The Last Student of the Game
February 4th at 12:59 PM, my phone goes off. I take a look. “Oh J. Cole just tweeted.” Wonder what other form of marketing he’s done for this supposed final album. It’s the back cover of the album, offering some insight into how this double disc came about.
I digested the words, analyzed the tracklist and moved on. All the major social accounts proceeded to follow up on this news in the coming hours. I finally take some time to analyze the back cover. As noted in his excerpt, this was a pic from his childhood home, a corner of his room dedicated to all the rappers and albums that meant something to him at the time. Common, 50 Cent, I think Wu-Tang, Beanie Sigel, LL Cool J, etc. My immediate reaction was this is dope. Paying homage to where those dreams of being a rap star originated.
As the day went on, it kinda hit me, (as I type this now, we are less than 24 hours away): The Fall Off is here. When he first announced the release date a couple weeks ago, it was sense of… FINALLY. We got Disk 2 Track 2 (now officially titled “The Fall Off is Inevitable), which showed his ability (yet again) his technical ability as he retained a multiple syllable rhyme pattern throughout the duration of the 3:49 track. The rumors resurfaced of the long awaited project “It’s a Boy”, teased many moons ago as the project to come before The Fall Off.
Nearing his birthday (January 28th) we got Birthday Blizzard ’26, hosted by the legendary DJ Clue. A nice 4 track sampler of where he is currently not only from a technical standpoint but a return to the aggressive Cole we hadn’t seen since his “disappearance” post the apology back in 2024. This sparked a slew of Cole fans of various ages posting their fav Cole songs on TikTok, as they anticipate the release of this alleged retirement album. This nostalgia hit me hard. Bringing me back to simpler times as scouring the internet on my fav blog sites for new music was as vital to me as breathing.
It reminded me of my first time discovering Cole. At this time Wale was on the top of my list of new rappers. His fashion style, his lyrical prowess over soulful beats, introducing me to the go-go/DC branch of Black music was a breath of fresh air. November 10, 2009; Attention Deficit is released. Track 13 at the 1:44 min mark, for one minute and 15 seconds I am like “WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?!”
“All I wanna do is eat I’m like a freaky lesbian”
“For that living large but mama I ain’t done yet
Sit back and watch your son rise
Kick back & know your son set”
The aggression. The flow. The punchlines & cleverness. The introspection. I was INTRIGUED. And that’s where it started. I started doing my research. Went back to The Come Up. Went back to The Warm Up. At this point, I was locked in. Someone had assumed the throne of my favorite rapper. Oh wait, he’s a fellow Aquarian. The introspection makes sense. The vulnerability. The transparency and honesty. The similar sentiments as young man trying to find value in self, witnessing those around them and trying to overcome poverty. From that point forward, there would be no other rapper that would take that spot for me.
And now it leads me to the reason for this piece. The back cover. The posters on the wall. Disc 2 Track 2 (The Fall Off is Inevitable) a 2026 version of Nas’ Rewind (off Stillmatic) with a twist. A mixtape with DJ Clue, one of many DJ’s who dominated the mixtape scene in the late 90s and 2000s. If there is one thing one can say about Jermaine, it is the intention. That intention comes from him being a student of the game. His love for hip hop and hip hop culture is how we get these pieces of art. That love sparks ideas and influences decisions
And now that we have reached the eve of The Fall Off, there is duality in this potential final project from the MC from North Carolina who called NY home for 11 years. Which is so apropros as duality has been a constant theme in Cole’s career. For day ones, we recall the original symbol/logo: his name with horns over the O and a halo on the E:
He even references it on his Dead Presidents freestyle off his classic mixtape, The Warm Up:
So yeah, I operate on a higher plane, my thoughts take a higher train
If dope, then you should know the supplier’s name
Is J. Cole, set of horns and a halo
The cover of the Born Sinner album with a metallic devil like figure with a crown halo:
On one side, we get the introspection on tracks like Lost Ones, challenging men who have unprotected sex with women with no attention on wanting to a father, rapping from 3 different perspectives: the man in shock of the pregnancy announcement, at first explaining how he isn’t ready and trying to convince her to have an abortion; the woman obviously angered by his reaction, lashing back and lastly, Cole’s perspective trying to hold men accountable.
But we also get lines like the ones below on the track Huntin Wabbitz (on the somewhat (& unfortunate) forgotten surprise project Might Delete Later, which dropped around the Kendrick & Drake beef, which was pushed to wayside (by the general audience) once Cole famously recanted his sentiments at Dreamville festival on his Kendrick response, 7 Min Drill):
And you know the bitch bad if I brought the bitch back
Let the chick ride stick like I taught her witchcraft
Caught a whiplash when they saw the whip pass
They like, “Okay, I see you, “ bitch, how could you not?
I drove to CVS, copped a Plan B and I watched as she swallowed
Bitch, I kid you not
That duality is as strong now as it ever was. Yes, the anticipation is high as we get to hear the final project from one of the greats. But there is a level of sadness that is there. If it truly is his last, not only do we not get anymore music from him but there is no one else that may fill that void. Way back before Cole was on my radar, Kanye was the first mainstream act to capture my attention. For the young Black men who lived in the hood but did not have aspirations for street culture. Yes, I enjoyed The Lox, 50, Jeezy, etc. But they spoke of lifestyles I did not see myself in. So in ’04 — ’05, the arrival of Kanye was a breathe of fresh air as he shared sentiments and themes that I could relate to. By 2009, Kanye was in a different space in his career, he had just come off 808’s and Heartbreak (an album I did not appreciate at the time, my sentiments have now changed).
Once Cole arrived, he filled that void for me. I was struggling to define where my direction was going to be in life, in/out of school, working for maybe a measly $10 per hour at this time. Going back and revisiting his mixtapes, the themes of low self-esteem, wanting to be fly, chasing women, struggling with college, etc. spoke to me in ways that no one else had at that time.
Today’s artists (in my opinion) are no longer students of the game. They do not have the love and appreciation for the culture that came before them. These acts look at it as a form of hustle. Generate a buzz large enough to get a couple catchy songs, do a couple shows or festivals and sell some merch. Hence why they are here today and gone tomorrow. There is no intentionality in their craft. There is no love or authenticity. There music is so fleeting. No lasting power. Their closest form of homage is lazily getting producer to flip classic beats (changes barely noticeable).
To shoot them SOME bail, the pillars that probably consumed young Jermaine’s mind no longer exist: rap magazines are non existent (only in online form & follow more of the gossip vs telling the stories of the artists/albums), those same magazines are where one would get those posters to place on the wall, if I’m not mistaken MTV (literally stands for Music Television) no longer airs music videos, radio station personalities are focused on boosting their own platforms vs celebrating the music, mixtapes are dead as streaming (and the Feds arresting DJ Drama & Don Cannon back in 07) has altered the industry, and so much more.
And so, as I look at the back cover of The Fall Off, I can’t help but feel like this is the last rapper who is truly a student of the game. And maybe a la Jay Z, he changes his mind and we get another project in the near-distant future (or at the very least we get another feature run). But if not, I will be sure to appreciate what he has given us the last 19 years. 7 studio albums, 4 mixtapes, 4 EPs, 4 compilations, 1 live album, countless features, standout verses, unforgettable lines, and priceless memories.
