How people perceive J. Cole now has changed a bit since his infamous apology to Kendrick Lamar. In the buildup to his upcoming album The Fall-Off, his status in the lauded ‘Big 3’ has changed radically. By anxiously moving out of the way of Kendrick’s warpath towards Drake, people have looked at him as weaker. However, instead of letting that perception define him, he’s used it as fuel.
In the pre-order announcement for The Fall-Off, J. Cole shared that it’s actually going to be a double album. The picture he shared on Instagram was for the CD cover on the second disc. Moreover, he revealed that the fact it’s a double album at all is actually inspired by the embarrassing apology.
“2 years ago, after the events that still feed the algorithm to this day, I became incredibly re-inspired, and the album slowly blossomed into a double disc as the concept expanded. I felt there should be an additional cover that represented that,” Cole wrote. “Something just as strong as the first, with my face on it, so when I look back in 20 years, I can see an image of who I was at the time I released the project I worked on for so long.”
Check out the additional cover below:
J. Cole Explains How Kendrick Apology Inspired New Double Album
As far as the main cover for The Fall-Off that has circulated, Cole revealed the personal details behind the visuals. Ultimately, it depicts a full circle moment in his career, with the upcoming double album being his last. “My first beats were made in that spot surrounded by my mother’s CD collection that I would comb through looking for samples,” J. Cole explained. “The first song I ever made came to life in that very chair you see in the picture. I sat for hours, in a zone I had never experienced before, until I was done writing a track that I titled ‘The Storm.’”
This isn’t the only time J. Cole has talked about the infamous Kendrick apology. In anticipation to his long-awaited album, he released a handful of freestyles in a DJ Clue-hosted mixtape Birthday Blizzard ’26. On one of the songs, he rapped about how he had to take an L in order to rise back to the top.
“I used to be top, see, the apology dropped me way out of the top 3. No problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me,” Cole spits. “The top ain’t really what I thought it would be, so I jumped off and landed back at the bottom and restarted at a level where I wasn’t regarded as much, just to climb past them again and tell them all to keep up.”
The post J. Cole Reveals How the Infamous Apology to Kendrick Lamar Inspired ‘The Fall-Off’ To Become a Double Album appeared first on VICE.
