J. Cole Sparks New Album Rumors

The Real may be coming back in 2023.

J. Cole appears to be gearing up for a new project. In the first days of the new year, the reclusive Dreamville rapper cleared out all his Instagram posts, fueling rumors that new music is imminent.

Fans may remember that Cole previously cleared his Instagram in January 2019, just days before releasing “Middle Child” off the Dreamville compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III. He also purged his IG shortly before the surprise release of his 2018 album KOD.

Cole’s last studio album, The Off-Season, was released in May 2021. There is speculation that his next album could be It’s a Boy.

Back in late 2020, he shared a photo of his notebook, which contained his future plans including The Off-Season, followed by a project called It’s a Boy. It culminates with his possible final album The Fall Off.

During a May 2021 interview with Kevin Durant’s podcast “The ETCs,” Cole confirmed that It’s a Boy would be his next solo release.

While Cole didn’t release a project of his own in 2022, Dreamville dropped its surprise mixtape D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape in March featuring JID, Ari Lennox, EarthGang, and the rest of the Dreamville gang. He also collaborated with artists including YG, Smino, Benny the Butcher, and BIA.

The new music could arrive in time for Cole’s Dreamville Festival, which returns to Raleigh, North Carolina for a third year in April.