J. Cole‘s new album The Fall-Off is finally here — and it contains a particularly powerful song written from the perspectives of two of hip-hop’s biggest icons.
On “What If,” the Dreamville star imagines a world in which 2Pac and Biggie buried the hatchet, diffusing the infamous East Coast-West Coast beef that tragically claimed both of their lives.
“Perhaps you might’ve felt that I betrayed you or played you / Or thought that I knew about that set-up and coulda saved you,” Cole raps from Biggie’s point of view, referencing ‘Pac’s 1994 Quad Studios shooting that he blamed on the Bad Boy rapper.
“Or maybe that made you come out on some war shit / East Coast, West Coast, now media’s tryna force it … Well fuck that, n*gga, I’m hurt / I miss my dawg, I ain’t gotta hide / If I hurt you, I apologize.”
Stepping into 2Pac’s shoes, Cole depicts the hurt, paranoia and chaos that plagued his final months before accepting Biggie’s olive branch and forming a truce with his former friend.
“‘Cause tears fillin’ my eyes, your letter helped me understand / The power in love, the choice to be the bigger man / I know shit got outta hand, I’ll take the blame for it / For my mistakes, I couldn’t take you gettin’ slain for it,” he spits over Dr. Dre-esque production from Tae Beast and Beat Butcha.
“For fallin’ victim to ego, vengence, and dollar signs / I wanna say from the heart, ‘I apologize.'”
Billed as J. Cole’s eighth and final album, The Fall-Off is a double-disc effort clocking in at 24 songs, with features from Future, Erykah Badu, Burna Boy, Tems and Petey Pablo.
In addition to Tae Beast and Beat Butcha, production comes from The Alchemist, Boi-1da, T-Minus, Vinylz, Jake One, Carter Lang, Wu10, DZL and J. Cole himself, among others.
Though the North Carolina native doesn’t directly address his controversial decision to bow out of his rap battle with Kendrick Lamar — as many fans were hoping — he does allude to it on “39 Intro,” rapping: “Never in my life did I think I’d see the day / Where n*ggas wanna play with my name, but okay / I’m goin’ back in.”
Elsewhere, Cole reimagines Common‘s classic song “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” penning his own complicated love letter to hip-hop on “I Love Her Again” (which also samples the Chicago MC’s Like Water For Chocolate hit “The Light”).
There are plenty of other samples, interpolations and homages to Cole’s hip-hop heroes throughout The Fall-Off, making the album feel like one big ode to the genre that he holds dear.
The Erykah Badu-assisted “The Villest” blends OutKast‘s “Elevators (Me & You)” hook with a reworked version of Mobb Deep‘s “The Realest” beat; “Life Sentence” borrows the chorus from DMX‘s “How’s It Goin’ Down”; and “Poor Thang” samples Boosie Badazz‘s Southern rap anthem “Set It Off.”
Prior to its release, J. Cole described The Fall-Off as “bring[ing] the concept of my first project [2007’s The Come Up] full circle.”
“Disc [one] tells a story of me returning to my hometown at age 29. 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,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Disc [two] gives insight into my mindset during a similar trip home, this time as a 39 year old man. Older and a little closer to peace.”
Stream The Fall-Off below.
J Cole doesn’t make my butthole swole like Drake does for me.
I have to say j.cole did his thing on “what if”. When it comes to music, j. cole deserves respect.
You deserve some ass… mine.
Very solid album all round, didn’t touch the skip button. One small oversight on the 2pac flow… He didn’t rhyme “enemies” and “Hennessy”!
Gay
I know I am but what are you?
Why is he pretending to be them he never knew them and bet Biggie would hate him. Pac was a fraud a gay actor from Baltimore.
Biggie had gay lyrics and it sounds like you suck on Daddie’s dick like he said on ‘Me and My Bitch’ 🤣
Lil kim??
You have bad tastes
Carti better, YoungBoy better, Don Toliver better and at 1 on the charts, Ye better, Uzi better, Tecca better, Wayne, better, Durk better, Sosa dropped another song and he better, DaBaby album better, like this guy is just weird hipster ego rap
all these rappers you just named all suck FOH
Throughout the album was nothing but him paying “homage” randomly referencing older songs. Got tiring.
No he is cringe
No he does not and he trash. Him and Kendrick are trash put them next to Drake. Ego rappers that think they are better just preaching garbage no soul
Kedo – Gay Greg using gay pseudo names again trying to hate anything against his SHERO Drake. Take his dick out your mouth pussy.
How do people actually praise this guy?
YoungBoy Better Slime Cry on 24/7
This shows why he is trash that had nothing to do with him and he did not know them. He is so full of himself. Can Kendrick and Joey both diss him
Free Diddy so he can beat up Cole. He can sue from jail
The truth definition of BLACK EXCELLENCE! You see what he did with this song? Still talking about shit that is that decades old. Sound familiar? CULTURE ON 3!
That is just corny how can people be praising this cornball he is botting views
Corn ball botting views this is just corny
Gay! in actual good news Sosa dropped a new song
😂😂😂 how does anyone take this serious its just cringe like he did not know them do not speak for them
Slime Cry better and on repeat YoungBoy dropped another video💥💥💥
Need a YoungBoy and Upchurch collab
Don Toliver remains 1 on the charts while this hipster bots with his boy Kendrick
Meanwhile Kodak dropping actual bangers this loser needs to pretend to be so high and mighty this is as cringe as Drake using AI Tupac hold the white boys to the same standards.
Why is this Erykah Badou looking homo talking? Like you ain’t know them. Other news 50 finally trolling Jay Z this dudes former mentor before Erykah the witch.
No one except homos listen to this crap. Bet you bro botted and we know he pays influencers
Jfold couldn’t win his need so he needed to pretend to solve another 🤣
Overrated trash promoted and propped by major label and agencies. Upchurch dropped way better
Where the country album at Cole?
Watch white boy do that next
This woke loser won’t talk about how Mexicans replacing blacks now especially in Cali look Compton ain’t black he and Kendrick make this happen
People who listen to this are what’s wrong with the world. Go listen to YoungBoy get your head right especially if you a man y’all got issues this is what got your brain messed up and soy
He is so gay probably wanted to get tag teamed by them
But you listened to it
Why are people praising this? I hope Lil Kim or anyone tied to Biggie comed out to put this down now!
everyone that says NBA YoungTrash is better is wack…NBA young boy sucks
YoungBoy better Slime Cry and MASA🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸