J. Cole’s upcoming album 
Teenage Bedroom, Lifelong Influence
The back cover photo Cole shared on his social media, shows his bedroom at age 15. It’s wallpapered with hip-hop posters: Eminem, 50 Cent, Canibus, Ghostface Killah, and more. As every teen slapping a poster on a walk knows, they were not there for decoration, but for guidance.
Cole says the new project closes the circle that began with his debut mixtape, The Come-Up. That tape captured a college kid trying to make it in New York. The Fall-Off reflects two returns home: first at age 29, then again at 39, marking how far he’s come.
Four Names That Shaped His Pen
In a 2021 interview with Nardwuar, Cole credited four MCs with teaching him how to rap at a high level.
“Canibus? A huge inspiration on my teenage years of rapping. Just ferocious. Barred up, lyrical, punch lines… Eminem was a big part of that. Royce 5’9 was a big part of that. Big L was a big part of that”.
Specifically, Cole was talking about that 15-17-year-old period, when a young person soaks in knowledge and influence like a sponge. That period when he plastered his walls with the faces of hip hop legends who brought him to the point we know him in now.
Eminem Returns the Respect
That drive didn’t go unnoticed. In 2020, Eminem named J. Cole alongside Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Joyner Lucas, and Lil Wayne as artists who “rap to be the best rapper”.
With The Fall-Off, Cole is closing a chapter. Moreover, he’s paying homage to the voices that helped him write it and placing himself right among them.
