Ahead of his highly anticipated album, The Fall-Off, J. Cole shared a package of freestyles titled Birthday Blizzard '26 on Tuesday night. Fans have been taking note of one track in particular, "Golden Goose Freestyle." They theorize Cole is taking shots at his former collaborator, Drake, with several bars on the song.
"Lotta rappers make dough then be prone to lose it / For crumbs, dumb n****s sold their soul to Lucian... N****s cheatin’ and I won’t еxcuse it / If I said it then I wrote it, stupid," he raps, referencing Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge. Drake is currently appealing the dismissal of his lawsuit against the company.
Cole also referenced botted streams and failed tour dates. He raps: "If the streams say you winnin,’ why your tours is losin'? / When the math ain’t mathin’, of course you’re juicin’ / That mean the bots is boostin’ / Cut the tough guy image, it is not conducive / To breathe and don’t gamble with your life ‘cause the opps is cruisin’ / Word to Mike Vick, your dog might get sh*t for losin’."
On top of those lines on "Golden Goose Freestyle," Cole also reflects on his beef with Kendrick Lamar on “Bronx Zoo Freestyle.” “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," he raps. Cole famously responded to Lamar's “Like That" verse on "7 Minute Drill," in 2024, but backtracked on stage at Dreamville Festival afterward. He admitted that he "felt terrible" about the situation and still had love for Lamar.
J. Cole's "The Fall-Off" Release Date
J. Cole will be releasing The Fall-Off on Friday, February 6th. He finally announced the project with a trailer, earlier this month, after years of anticipation. Before Birthday Blizzard '26, he also put out the first single from his new album, "Disc 2 Track 2." The conceptual track sees Cole detailing his life story in reverse.
