J. Cole made his surprise return on Wednesday night.
A new song from the Dreamville rapper called “procrastination (broke)” appeared out of nowhere on producer Bvtman’s YouTube page alongside a text message from Cole, who said he was feeling uninspired one day when he typed “J. Cole type beat” into YouTube. Bvtman’s beat was the first he saw and he immediately got to work.
“On a day when I couldn’t find much motivation, I was looking for anything to inspire me,” Cole told Bvtman. “Out of curiosity, I typed in ‘J. Cole type beat’ into YouTube. Yours was the first I saw. I pressed play, focused, and wrote this.”
Cole goes on to say that he normally would keep a song like this in the vault, “but I don’t wan’t to hold onto the music like that no more.”
He also shared his appreciation for all the producers who stay on their grind. “This song should live on your channel and serve as a thank you to you and every producer out there cooking up and sharing their work with the world,” Cole said. “God bless bro and keep doing what you do.”
The song serves as just one of many tracks Cole has kept hidden. “I don’t even know if somebody gon’ hear this / Got so many songs that get lost in the endless folders of the hard drive / I wish I was more fearless,” he raps.
He also confirms that he is working on a new album (“‘Cause I need to finish this album”) and provides some motivation for aspiring MCs (“You got the skill and you got the will to make it no matter how long that it takes”).
He admits that it’s been hard to find motivation amid all his success. “How do you tap into hunger when you don’t gotta wonder where your next meal is coming from?” he asks. “Maybe you feel my conundrum / Or maybe the real is I’m so, um / Far removed from the struggles of everyday folks / My shit just ain’t never gon’ hit like it hit / When a ni**a was a lil’ more closer to broke.”
But that won’t stop his drive. “Throw in the towel? Man, you gotta be jokin’.”
Earlier this month, Cole cleared out his Instagram as fans await the arrival of what could be his next album, It’s a Boy. New music could arrive before his Dreamville Festival, which returns to Raleigh, North Carolina in April.