J. Cole on Wednesday surprised fans with the drop of “Heaven’s EP,” his first new single since the release of his latest album The Off-Season.
Arriving with an accompanying Las Vegas-based music video directed by Simon Chasalow, the track builds on Drake‘s new track, “Pipe Down,” from Certified Lover Boy, which was produced by Leon Thomas III, FaxOnly, Jean Bleu, Simon Gebrelul and Anthoine Walters.
“Some people say that I’m running third, they threw the bronze at me/Behind Drake and Dot, yeah them n***** is superstars to me,” Cole raps on the new song. “Maybe deep down I’m afraid of my luminosity/So when you see me on red carpets, I’m movin’ awkwardly.”
Cole’s sixth studio album, The Off-Season, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart after moving an impressive 282,00 equivalent album units and 2,000 traditional albums in its opening week. The 12-track effort features guest vocals from 21 Savage, Morray, Diddy, Lil Baby and several others.
In tandem with the album’s release, the rapper made his professional debut in the Basketball Africa League on the Rwanda Patriots. Cole scored a total of five points and provided three assists and five rebounds during 45 minutes of playing time in three games, before ending his stint on the team and departing due to a “family obligation.”
Cole is now gearing up to kick off The Off-Season Tour, which officially begins on September 24 in Miami, Florida.
Watch Cole’s new “Heaven’s EP” music video above.
Elsewhere, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is now the first single in history to reach 15x platinum.
