Ten J. Cole Songs to Prepare You for “The Fall-Off.” Part Two
Image Courtesy of Pitchfork
By Joey Brasco
In case you missed it, in a previous article, we covered a handful of J. Cole songs to get listeners ready for his upcoming (and final?) album, The Fall-Off, releasing February 6, 2026. Read that, then come back here for the final picks and honorable mentions!
4. “Forbidden Fruit” (ft. Kendrick Lamar) Although having a Kendrick feature and only featuring him on the chorus may seem like sacrilege, Cole’s smooth flows and expert production on this song make it so you wouldn’t have it any other way! Utilizing a generous sample of the baseline on Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” is just about all Cole needs to pull this tune’s hypnotizing atmosphere together. Cole implements a spell-binding flow on the verses before tagging in frenemy Kendrick Lamar for the sultry and devious chorus.
3. “Power Trip” (ft. Miguel) My final Born Sinner pick, and perhaps Cole’s best hit overall. The effortlessly cool vocals from Cole pair wonderfully with the more expressive performance from Miguel. The muddier production on the verses eventually gives way to the elegant flute sample on the chorus, showcasing Cole’s expert production skills. This is a prime example of Cole’s unique vision as a hitmaker, balancing pop elements with his distinctly laid-back style.
2. “First Person Shooter” (ft. J. Cole) Cole’s feature on Drake’s “First Person Shooter” is a lowkey pick for most consequential hip-hop verse of the 21st century. His seemingly benign statement of “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or Me?” was one of the instigating factors which led to the explosive Kendrick and Drake feud back in 2024. Kendrick responded to Cole’s reference through his feature on Future’s “Like That,” where Kendrick boasted that the “Big Three” of rap’s new school was nonexistent, and that it’s just “Big Me.” J. Cole responded to Kendrick on his now-deleted “7 Minute Drill” diss, an embarrassing moment where Cole entered into the skirmish only to get cold feet.
Undoubtedly, Cole has a case as one of the best rappers of his generation, no matter what Kendrick says, and it will be interesting to see if there is any further fallout from this situation covered on The Fall-Off. Removed from the context of the beef, though, this feature goes to show how talented Cole is as a feature artist. He routinely ups the game of whoever he is rapping with and often gets the better of them on their own song. Cole and Drizzy are at peak power levels on this track, and it’s a shame this generational banger has been relegated to the inciting incident of a rap beef, and is not often discussed as an amazing song outside of its unavoidable context.
Honorable Mentions: Cole’s discography is vast, and just about all of it is top-notch. Therefore, I would be remiss to not include a list of honorable mentions, including some of his most important feature performances, such as… “Land of the Snakes,” “Too Deep for the Intro,” “h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e” (ft. Bas), “Off Deez” (ft. J. Cole), “a lot” (ft. J. Cole), “Apparently,” “Johnny P’s Caddy.” (ft. J. Cole)
1. “Love Yourz” It’s songs like these that explain why Cole has such a dedicated fanbase. There is not much more than the gentle piano lead and Cole’s words, but the elegance and heart with which he delivers them make you feel like he’s an old friend talking right to you. Cole has his share of songs where he brags and boasts with the best of them, but when he wants to, he has an expert ability to convey a sense of relatability and openness that endears him to his fans in a way most artists can’t touch. This song is life-affirming, but also remains honest while pointing out the reality of suffering in general. However, Cole’s worldview is one where the suffering is just a piece of the greater beauty that is life. This song is quintessential J. Cole!
