J. Cole and Drake go way back. The pair have not only forged a long-lasting friendship over the past decade through mutual respect and camaraderie, but became two of rap’s all-time greatest emcees in the process.
From early collabs like “In The Morning” and “Jodeci Freestyle” to popping out on each other’s tours throughout the years, it’s only right that Jermaine and Aubrey celebrate their bond as co-headliners at Cole’s forthcoming Dreamville Fest.
The festival, which is slated for April 1-2 in Raleigh, North Carolina, is set to feature not only Dreamville’s best and brightest in JID, Bas, Cozz, Earthgang, Lute and Ari Lennox, but will also see Usher, City Girls, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Jordan Ward, Sean Paul, Burna Boy and more take the stage.
According to a press release, Drake will join Cole “as a special guest” for Sunday’s set, which will see the two lyrical titans “perform a medley of hits from each of their chart-topping catalogs.” Helping to define the sound of a generation, Drake and Cole have always put their friendship first.
Cole publically gave Drake his flowers after the release of albums in Honestly, Nevermind and Certified Lover Boy — even remixing Drake’s “Pipe Down” for his YouTube exclusive “Heaven’s EP.” They’ve always shown love to each other, with Drake coming out to catch one of Cole’s games when he was playing professionally for the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Cole is seemingly in the midst of prepping his next studio album, It’s A Boy, while “The Boy” Drake is planning to tour his collab LP with 21 Savage, Her Loss, later this year.
Cole detailed his thoughts on a friendship with Drake to Vibe Magazine in 2010, divulging that they both had “work to do” regarding their respective come-ups at first. Now 13 years later, the pair are not only adjacent peers, but are included in almost every Top 10 greatest rappers list — cementing their legacies as well as their rapport.
The Dreamville head honcho views Drake more as a friend than a competitor these days though, with the latter speaking on how much Cole has meant to him throughout the years — as well as making music together — during a show in 2019.
“When I think of all my earliest memories [in rap], there’s always one guy that was always right there doing the same thing as me — taking care of his people, showing love — and it’s this man right here,” the OVO mogul said. “He hasn’t changed since the first day I met him. I said it in prayer, and I’ll say it in front of 20,000 people: All you keep doing is getting bigger and better. I appreciate you and I can’t wait to make some new music with you.”
As far as top-tier moments, Cole and Drake have tons. Whether it’s performing together on the “Dollar And A Dream” tour or Drake shutting down Cole’s show in 2014 with “0 to 100,” to witness two of the genre’s greatest ever come together for a joint set is history in itself.
Here’s hoping Drizzy and Jermaine unlock a collab from the vault when Dreamville Fest rolls around… or perhaps a full-length project.
Purchase tickets to Dreamville Festival here!
