J. Cole has finally released his debut mixtape The Come Up on streaming services.
The commercial release of the 2007 project coincides with the launch of Cole’s new audio series Inevitable, the first episode of which focuses on The Come Up.
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The Dreamville rapper made the announcement on Instagram on Monday (November 18) alongside a picture of the mixtape’s cover art, writing: “The beginning. The Come Up finally available now on DSP’s.”
Cole’s longtime manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad added in his own post: “17 years later. Better late than never. My brother @realcoleworld The Come Up out now on all DSP. This shit really started everything off… I’m about to shed a baby tear I’ll be back.”
The Come Up is comprised of 17 tracks including fan-favorites such as “School Daze,” “Simba” and “Dollar and a Dream.”
The mixtape was also notable for borrowing well-known beats from Nas, JAY-Z and Kanye West, among others.
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Fans are speculating that Cole will also release The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights on streaming platforms in the coming weeks as forthcoming episodes of Inevitable focuses on those two projects.
The 10-part audio series charts Cole’s career project by project, with the first season running up to 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The rapper co-hosts the show alongside Ibrahim Hamad and frequent collaborator Scott Lazer.
When announcing the show, J. Cole said on social media: “If you rocked with me at any point so far on my journey, I hope this will give you even more perspective and fill in a lot of blanks.
“If you have your own dream in life that you hope to achieve, in any field, I hope that this will feed your spirit, giving you confidence to believe in that dream and the encouragement to push through the tough times. To go for it even when you may be afraid to.”
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A synopsis reads: “In this raw and reflective limited audio series, Jermaine Cole takes listeners on an unfiltered voyage through his life, career, and personal evolution, using both released and unreleased music to guide the story.
“Through conversation with Ibrahim Hamad and Scott Lazer, Season 1 finds Cole recounting his journey from his early days as a young, aspiring rapper to finally seeing his dreams become a reality, despite the many hurdles and pitfalls he faces along the way.”
