J. Cole has added fuel to the rumors that he’ll soon be retiring from music by announcing that his Dreamville Festival is coming to an end.
The bittersweet news was confirmed on Tuesday (December 10), with festival organizers revealing on social media that next year’s edition will be its fifth and final one.
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“April 5 & 6, 2025 will be the Fifth & Final Dreamville Fest,” a post on X (formerly Twitter) read. “What a ride it’s been… We can’t thank y’all enough for all the memories we’ve shared.”
Cole’s longtime manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad added: “Thank You North Carolina. Thank you to everyone who’s travelled from all over the last 4 years to enjoy our little family reunion.
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“This Festival is something a lot of people have been working very hard to bring you and it’s honestly been a dream come true seeing the impact.”
2025 Dreamville Festival will take place at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, not far from Cole’s hometown of Fayetteville. The lineup has yet to be announced.
April 5 & 6, 2025 will be the Fifth & Final Dreamville Fest 🌻 What a ride it's been… We can't thank y'all enough for all the memories we've shared. pic.twitter.com/F5iVeb8mIO
— Dreamville Fest (@Dreamvillefest) December 10, 2024
The festival was founded in 2018 and has seen performances from a host of Hip Hop and R&B heavyweights such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, SZA, Usher, Young Thug, 21 Savage and Lil Baby, as well as J. Cole himself.
It has also served as a major boon to the local economy, attracting 100,000 fans and approximately $145.9 million (equivalent to over 1,300 full-time jobs) to Wake County in 2023.
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News of the festival’s forthcoming finale was met with concern on social media about Cole’s future music plans, with some fans interpreting it as a further sign that the rapstar is gearing up to hang up his mic.
“Honestly, wit the podcast, dropping the mixtapes on DSPs, the MSG show and the last Dreamville Fest….yall think Cole is done after this next album?” Apple Music radio host Lowkey asked his X followers.
“Damn, is 2025 finally the year J. Cole retires? I hope not…,” another user wrote while quoting lyrics from Cole hinting at retirement.
Someone else said: “Every thing J. Cole’s been doing lately has been hinting at a soon retirement, I’m not ready man.”
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The Dreamville MC has been hinting at stepping back from music for a while now. In 2020, he shared his release schedule for the following years, indicating that The Fall Off (which he recently announced is almost finished) would be his final album.
“I still got some goals I gotta check off ‘for I scram,” he wrote on Instagram.
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Cole also teased retiring on his “On the Street” collaboration with BTS star J-Hope, rapping: “Some days I wonder if I need to pick a different hobby / I’m deep in with this rappin’, it’s all a n-gga know / I never did nothin’ better, it’s hard to let it go / But like a father watching his daughter / Walk down the altar with tears in his eyes / You gotta let her grow.”
