Is There Anything J. Cole Can’t Do?

Dream on ⛅️

J. Cole is on an absolute tear right now – on and off the court. Dropping his sixth studio album The Off-Season in May, the North Carolina artist hit the hardwood just two days later, debuting in the Basketball Africa League.

What sneakers was J. Cole wearing? His very own PUMA Dreamer 2 ‘Off-Season Red’, of course. A multiple-platinum recording artist and certified baller, J. Cole has his head in the clouds, and his sneakers well above the rim.

Is there anything he can’t do? Dream on.

Lacing the Big Cat
If you’re going to talk a big game, you’re going to need to bare your claws with some killer kicks.

J. Cole signed a multi-year deal with PUMA in 2020. Accompanied by a short film (of course co-directed by Cole), the partnership emphasised the notion of never giving up on yourself: a theme repeatedly explored by Cole in his art.

Cracking open their vast sneaker vault, PUMA reinterpreted the 1980s classic Sky LX for J. Cole’s first collaboration: the Sky Dreamer. A high-top heritage silhouette, the Sky Dreamer has been seen in and around the league constantly since its debut – most notably on Cole himself courtside.

Joining an impressive roster of talent (PUMA recently inked deals with the likes of New York Knick RJ Barrett and L.A. Laker Kyle Kuzma), PUMA announced the Dreamer 2 ‘Off-Season Red’ in May – an ode to Cole’s sixth studio album. Perfectly suited to Cole’s lofty ambitions on and off the court, the silhouette was laced by Cole during his debut in the Basketball Africa League for the Rwanda Patriots.

The Off-Season
Released on May 14 this year, J. Cole’s The Off-Season was a long time in the making. Dropping three years after the critically-acclaimed KOD, the title refers to the grind NBA athletes endure when the fans exit the stands.

‘Why is it so hard to be great in rap as you get older?’ Cole muses in a promo video teaser to the album. Indeed, navigating the difficult terrain of being an older hip hop veteran forms a central motif of The Off-Season, the recent death of DMX only serving to add more contextual heartache for the hip hop industry’s perpetual problem.

Still, J. Cole makes no apologies for being a hip hop traditionalist, shirking the new generation’s vernacular in favour of a more technical and nuanced LP. Literally and metaphorically tied to his journey as an artist (J. Cole often makes references to his journey between his homes in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Queens, New York), Cole finally looks more at-ease with his role as a father and a husband, the 36-year-old rediscovering his love of music whilst living a more balanced lifestyle.

Featuring kindred spirits Lil Baby and 21 Savage, The Off-Season is already 2021’s largest streaming debut with 59 million streams.

Images with thanks to Getty Images

Ballin’ in the Basketball Africa League
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not all talk for J. Cole, he’s a real hooper.

While he famously botched the impromptu dunk during the 2019 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Competition, J. Cole has been working hard on his game, signing a three- to six-game deal with the Rwanda Patriots. Joining the Basketball Africa League, Cole made his debut at Kigali Arena in Rwanda just two days after The Off-Season dropped, playing the two-guard position and registering three points, three rebounds, and two assists in 18 minutes.

No shrinking violet, J. Cole nearly made it as a walk-on at St. John’s University, a Division 1 men’s basketball program. Instead, Cole decided to hone his craft in the studio, releasing his first studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, in 2011.

A testament to the grind, and never giving up on your goals, J. Cole is providing a lesson for us all in post-pandemic work ethic.

Ready to stunt the fit of your dreams?