The Off-Season

## **Singles from *The Off-Season***

1. "My Life"
Released: May 25, 2021

***The Off-Season*** is the sixth studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released through Dreamville Records, Roc Nation and Interscope Records on May 14, 2021. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, along with its tracks "Pride Is the Devil" nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance and "My Life" nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

## Synopsis

For athletes of both the professional and amateur ranks, the time between seasons is an opportunity to recuperate and to sharpen their tool set for the next run. Superstar MC J. Cole, whose career has long been informed by both basketball metaphor and actual basketball playing (in May 2021, ESPN reported that Cole had joined the Basketball Africa League's Rwanda Patriots BBC), has crafted his *The Off-Season* mixtape in the same mold, affirming that if he's done anything in the time since 2018's *KOD* album, it's get even better at what he does.

The 12-track tape is at once a testament to his actual rhyme skill and the reverence he's earned within hip-hop. He's sourced production from Boi-1da, Timbaland, Jake One, and T-Minus, among others, and has words—but not verses—from Cam'ron, Damian Lillard, and a man he admits to having once had an actual physical alteration with, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Though he takes time to shout out both Chief Keef and Dave East—conspicuously opposite forces in the realm of contemporary rap—proper features here come from fellow Fayetteville native Morray and “a lot” collaborator 21 Savage. Over the course of his career, Cole's been known as something of a lone wolf—J CoLe wEnT pLaTiNuM WiTh nO fEaTuReS. But in the scope of the energy we get from him on *The Off-Season*, it's less likely that he's been avoiding other rappers than that he's just left them all behind.

## Track listing

**Sample credits**

* "95 South" contains samples of "Throw It Up" and "Put Your Hood Up" by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.
* "My Life" interpolates "The Life" performed by Styles P and Pharoahe Monch and a sample from "You Can't Hurry God" performed by Rev. Walter McDaniel and The Gospel Wind.
* "Applying Pressure” contains a sample from "Calafia" performed by Gerald Wilson Orchestra of the 80's.
* "Punching the Clock" contains a sample of a post game interview from Damian Lillard.
* "100 Mil'" contains a sample from "There's Something Missing" performed by Double Exposure.
* "The Climb Back" contains a sample from "I'm So In Love With You” performed by Brief Encounter.
* "Close" contains a sample from "Do It Again" performed by The New Birth.
* "Hunger On Hillside" contains a sample from "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone” performed by Junior Parker.

## Personnel

**Vocals**

* Cameron "Cam'ron" Giles – additional vocals (track 1)
* Damian Lillard – additional vocals (track 5)
* Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith – additional vocals (track 1)
* TS Rose – additional vocals (track 7)
* Sean "Diddy" Combs – additional vocals (track 8)

**Technical**

* Juro "Mez" Davis – mixer (all tracks)
* Kaleb Rollins – vocal producer (tracks 6, 8, 12)
* Kuldeep Chudasama – recording engineer (all tracks)
* Mike Bozzi – mastering engineer (all tracks)

## References

1. ↑ "2022 Grammy Awards: The Full List of Nominees and Winners". *NPR*. April 3, 2022.

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