In 2007, a young J. Cole ventured out into the middle of North Carolina A&T University’s homecoming celebrations and began selling CD copies of his first mixtape. By 2011, Cole’s first album “Cole World: The Sideline Story” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard. It’s unlikely he’s had to sell CDs from his trunk since.
Yet, on Wednesday, Cole arrived on Howard University’s campus in D.C. and intended to do just that. As part of his Trunk Sale Tour, where he’s stopped at various historically Black colleges and universities, he met up with fans and tried to sell copies of his new double album, “The Fall-Off,” out of his Honda Civic. (Amid swarming fans, The Washington Post could not confirm if Cole was actually able to sell any CDs at Howard.)
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” said Zoë Watkins, who attended the Howard pop-up and has liked Cole’s music since hearing “No Role Modelz” over 10 years ago. “He started his music journey like this and he’s doing this more than a decade later. He’s out in the streets with people, it makes him — I don’t want to say more humanlike, because he’s human — but it makes him more approachable and interesting. He’s not just this big artist.”
J. Cole gets swarmed by fans at Howard on the 8th stop of his “Trunk Sale Tour”
pic.twitter.com/QSgwIvPGTR
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) February 12, 2026
In the past week, Cole had better luck selling CDs at Hampton University and Atlanta University Center. At North Carolina A&T University, he was greeted by thousands of fans, according to a local CBS News affiliate. A representative for Cole declined The Post’s request for comment.
Ahead of his appearance at Howard, Cole posted on Xthat he was in Washington and got “some new speakers put in” his Honda. The Howard University Office of Student Affairs confirmed in a statement that students had gathered “well ahead” of Cole’s appearance to get a good spot. Once he arrived at the HBCU’s campus, Cole was swarmed by fans.
“He tried his best to maintain the situation, the crowd control, himself,” said Eric Brown. “[He] was signing autographs, he was on phone calls with people, on their FaceTimes, talking to their family members. Just a real human.”
A photojournalist and longtime Cole fan, Brown showed up at Howard curious about what would unfold. He clarified that it was too hectic for Cole to actually sell any CDs at Howard, but Brown admired Cole’s Trunk Sale Tour as a nod to early hip-hop promo techniques.
Howard U! It’s tooooo crazy over there right now. We been driving around trying to pull up for a minute but we can’t do it safely yet. We are trying to work with the school right now to figure out how i can pull up and show love today but still keep everybody safe! Hopefully see…
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) February 11, 2026
“It is both revolutionary but then also grassroots — the way that it was done in the past,” Brown said. “He’s not re-creating anything. He’s just reengaging the people who don’t have that experience anymore because that was also part of the culture. It’s fundamental. We consistently had rappers who sold music from their trunks.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) also tried to get in on the action by inviting Cole to the Government House on social media. But Moore’s residence in Annapolis might have been a bit far. Still, the governor is a proper fan. A spokesperson for Moore told The Post that his three favorite Cole songs are “Wet Dreamz,” “No Role Modelz” and “Ville Mentality.”
Later Wednesday evening, Cole posted on X that he was in Silver Spring, Maryland, and asked if any fans wanted to hop in the car with him and listen to “The Fall-Off.” Ciera Lindsey had worked all day at her two jobs and had just made it to the LA Fitness in Silver Spring when she saw Cole’s post. Immediately, she responded telling him to pull up.
Lindsey had followed Cole’s career since his early hits, such as 2011’s “Work Out,” but she became a big fan after he released 2016’s “4 Your Eyez Only.” It was the album that helped Lindsey through difficult experiences as a teenager, including her parents’ divorce. Nearly 10 years later, she was sitting in Cole’s Honda.
“I was so nervous. My friend and I were like, ‘We can’t be the crazy fans because we really, really want to savor this moment,’” Lindsey said. “We both understood that this is very personal. It’s meant to be a listening experience. I wanted to make sure that I could soak in every single moment.”
As Lindsey and her friend drove around Silver Spring with Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad, she asked Cole questions about his creative process and how being a father changed his music. Together, they listened to the first half of “The Fall-Off.”
“I felt like I was back in high school, hanging out with the homeboys after school,” Lindsey said. “Maybe cutting class, running around to the gas station, getting an Arizona [Iced Tea].”
But Lindsey really wanted to discuss her favorite song of his, “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” which Cole had begun writing in the same Honda they were sitting in. When he starting singing the first two lines of the song while they were in the car, Lindsey couldn’t believe it. “I was like ‘Oh my gosh, wow.’ It’s the same car, too, which is really full circle!”
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