J. Cole Closes Out 5th & Final Dreamville Festival, Announces New Annual Festival

J. Cole closed out this weekend’s fifth annual and final Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, N.C., delivering a crowd-pleasing set while using the moment to address the festival’s end. During his time on stage, J. Cole says that while the Dreamville Festival is no longer, Raleigh will host an annual musical and community-focused celebration, and Cole promised to be a part of that movement going forward.

J. Cole graced the stage Sunday (April 6) at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh in front of a sold-out crowd that saw the likes of EarthGang, Ari Lennox, Bas, Omen, Cozz, J.I.D., Tems, Keyshia Cole, BigXThaPlug, Coco Jones, Wale, and more.

Cole invited fellow headliner Erykah Badu onstage for his set, and the pair delivered Cole’s “Too Deep For The Intro” from his 2010 mixtape, Friday Night Lights, which samples Badu’s classic “Didn’t Cha Know” track.

The Fayetteville native paused his set to address the chatter surrounding the conclusion of the Dreamville Festival, but eased concerns by stating fully that the show will go on, but under a new arrangement the city made that will bring shows to town over the next four years.

“We said this is the last Dreamville Festival,” J. Cole said as he asked for the crowd’s full attention.. “I’m just keeping it 100 with y’all, that sh*t be a lot. We want to put on some amazing st for y’all, we want to do it for Carolina, you know what I mean? Because, we love being able to offer that and bring amazing artists, and that sh*t be a lot.”

Cole added, “But as I’m walking around today, 73 people said to me, ‘Cole this can’t be the last one,’ but I’m a just let y’all know our plan. We still gonna bring some sh*t. It will still exist. It might not have the motherf*cking Dreamville Festival name on it, but we will be back with this feel.”

During our time on the ground, people we spoke to off the record told Hip-Hop Wired that the city struck a four-year agreement with Live Nation, although we haven’t seen a confirmed press release stating so.

Check out the footage from the Dreamville Festival by clicking here.

Stay tuned to Hip-Hop Wired to check out our exclusive recap and backstage interviews with some of the talent and celebrities on hand at the festival.

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Photo: Source: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty