Not known for being on social media as often as his other musical counterparts, Grammy-award winning rapper J. Cole has used the year 2021 to connect with his fans more often than he has ever done before. Whether it be through his Twitter account or on Instagram, Cole has almost made as many announcements online this year alone as he has in the last couple of years all together. About a decade ago, Cole and his production team were known for their “Dollar and a Dream” tours, where they promote $1 dollar concerts through word of mouth across several cities worldwide, but things are way different now. Much of this can be attributed to the changing times that society has undergone with the global pandemic as a result of COVID-19, but more than that, it appears that Cole has truly begun to embrace his ability to have a big platform to keep fans updated on his future endeavors.
It started with his first post of the year on January 21st, where he humorously admits in his tweet that he “forgot how to use Twitter”, before going on to promote his new signature sneakers with popular shoe company Puma. After this announcement, Cole again took his usual hiatus from social media. Four months later, however, he shocked fans with the announcement of a new album on the way titled, “The Off-Season.” Right away, this sent fans across all platforms into a frenzy waiting for the album to be released, and in the meantime, Cole would stay active on Twitter giving continuous updates on the album and promoting his latest sneakers.
After the release of the album, he would send links on his account to his newest music videos and to where fans could purchase tickets to see him on tour. This led to more social media outlets other being used by Cole, including YouTube and the website of his music label, Dreamville.com. In fact, he has used YouTube to release his newest song, “Heaven’s EP”, and the song is only able to be listened to on there and no other streaming services. Besides this, he has continued to be online selling merchandise and promoting other artists on his label.
Recently, Cole postponed his Philadelphia concert from its previously scheduled date on September 29th to October 27th. He announced the sudden news to fans on his personal Instagram account, stating that logistical issues were the cause of the rescheduling. He stated, “While the show is amazing, we didn’t account for the fact that it takes way longer to load [the lights] into the house, so we’re experiencing delays in opening the doors to get people in.”
Ultimately, J. Cole is another artist that has taken advantage of this new social media era to display his work on a variety of platforms. Although it took him a little longer to accept than other rappers, he has fully utilized how it keeps his fans in the know of his otherwise private lifestyle.