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J. Cole<\/a> has released a brand new EP out of the blue, confirming rumors<\/a> that he had more than just a new album on deck.<\/p>\n Hosted by mixtape kingpin DJ Clue<\/a>, Birthday Blizzard \u201926<\/em> features four fiery freestyles from the Fayeteville rapper who turned 40 years old on Wednesday (January 28).<\/p>\n Inspired by the rugged, no-frills energy of \u201990s and \u201900s New York hip-hop, the EP finds Cole flexing his razor-sharp rhymes over classic beats like Biggie<\/a>\u2018s \u201cWho Shot Ya?,\u201d Diddy<\/a>\u2018s \u201cVictory\u201d and The LOX<\/a>\u2018s \u201cMoney, Power & Respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Birthday Blizzard \u201926<\/em> is not just a display of impressive penmanship, though; Jermaine Cole gets plenty off his chest on the brief but braggadocious project.<\/p>\n On the opening track \u201cBronx Zoo Freestyle,\u201d the Dreamville leader addresses the backlash to his apology to Kendrick Lamar<\/a> in 2024 following their brief back-and-forth on \u201cLike That\u201d and \u201c7 Minute Drill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI used to be top seed \/ The apology dropped me way out of the top three \/ No problem, I\u2019m probably my best when they doubt me \/ Watch me,\u201d<\/em> he raps.<\/p>\n Cole also says: \u201cThe top ain\u2019t really what I thought it would be \/ And so I jumped off and landed back at the bottom \/ And restarted at a level where I wasn\u2019t regarded as much \/ Just to climb past \u2019em again and tell \u2019em all to keep up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Birthday Blizzard ’26. hosted by DJ Clue? \ud83e\udd76\ud83e\udd76\ud83e\udd76 \u2014 J. Cole (@JColeNC) January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cGolden Goose Freestyle,\u201d which borrows Black Rob<\/a> and The LOX\u2019s \u201cCan I Live\u201d instrumental, hears the North Carolina native weighing in on some of the (alleged) shenanigans that have plagued the rap industry in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of rappers make dough then be prone to lose it \/ For crumbs, dumb n*ggas sold their soul to Lucian,\u201d<\/em> he spits, referencing the Universal Music Group boss Lucian Grainge. \u201cUniversal distribution but I own the music \/ Best n*gga still breathing, leaving no confusion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He also sets his sights on ghostwriting and streaming bots, rapping: \u201cN*ggas cheating and I won\u2019t excuse it \/ If I said it then I wrote it, stupid\u201d<\/em> before adding: \u201cIf the streams say you\u2019re winning, why your tours is losing? \/ When the math ain\u2019t mathing, of course you\u2019re juicing \/ That means the bots is boosting, cut the tough guy image it is not conducive to breathing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Elsewhere, on \u201c99 Build Freestyle,\u201d J. Cole shows major love to his Dreamville signee and occasional collaborator JID<\/a>, who is coming off a banner year thanks to his critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album God Does Like Ugly<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf hip-hop is back, JID should chart platinum \/ Anything less than that it means y\u2019all capping,\u201d<\/em> he declares. (It\u2019s worth noting that the Atlanta rapper has racked up a string of platinum and multi-platinum plaques in his career, albeit for his singles and big-name collaborations.)<\/p>\n Birthday Blizzard \u201926<\/em> is exclusively available to purchase at J. Cole\u2019s website, TheFallOff.com<\/a>, where fans can stream and download a copy for a minumum of $1.<\/p>\n The quickfire project serves as a warm-up for Cole\u2019s long-awaited final album The Fall-Off<\/em><\/a>, which is set to arrive on February 6.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
4 new freestyles available now on https:\/\/t.co\/NS7VjMFmQs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2N7JoHMtp6<\/a><\/p>\n