A decade ago, J. Cole unleashed his career-defining third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The North Carolina rapper celebrated the 6x Platinum LP’s 10-year anniversary with a show at NYC’s iconic Madison Square Garden last night (Dec. 16). Announced just two weeks prior, the “one night only” affair was a hot ticket event taking place in the Big Apple.
However, fans who weren’t able to grab tix when they originally went on sale had another chance to make it into the show. Cole and his team saved 2,014 (to represent 2014 FHD) tickets to sell at just $1 (in reference to “Dollar And A Dream”) the day of the concert. The surprise location, Irving Plaza, was announced at 9 a.m., and the sale was first come, first serve, and only one ticket per person.
“He is very, very giving,” said Parrish Mitchell, a fan waiting in line, to PIX11. “For a dollar-paying ticket, it is a miracle.”
Last night’s event was especially important due to the rapper hinting at his retirement coming soon. His The Fall Off era is just on the horizon, theoretically making this MSG show one of Cole’s last hurrah’s of this kind. This time around, he performed Forest Hills Drive from top to bottom.
Check out some highlights from J. Cole’s “one night only” Forest Hills Drive MSG show down below.
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“Mohammed Crib Classics”
Image Credit: Prince Williams/FilmMagic Midway through his FHD set, the St. John’s alum paused to speak to the crowd and reflect on his early days as an aspiring rapper. He brought people back to the chapter of his life when he would record songs at his friend Mohammed’s apartment in Queens, NY. These songs wound up landing on The Come Up, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights, his ‘tapes that helped cultivate his day-one fanbase.
Cole dubbed these now-classic creations as the “Mohammed Crib Classics.”
Ibrahim Hamad, Cole’s longtime friend and manager, provided additional context about the weight of the moment. “I seen 2face at the Garden. For yall it might not mean much but for a lot of us who seen cole from Mohammed crib days to see that in Madison Square Garden, it hit different. When you in the grind and you don’t know where these dreams gon take you, tonight was special. Thank Ya,” he said.
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“2Face,” “Grown Simba,” And Other Deep Cuts
Image Credit: Friday Night Lights cover art. J. Cole made sure his die-hard fans left happy and treated them with performances of his earliest hits. Although he has a myriad of tracks to choose from, he delivered renditions of thoughtfully selected cult favorites like “2Face,” “I Get Up,” “Who Dat,” “Grown Simba,” and of course, “Lights Please.”
“I just gotta do this because there’s no reason I’m supposed to be doing this song in Madison Square Garden,” he said, referring to “2Face.” “So, I have to do it. There’s a few people in here that… will be like, ‘No way that n**ga did that one. I f**k with you n**ga.’ So I’m doing this one for me.”
Playing old mixtape tracks in a massive arena is no easy feat, and the choice shocked many people in the best way. “This n**ga did ‘2Face’ in front of 20,000 people. You think I give a f**k about a f**king rap battle?!” one user tweeted as another added, “Nah…the Fomo was non-existent. THIS MAN JUST DID 2FACE IN FULL!!!!”
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His Perfect Medley Of Hits
Image Credit: Mychal Watts/WireImage And of course, Cole had to take a second to remind folks just how elite his catalogue is. Amid his deviation from FHD songs, he also added his chart toppers into the mix. Cole brought in this section by explaining to the crowd how he hit a point in his career where he had to worry about “chasing a hit record.” He coyly added, “And then I figured it out,” and catapulted into a medley of his best bangers that broke into the mainstream music world.
The 39-year-old kicked things off with “Nobody’s Perfect” featuring Missy Elliott, “Work Out,” and “Can’t Get Enough,” which are all selections from his debut album, Sideline Story. He then went for “Power Trip” and capped the segment off with his guest verse from “Planez” as fans helped him sing Jeremih’s hook.
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‘Love Yourz’
Image Credit: Inevitable.live screenshot. Cole couldn’t end the night without performing one of his most impactful records, “Love Yourz.”
From the moment fans heard the violin-led instrumental start to play, right on cue, the Garden lit up entirely as people pulled out their phones and turned their flashes on. While Cole rapped his inspirational verse, people in the crowd could be seen getting emotional, putting their arms over each other’s shoulders, and swaying in unison as the love could be felt moving throughout the room.
“Love Yourz” appears on the project right before the outro and emphasizes the importance of loving your own journey and seeing the beauty in the struggle. It has since gone on to garner three Platinum plaques and remains an important staple in any Cole setlist.
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Hinting At New Music Coming Soon
With over 19,000 pairs of eyes on him, Cole knew people would catch and hang onto every word. He intentionally dropped a hint that new music could be coming sooner than we think.
Just before he walked off stage, he told the crowd, “See y’all at Dreamville Festival. Hopefully I’ll have something new to perform for y’all.” The sentiment sent his fanbase into a frenzy on social media, as people began to share their excitement for a potential new project.
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The April 2025 event is confirmed to be the fifth and final iteration of the successful festival. Dreamville announced the news on Dec. 11 and informed fans about when and where to purchase tickets one last time.
“What a ride it’s been… We can’t thank y’all enough for all the memories we’ve shared,” detailed a statement from the festival’s organizers. “From the very beginning, the idea behind the fest was creating a place where our fans, the Dreamville community, could spend time together, a place where they could see themselves reflected, a place to share in experiences. Let’s run it back one more time in April!”
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