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Ranking J. Cole’s Features of 2024 (So Far), From Worst to Best

From R&B vibes to meme-able verses, J. Cole has been delivering.

Maddie Gee

Are we going to get a new J. Cole album before GTA 6? Fans surely hope so. It has been over three years since Cole dropped The Off-Season and six months since he teased what’s to come with MIGHT DELETE LATER. However, he’s stayed a topic of conversation in group chats and forums because of his crazy feature run, providing godly assists to rap and R&B stars like he’s John Stockton

Although Cole’s been teasing his next project, The Fall Off, since 2020, he’s earned himself more grace than some other rappers with extremely long rollouts (looking at you, A$AP Rocky). The steady stream of guest verses in 2024 has hit the mark for quantity and quality (minus “Grippy”), and the year’s not even over yet. Below, we ranked Cole’s 2024 features from worst to best.

 

#6 “Grippy” with Cash Cobain

Cole’s collaboration with Cash Cobain dropped on May 24, and saying it was not his best is putting it lightly. The cringefest song about female anatomy had lyrics likeShe thick in the hips, she a hippie” (which had “got so many chains they call me Chaining Tatum” energy). 

People literally had to create fan theories to justify this mess, with Reddit user Big-Disaster208 in June stating that maybe “the reason ‘Grippy’ is so bad is it is part of the fall-off rollout and so he’s making it look like he’s fallen off when really it’s a part of the album.” Nevertheless, this is a song that has sadly been following J. Cole fans like a sleep paralysis demon.

#5  “Free Fall” with Tems

Tems’ natural seduction and deep tones meet Cole’s strong lyricism on this soulful summer song. The rapper slid in with his usual smooth talk about his love for a woman that deteriorated over time. 

“Soon as you let mе in, you start huntin’ for the locksmith, Now the key I oncе had to your heart does not fit, I got three choices, batter your door or lock-pick,” Cole said while getting off some major wordplay.  Similar to “Shea Butter Baby” with Ari Lennox, Cole World was the perfect finishing touch for a female-led R&B or, in this case, afrobeat track.

“I love the whole Dutch, out-of-pocket scheme. I like how he was able to use it to discuss both accountability and financial responsibility in relationships. It was really clever,” Reddit user Elegant-Rent8640 said in a June post.

 

#4 “Blow For Blow” with Tee Grizzley

Even the most humble rappers have to talk their shit sometimes. On September’s “Blow for Blow,” J. Cole kicks the song off with a bang, spitting that with his “sweats and tees, no unnecessary accessories, the GOAT just from features.”

Cole murdered the first verse, getting yet another standing ovation from fans online and proving that hip-hop may have the “Big Three,” but he’s undeniably the GOAT just from features this year. 

The song gave fans a blast from the past, with Reddit user freemoni in a September 26 post saying that “this song feels nostalgic, beat reminds me of 93 til infinity and I love the first day out interpolation from Tee Grizzley. Cole snapped though.” The love that the two artists have for each other shines through the song, which is already proving to be a certified banger.

 

#3 “Red Leather” with Future and Metro Boomin

Cole apologized to K. Dot on April 7 for dropping “7 Minute Drill” and then teamed up with his “Like That” collaborators for “Red Leather” which dropped on April 12.

Giving shoutouts to Future and his friend Astro while fighting off temptation, Cole said that his “energy was never on some toughest n**** shit, I was just a conscious rapper that would fuck a n**** bitch, I was just a college n**** from a rougher premises, Kept my nose out the streets, but I love to get a whiff.”

He made sure to remind fans that he is still “him” after the diss record and apology. “After the disappointment of the wack diss and apology, it reminded me what I love about J. Cole,” a Reddit user posted in May.

#2 “Ruby Rosary” with A$AP Rocky

The newest September collaboration from A$AP Rocky and J. Cole was a blessing. Cole World talked about judgment day and wanting to maintain the life of a rapper. 

“What happens when rappin’ no longer matters? Can I still make a stack on my brilliance, I don’t wanna go back to civilian status, I’m an addict for comfort and doin’ whatever I want to, Whenever I wanna, I promise myself I would never feel hunger again,” Cole said. 

Cole went off and created a complex rhyme scheme to keep rap fans on their toes.

“It was good for A$AP to put J. Cole on the song a lot of people never heard Cole flow like that before so they wouldn’t understand. His verse was [fire], had to put on repeat for a week just to get grippy off my mind,” Reddit user masterView2414 said in a September 25 post.

 

#1 “A PLATE OF COLLARD GREENS” with Daylyt

Like a big plate of soul food, J. Cole’s newest verse served up comfort, lyricism, and plenty of heat.  

In his verse, Cole said that “Spiritually malnourished, dehydrated, now they feign, For truth in these flows, food for they souls, to make it all serene, uh, Well, here’s a plate of collard greens.”

The verse earned the verse of the month from Genius and plenty of accolades from his fans. “Cole really sets up a level then goes even beyond. This might be my favorite of all time. Cole really is the fucking best fr,” Reddit user silverdays said in a September 24 post.