7 Things We Learned From J. Cole's 'The Off-Season' Documentary

Image via YouTube/J. Cole

For the past five years, Cole says he’s been fighting “against comfort.” “I was chillin,” he explains. “What I noticed was, with that feeling of comfort, I’m like, ‘Damn, this is the moment that a lot of your favorite rappers hit a crossroads, where they did what they set out to do, and then the fruits of their labor started working against them.’ That same energy and that same passion they put into the craft was gone, and it was replaced by comfort and luxury.” He acknowledges that his life had become a predictable routine, which he says hurt him in the long run. “That level of comfort that I’ve reached in my life, imagine that when applied to music—a craft and a sport that you literally can’t get comfortable in,” he notes. In an effort to defeat his life of comfortability, Cole asked himself a question: “Are you OK with getting comfortable, chilling, mailing it in, waiting around on inspiration? [...] Did you leave no stone unturned creatively?” His answer: “Nah, I’m not cool with that.”

Prior to life as a father, Cole says he often spent 12 hours in the studio at a time. Anything less was a failure, he explains. But during one studio session, he received some wisdom from Pharrell, who said he dedicates specific hours to being in the studio and spending time with his family. At first, J. Cole didn’t grasp what Pharrell was saying, but after he became a father himself, he understood the importance of maintaining a schedule. “About two years into being a father, I remember, like, ‘Oh, you need a schedule where your family knows this is your time in the studio and this is the time when I’m at home in family mode,’” he reveals. “It’s something that I needed to do, because I’m not gonna shortcut on the family side. So I put the studio in the house for that reason. I love being able to work knowing my family is right upstairs.”

2019 was a big year for Cole in terms of doing features for other rappers. That year, he agreed to a series of collaborations, including 21 Savage’s Grammy-winning single “A Lot,” “The London” with Young Thug and Travis Scott, “Sojourner’” with Rapsody, and “Family and Loyalty” with Gang Starr. Prior to those releases, J. Cole had earned a rep for working solo, but after some reflection, he decided that’s not what he wanted to be known for. He remembers asking himself, “Do you really wanna look back and be like, ‘You didn’t work with nobody? You didn’t have no songs with nobody? You just cool with that?’ No, OK. So start saying yes to some features.” Agreeing to do features was also a good way to get him out of his comfort zone, he says: “When you put yourself in uncomfortable moments, you find out a lot about yourself. And usually, you find that you’re capable of rising to that bar that’s set by that uncomfortable situation.”

Some of the records that might make it on The Off-Season and The Fall Off were recorded years ago, Cole reveals. He also says that “Middle Child,” which dropped in January 2019, was originally meant for The Fall Off, which will serve as a follow-up to The Off-Season. “Normally, I would just hoard that shit,” he explains. But he ultimately decided to release it early because he didn’t want to keep all of the music to himself. He says he has held onto a lot of records because he felt they were “too special” and he wanted to save them for The Fall Off, but some of them will ultimately not make it to the album. While he didn’t say it explicitly, the assumption is that some of those will be on The Off-Season.

In the final moments of the documentary, Cole revealed that The Fall Off is still a work in progress, saying, “I got more songs I need to do. I got more tinkering I need to do.” Nevertheless, Cole said he has a clear vision of what he wants the project to be and sound like. “I finally got this shit sculpted and I can see it,” he continued. “For a long time, I knew what I wanted to do, but I just couldn’t see it. This is the most ambitious shit I’ve ever done. It’s a patience and a trust. It’s a tight rope to walk, but I’m walking that shit.”

There have been rumors circulating that J. Cole is considering retirement after The Fall Off, and he doesn’t outwardly say it’s true during the documentary, but he does allude to having thoughts about the end of his career. When discussing his motives for creating The Off Season at the beginning of the doc, he says, “One more time before I leave—before I feel like I’m fulfilled in this game—let me try to reach new heights from a skill level standpoint.” Elsewhere, he hints at life after music, saying, “Now that the possibility of not doing this shit this seems real and I’m at peace with that, don’t have a regret.”