J. Cole “Album of the Year (Freestyle)”: Rapper Teases ‘The Off Season’ Project
On the verge of his KOD Tour, J. Cole drops a video for a surprise freestyle on Tuesday night (Aug. 7). The new track finds the rapper delivering stellar rhymes over producer EZ Elpee's instrumental for Nas and Bravehearts' 2001 single "Oochie Wally."
The song, dubbed "Album of the Year (Freestyle)," features Cole in his bag, serving rhymes that riff on society, plot his future and declare his April-released project KOD—you guessed it—the album of the year.
"Commissioned by the state, I skate by the masters/Like 'yoo-hoo' with a new-new ridin' passenger/Shout-out Oak Cliff, I'm 'bout to fly to Dallas/Decade from now, I might just buy the Mavericks," he raps.
Those bars are followed by an odd joke about being good at math "like I'm Asian," which Cole follows by explaining that he hates stereotypes but, in fairness, considers the previous line "light compared to what a nigga get from Caucasians."
The freestyle's Simon David-directed video features Cole rapping in various outdoor locations including a staircase, a walking tunnel and a gas station. The clip also features some surprising details in the YouTube description, which features a cryptic message from Fayetteville, N.C.'s finest that appears to tease a new project.
"The Off Season coming soon... All roads lead to The Fall Off - Cole," the caption reads. Text at the beginning of the video also alludes to the phrase. "What you are about to witness is a master class on preparation. THE OFF-SEASON," reads the title card.
It's unclear what J. Cole means, but he's been demanding beats on Twitter in recent days. His tour with Young Thug, Jaden Smith and EarthGang commences Thursday (Aug. 9) in Miami. The crew performs in Dallas on Aug. 18.
Watch the videos for J. Cole's "Album of the Year (Freestyle)" and Nas and Braveheart's original track "Oochie Wally" below.
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