J. Cole Is The First Artist To Have Solo Feature On The Cover Of Slam

J. Cole discusses the inspiration behind "The Off-Season" in his historical new cover story with SLAM.

BYAron A.May 11, 20213.9K Views

J. Cole's been giving us varsity bars since he came into the game, drawing the parallels between his come-up in rap and the NBA. While Cole's often mentioned in the list of rappers that could hoop, the upcoming release of The Off-Season will be a new body of work to bridge the gap between athletes and entertainers.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

After the announcement that he'll be taking his talents to the Rwandan club in Basketball Africa League, beginning this weekend, the rapper has now graced the cover of SLAM Magazine. Not only has he gone platinum with no features but he's now the first artist to be featured solo on the cover of the magazine.

"J. Cole stands for everything SLAM stands for—the way basketball and music overlap and inspire greatness in one another,” Chief Content Officer at SLAM Adam Figman said. “This cover was a long time coming, and we’re proud that we were able to make it happen just as Cole was about to release an album influenced by his love of hoops.”

The rare editorial interview with Cole offers a further glimpse into his new project. He explained the inspiration behind the title of The Off-Season, due out on Friday.

"The Off-Season symbolizes the work that it takes to get to the highest height," he said. "The Off-Season represents the many hours and months and years it took to get to top form.”

Peep the cover below. Are you excited for The Off-Season?

J. Cole Is The First Artist To Have Solo Feature On The Cover Of Slam — Via Publicist

[Via]

Comments
Link Copied to Clipboard!

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.