Cole has added fuel to the rumours that he’ll soon be retiring from music by announcing that his Dreamville Festival is coming to an end.
The bittersweet news was confirmed on Tuesday (December 10), with festival organizers revealing on social media that next year’s edition will be its fifth and final one. Cole’s longtime manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad said:
“Thank You North Carolina. Thank you to everyone who’s travelled from all over the last 4 years to enjoy our little family reunion.“This Festival is something a lot of people have been working very hard to bring you and it’s honestly been a dream come true seeing the impact.”
2025 Dreamville Festival will take place at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, not far from Cole’s hometown of Fayetteville. The lineup has yet to be announced. The festival was founded in 2018 and has seen performances from a host of Hip Hop and R&B heavyweights such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, SZA, Usher, Young Thug, 21 Savage and Lil Baby, as well as J. Cole himself.
It has also served as a major boon to the local economy, attracting 100,000 fans and approximately $145.9 million (equivalent to over 1,300 full-time jobs) to Wake County in 2023.
News of the festival’s forthcoming finale was met with concern on social media about Cole’s future music plans, with some fans interpreting it as a further sign that the rapstar is gearing up to hang up his mic.
