prominent features... Read more

February 20, 2019 Video

21 Savage Didn’t Face Deportation Until He Became A Positive Influence

21 Savage's highest charting and best selling single to date boasted about his finances and warned that anyone who tried him for his riches would be shot. 2017's braggadocious "Bank Account" told a totally different story than the contents of Savage’s late 2018 album, i am > i was. The... Read more

February 5, 2019 Lifestyle, Video

J. Cole & 21 Savage Join Forces To Feast On Fake MCs (Video)

21 Savage closed out 2018 with an impressive collection of songs. A standout came from "a lot," which featured a seemingly unlikely guest in J. Cole. These two leaders come from different corners of Hip-Hop but together made something that still feels authentic and purposeful, down to the lyrics. Directed... Read more

February 1, 2019 Video

J. Cole Claps Back At All The Haters Who Counted Him Out

Moments ago, J. Cole released his latest single "Middle Child." Produced by Toronto's T-Minus (Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Ludacris, Lil Wayne), the record marks the Dreamville leader's first song of 2019. He released his fifth solo studio album, KOD, less than one year ago. Cole also spent some time blessing other... Read more

January 23, 2019 Audio

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 14): J. Cole vs. Evidence

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 27, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Joe Budden Challenges J. Cole To Step Up His Game & Be Truly Great (Audio)

For anyone truly paying attention to Hip-Hop, J. Cole has had a career year in 2018. His album, KOD, released in April, became his fifth consecutive LP to debut at number one, selling nearly 400,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and breaking the record for first day streams, at... Read more

December 23, 2018 Audio, Fresh

You Have Decided The Final 4 Best Albums Of 2018. Here They Are.

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 21, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

J. Cole Calls Out Rappers For Faking Their Streaming Numbers On A Savage Verse

In a year that J. Cole dominated, he's not quite done. If KOD, its incredible videos, and a plethora of high-powered guest verses were not enough to set the table, Cole refuses to let 2018 end without at least one more stunner. It comes courtesy of the opening song from... Read more

December 21, 2018 Audio

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 11): J. Cole vs. Mac Miller

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 19, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Real Hip-Hop Finally Has Its Own Home On TV

“It's like that uh and it sounds so nice. Hip-hop, you the love of my life.” I’ve been on the same mission for 20 years. Having grown up in the 80s, the soundtrack to my coming of age was fueled by the sounds of Grandmaster Melle Mel, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool... Read more

December 11, 2018 News, Video

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 4): J. Cole vs. Phonte

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 10, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

J. Cole’s KOD May Be The Year’s Best Album & It Was Snubbed By The Grammys

This morning (December 7), the 2019 Grammy Awards nominations were announced. For fans of Kendrick Lamar and the Top Dawg Entertainment family, it was another exciting development. Even in a year when K-Dot did not release a solo album, he received eight nominations. SZA and Jay Rock joined him with... Read more

December 7, 2018 News

Four Hip-Hop Artists Have Grammy Nominations For Album Of The Year

The 61st Grammy Awards nominations have been announced, and there is plenty to talk about for Rap and Hip-Hop fans. The affair will take place February 10, 2019, returning the event to Los Angeles, California's Staples Center after a New York City ceremony earlier this year. While Top Dawg and... Read more

December 7, 2018 News

Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 15 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2018 List

It is that season where “best of” lists abound and, in a year that featured stellar music from artists young and old, 2018 kept Hip-Hop fans on the edge of our seats. Now is an excellent time to reflect on the best ones. Throughout December, Ambrosia For Heads will pit... Read more

December 4, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

J.I.D & J. Cole Are Out To Prove Dreamville Is The Most Lyrical Crew In Hip-Hop

Today (December 4), Dreamville's J.I.D announced the first leg of his "Catch Me If You Can Tour." It's the latest development in what has been a milestone of a year for the Atlanta, Georgia artist. On November 26, he released his second solo album, DiCaprio 2, a follow-up to 2017's The Never... Read more

December 4, 2018 Video

J.I.D. Confirms That Dreamville’s Competition With TDE Is Real

2018 has been a monumental year for J. Cole's Dreamville label. In the last 12 months, Cole released one of the front-runners for the year's best in K.O.D. That was a few months after Los Angeles, California's Cozz dropped an impressive Effected. At the end of summer, Bas released Milky Way, an... Read more

November 26, 2018 Fresh, Popular, Video

J.I.D. Pushes J. Cole To His Limits On A Fast & Furious Collabo (Audio)

In 20 days, Dreamville's J.I.D. will drop his DiCaprio 2 project. The follow-up effort to 2017's exceptional The Never Story (named one of Ambrosia For Heads' top LPs of the year) may be the most anticipated body of work from the East Atlanta, Georgia lyricist with shape-shifting flows. Following September's... Read more

November 6, 2018 Audio

Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard Album Tracklist Features Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, J. Cole & More

Anderson .Paak is gearing up to release his highly-anticipated third solo studio album, Oxnard, on November 16. Earlier this month, the singer, MC, drummer, and producer dropped the single "Tints" with Kendrick Lamar. Now, fans get to find out all who are slated to be on the Cali native's Aftermath Entertainment... Read more

October 26, 2018 Fresh

J. Cole Saves His Best Verse Of The Year For A Collabo With Rapsody (Audio)

J. Cole is on an incredible run in 2018. April's KOD album is a top-tier contender for this year's best albums. In an era marred by overdose and self-medication, the LP offers powerful commentary to millions of listeners that could benefit. Furthermore, infidelity, vanity, greed, and a generational chasm in... Read more

October 26, 2018 Audio

J. Cole Doesn’t Use Guest Verses But The Ones He Raps Never Lack (Video)

A guest verse from J. Cole is arguably one of the best "gets" in Hip-Hop today. The Dreamville MC and producer has earned enough accolades for his own work to place him among today's pre-eminent recording artists, but his artistry doesn't stop on his solo albums. Notably, the rapper who's... Read more

October 16, 2018 Video

Swizz Beatz Names His Top 5 Producers Of All-Time (Video)

Swizz Beatz is slated to release his second ever solo studio album and first in 11 years this November. Poison, which is co-executive produced by J. Cole, features a star-studded feature list, including Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Young Thug, Pusha T, Jim Jones, Jadakiss, Styles P and Lil Wayne, among others.... Read more

September 28, 2018 Video

J. Cole Explains Why He Stopped Doing Interviews For Almost 4 Years

J. Cole released a record-breaking 2018 album in the form of KOD. The MC/producer has become a superstar in recent years. He has also assembled one of the most talented record labels, built of hungry rappers and singers. While speaking with Dee Lockett in a Billboard cover story, Cole reveals that... Read more

September 27, 2018 Fresh

Logic Definitely Means It When He Says He’s The Greatest Rapper (Video)

Last year, Logic dropped his first #1 album with EVERYBODY, which was included in Ambrosia For Heads' Top 15 LPs of '17. This year, he hit the same mark on the charts with Bobby Tarantino II. However, the Def Jam Records star shows no signs of slowing down or waiting. Having recently... Read more

September 18, 2018 Video