J. Cole is bringing hip-hop back to its print roots. The Dreamville founder announced the release of The Fall-Off Magazine, a 144-page limited-edition publication retailing at $40, available exclusively in person in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of his two tour dates at the Spectrum Center on July 10 and 11. Copies are available for purchase on Cole’s official website, with in-person drops happening in his home state before the shows.
The magazine features conversations with iconic names including Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, RZA, GloRilla, J.I.D, Lil Yachty, and Cash Cobain. Veteran hip-hop journalist Bonsu Thompson serves as editor-in-chief, with Dreamville’s Vice President of Creative Felton Brown as publisher. Together, they assembled a creative team of more than 60 writers, photographers, illustrators, designers, and artists to produce the 144-page collector’s item.
Rather than serving as a traditional promotional piece, the publication aims to recapture the spirit of classic rap magazines through long-form journalism, original photography, artwork, and editorial design. “Like all essential creative by and for a culture, this collector’s edition arrives when most needed by its audience,” Thompson said in a statement. “Hip-Hop journalism has somehow expanded, diversified, atrophied and become amorphous all at once.”
The drop comes just days before Cole embarks on The Fall-Off World Tour, his first solo headline run in five years and first full global tour since 2017. The 50-plus date arena run spans North America, Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. For Cole, this magazine is both a companion to his seventh studio album and a tribute to the print journalism that helped shape hip-hop history.
