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Erika Goldring / Contributor via Getty Images and Jason Koerner / Contributor via Getty Images
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J Cole performs during 2022 Lollapalooza at Grant Park on July 30, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois and Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during day three of Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium
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Key Takeaways:
- J. Cole reflects on his public apology to Kendrick Lamar in “Bronx Zoo Freestyle,” referencing his fall from the “Top 3.”
- Birthday Blizzard ’26 also includes name-drops of Lori Harvey, JID, and Lucian Grainge.
- Listeners are analyzing the lyrics for subliminals possibly aimed at Joey Bada$$ and others.
Today (Jan. 28) is J. Cole’s 41st birthday! Just ahead of the milestone, the North Carolina rapper gifted fans a surprise release called Birthday Blizzard ’26, consisting of four new freestyles. On the project, he covered a variety of topics, including his apology to Kendrick Lamar, the “Big Three”, and Dreamville’s very own JID.
Opening with “Bronx Zoo Freestyle,” Cole dished out, “I used to be top seed / Apology dropped me way out of the top three / No problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me.” In the aforementioned lines, he reflected on his apology for dissing Lamar on “7 Minute Drill” at 2024’s Dreamville Fest.
Segueing into “Golden Goose Freestyle,” Cole dropped a reference to Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, who, interestingly enough, had been mentioned by rap fans online (and by Kanye West on “Like That (Remix)”) during the Drake-Lamar feud. “For crumbs, dumb n**gas sold their soul to Lucian / Universal distribution, but I own the music.” On that same track, familiar names like Usher, Q-Tip, and Michael Vick were also mentioned.
Arguably the most out-of-pocket name-drop on Birthday Blizzard ’26 came courtesy of “Winter Storm Freestyle,” where Cole likened himself to Lori Harvey: “B**ch, I feel like Lori Harvey how I ran through them n**gas / Now, I’m back for the winter, tryna outdo myself.” Lastly, some fans suspected that he responded to Joey Bada$$’ “Sorry Not Sorry” jabs on the project’s finale, “99 Build Freestyle.”
Birthday Blizzard ’26 is available to purchase via Cole’s The Fall-Off website. Scroll down to see some of the best reactions to the extended play.
Though Birthday Blizzard ’26 wasn’t exactly a surprise, fans might’ve been expecting another project, It’s a Boy, which Cole hinted at in a sketch a few years ago. Either way, the four-track offering should keep listeners satisfied until his long-anticipated seventh studio album, The Fall-Off, arrives on Feb. 6.
