In 2023, on a song with Artist Drake called “First Person Shooter,” Artist Jermaine Cole said, “I’m naming the album The Fall Off, it’s pretty ironic ’cause it ain’t no fall off for me.”
Cole has released four albums in the past ten years, all while simultaneously working on his biggest project yet.
Cole released The Fall Off on February 6 after teasing it for 10 years during countless other songs and features.
The Fall Off earned around 35 million streams on Spotify on its first day, becoming the second-biggest album debut in 2026.
Along with that, it took over Apple Music, with eight of the top ten songs simultaneously being from The Fall Off.
When he prematurely released the first song of the album, Cole said, “For the past 10 years, this album has been crafted with one intention: a personal challenge to myself to create my best work. To do on my last what I was unable to do on my first. I had no way of knowing how much time, focus, and energy it would eventually take to achieve this, but despite the countless challenges along the way, I knew in my heart that I would one day get to the finish line. I owed it first and foremost to myself. And secondly, I owed it to hip hop.”
Cole has released song after song, receiving two Grammys and numerous nominations, yet he was not happy with where he was.
Cole was not going to be satisfied until he delivered an album he could truly call his own.
Here, The Fall Off was introduced.
Cole not only fulfilled his own ambitions after 10 years of working on this album, but also satisfied fans, bringing mixed emotions of sadness over the last album and happiness at how exceptional it turned out.
The Fall Off follows Cole on his journey through life and the rap game.
Cole released this message about his first-ever album, The Come Up.
Cole said, there was a double meaning in the name “the obvious one; my ambitions to “come up” in the rap game. The second was more subtle; my physical change of location to do so. I was a delusional teenager from Fayetteville, North Carolina who had decided to leave home and “come up” to New York City on a dream-chasing mission.”
The Fall Off is a double album made with the intention of being Cole’s last, bringing the concept of his first project full circle.
Cole’s album delivers two different discs.
Disc 29 and 39, Cole said, “Disc 29 tells a story of me returning to my hometown at age 29. A decade after moving to New York, accomplishing what would have seemed impossible to most, I was at a crossroads with the 3 loves of my life: my woman, my craft, and my city. Disc 39 gives insight into my mindset during a similar trip home, this time as a 39-year-old man. Older and a little closer to peace.”
The album cover for The Fall Off was a photo Cole took when he was 15, bringing the project even closer to him.
Cole’s project maintains a high level of quality throughout the album with various standout songs.
Case in point, the first song of the album that was released prematurely, “The Fall-Off Is Inevitable,” had substantial praise from fans, confirming the early greatness of this album.
This song follows Cole’s life in reverse as he effortlessly raps, keeping up his reputation as one of the best lyricists alive, while accepting that remaining on top forever is impossible, and accepting this is the true way to make peace with ending his legacy.
Cole released his Birthday Blizzard ’26 EP on January 28, and it became highly acclaimed by many.
This EP was a collection of four high-energy tracks that showed Cole’s freestyling and lyrical ability as a teaser before the upcoming album.
“Bunce Road Blues” on disc 29 was highly praised by many fans, as it is a high-energy song featuring Future and Tems.
Cole fits this song into the theme of the album, giving the fans a glimpse of his early life and rise to fame.
“SAFETY,” the third song on disc 29, was commended as a standout track, featuring a raw hip-hop style that showcased Cole’s lyrical storytelling.
This track shows Cole’s guilt about leaving his hometown and friends behind as he moves to New York to pursue his rise to fame, reflecting on his roots.
“I Love Her Again” excels as one of the more mellow and emotional songs on the playlist, where Cole personifies hip-hop as a woman and illustrates his intense ongoing relationship with the rap game.
This song is a direct homage to Common’s song in 1994, “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” and has Cole’s similar thoughts about the shift in hip-hop and their criticism towards it.
“Two Six” became the most popular song on The Fall Off with its high energy, hitting first on the Apple Music charts overnight.
This song has high meaning to Cole, with him symbolizing his loyalty to his hometown of Fayetteville, which is nicknamed “The 26” as it was the 26th county in North Carolina.
Cole has referenced this number many times throughout his career, even dropping his album on 2/6/26, showing his appreciation for his hometown.
The Fall Off most closely resembles Artist’s Jay-Z’s first album, Reasonable Doubt.
Cole was known to start as Jay-Z’s apprentice, becoming the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s record label.
Jay-Z was an artist Cole looked up to, so when Cole released his first mixtape, The Come Up, he waited two hours outside of Jay-Z’s recording studio to offer his CD.
Initially, Jay-Z rejected Cole, but one year later, after hearing his music, Jay-Z sought out Cole and eventually signed him, starting to mentor Cole, teaching him how to navigate the rap game.
Jay-Z, when releasing Reasonable Doubt, had no regular record deal, releasing it under his own label and expecting it to be both his first and last.
Cole took that mentality with this album, with the mentality that it is his last, which created the same effortless feel with songs that are solid start to finish.
Cole proficiently crafts a final album that lures fans in and ensures consistent attention throughout.
The Fall Off captivates fans, showing Cole’s life full circle from his small town in North Carolina to his life now after chasing his dream and building a legacy.
Cole is considered one of the most humble rappers, and he shows it in this album along with the level of maturity he’s achieved.
Cole has not released official tour dates yet, but he started doing a “Trunk Sale Tour” shortly after the release of his album.
On this tour, Cole drives his old Honda Civic around the country, handing out signed CDs and taking pictures with fans to promote his new album, reminding himself of his old teenage days.
While many fans are sad this is his last album, they are also delighted at how the long wait has turned out.
The Fall Off can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, TIDAL, and his own website, thefalloff.com.
