J. Cole has kicked off 2026 with an unexpected release, unveiling a new freestyle-heavy project titled Birthday Blizzard ’26.
The Dreamville founder shared the news on X on Tuesday, directing fans to thefalloff.com, where the project is available directly to listeners. Birthday Blizzard ’26 includes five tracks in total and is listed at a $1 download price, though fans can choose to pay any amount — including nothing at all.
The surprise drop serves as another preview of Cole’s long-anticipated album, The Fall-Off. Earlier this month, the rapper confirmed that the highly awaited LP is set to arrive next month, marking what could be a pivotal moment in his career.
Adding to the rollout, Cole recently released a separate track titled “Disc 2 — Track 2,” accompanied by a striking music video. On the song, he delivers verses that trace his life in reverse chronological order, beginning with death and ending before birth. In the video’s description, Cole revealed that The Fall-Off has been “handcrafted” over the past decade, framing the album as something he feels deeply indebted to deliver — not just for himself, but for hip-hop as a whole.
“My life, I see it in reverse,” Cole raps as the track opens, immediately setting a somber tone. He goes on to describe his own funeral — “I first appeared in a hearse” — before methodically rewinding his story back to infancy, even before emerging from his mother’s womb.
The Fall-Off will follow Cole’s recent releases, Might Delete Later and The Off-Season. There has also been ongoing speculation that the album could mark the final chapter of his career. In a 2021 SLAM cover story, Cole openly addressed the idea of stepping away from music.
“I’m super comfortable with the potential of being done with this shit,” he said at the time. “But I’m never going to say, ‘Oh, this is my last album.’ … Because I never know how I’m going to feel years down the line. But please believe, I’m doing all this work for a reason.”
The compilation kicks off with “Bronx Zoo Freestyle,” a track spanning just over three minutes and that sees the rapper addressing his apology heard-’round-hip-hop to Kendrick Lamar and his decision to step back from Drake and Lamar‘s ruthless rap feud.
“The top ain’t really what I thought it would be/So I jumped off and landed back at the bottom and restarted at a level where I wasn’t regarded as much/Just to climb past them again and tell them all to keep up,” Cole delivers on the freestyle before declaring, “I used to be top, see, the apology dropped me way out of the top 3/No problem, I’m probably my best when they doubt me.”