Nearly eight years after J. Cole introduced The Fall-Off‘s intro with KOD‘s “1985” closer in 2018, the Dreamville rapper’s final album has arrived.

The Fall-Off hit streaming services on Friday (Feb. 6), tying a bow on the North Carolina icon’s decorated career. The project is a double album (Disc 29 and Disc 39), which boasts 11 tracks plus a bonus on each, making 24 in total.

“The Fall-Off, a double album made with intentions to be my last, brings the concept of my first project full circle. Disc 29 tells a story of me returning to my hometown at age 29,” he wrote when revealing the album’s tracklist on Instagram Wednesday (Feb. 4).

Cole continued: “A decade after moving to New York, accomplishing what would have seemed impossible to most, I was at a crossroads with the 3 loves of my life; my woman, my craft, and my city. Disc 39 gives insight into my mindset during a similar trip home, this time as a 39-year-old man. Older and a little closer to peace.”

When The Fall-Off was just hours away, the North Carolina native intensified hype surrounding the project with a trailer on Thursday (Feb. 6), which found Cole back in the makeshift studio of his childhood home that ignited his love for rap. The clip was soundtracked by a speech from English mathematician Andrew Wiles, and how he found beauty in the suffering through his labor of love.

J. Cole announced the album officially in January and released his “Disc 2 Track 2″ single, which saw him cleverly rap about his life’s story in reverse.

Cole rang in his 41st birthday on Jan. 28 with a surprise, as he dropped the Birthday Blizzard ’26 EP, which packaged four hard-hitting freestyles that were hosted by DJ Clue.

There’s been plenty of pump-fake retirements throughout rap history, but Cole is intent on The Fall-Off being his goodbye album. If this is indeed the finish line, what a ride it’s been.

Stream The Fall-Off below.

Bethany Cosentino, best known as the frontwoman of indie pop-rock duo Best Coast, is speaking out after the latest release of files in the case of serial child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed that Casey Wasserman, the founder and CEO of her booking agency, Wasserman Music, had a close relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and Epstein’s main accomplice.

In an Instagram post published Thursday night (Feb. 5), the singer-songwriter made a series of demands, including calling for the removal of her and her band’s name from the agency’s website; for Wasserman to step down from his post; and for the business to change its name to erase the imprint of its founder, who oversees an agency that represents such superstars as Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, SZA, Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan, Lorde and Kenny Chesney.

“It has come to my attention that the founder and CEO of my agency, Casey Wasserman, had a documented romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell between the years of 2001 and 2003, and multiple documented connections and communications with Jeffrey Epstein confirmed by emails now part of public records,” Consentino wrote. “Ghislaine Maxwell is not a neutral character in a messy story — she is a convicted sex trafficker who helped facilitate the abuse of minors. As an artist represented by Wasserman, I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation.

“Staying quiet isn’t something I can do in good conscience — especially in a moment when men in power are so often protected, excused, or allowed to move on without consequence. Pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option for me.”

In a tranche of more than 3 million files related to the Epstein investigation released by the Department of Justice on Jan. 30, Wasserman, who launched the powerful agency in 1998, was found to have exchanged dozens of flirtatious emails with Maxwell in 2003. More than two decades ago, several years before Epstein’s crimes were known to the public, New York reported that Wasserman and his then-wife, Laura Ziffren, flew on Epstein’s plane on an AIDS fact-finding mission to Africa in 2002 — a trip that also included such luminaries as President Bill Clinton and actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey.

The emails between Wasserman and Maxwell revealed a flirtatious, perhaps sexual, relationship between the pair. In one email dated April 1, 2003, Wasserman wrote, “Where are you, I miss you. I will be in nyc for 4 days starting april 22…can we book that massage now?”

In another dated March 16, 2003, he wrote, “So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”

On Jan. 31, a day after the release of the latest round of files in the Epstein case, Wasserman — who also serves as chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee — sent a statement to The Hollywood Reporter apologizing for his involvement with Maxwell while denying “a personal or business relationship” with Epstein himself.

“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman said. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”

Cosentino bristled at that apology in her Instagram post, calling Wasserman’s words insufficient. “Regret without accountability is just damage control — an attempt to move on while the rest of us are expected to sit with the discomfort of our careers being publicly tied to him,” she said.

“Artists are tired of swallowing scandals like this,” Cosentino continued. “We are tired of learning, over and over, that men who control access, resources, money, and so-called safety in our industry are given endless grace. We are tired of being asked to treat proximity to something horrific as an unfortunate situation we should simply move past — especially when the person involved still holds all the power. And we are tired of watching harm minimized or brushed off as ‘a long time ago,’ while the impact of that harm is still very real, especially for women and survivors of sexual assault.”

Later in the message, Cosentino indicated that she intends to continue her professional relationship with her agent at Wasserman, Sam Hunt, stating that she has worked with him “for over 15 years” and that he “has done incredible work in representing me.

“I am in the Sam Hunt business,” she wrote. “I am not in the Wasserman business.”

Representatives for Wasserman did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.

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Want to watch the upcoming 2026 Oscars live on ABC without cable? DIRECTV is currently offering a limited-time offer for new subscribers, $5 off its MyNews Genre Pack. MyNews pack is now $34.99 for 2 months*.

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CNCOwners, rejoice! Erick Brian and Christopher Vélez have joined forces on a new single called “Bajo Cero” (“Below Zero”) out Thursday (Feb. 5) via Warner Music Latin. 

Backed by a suave Afrobeats rhythm and urban undertones, the former CNCO members sing about a fractured relationship and pushing their feelings below zero to survive the heartbreak. “I’d better put my feelings on ice/ This isn’t going to happen to me again/ You made me feel like an idiot/ made me believe I was the only one,” goes the heart-wrenching chorus. 

On the track, Erick, 25, and Christopher, 30, not only showcase the bromance that kicked off more than 10 years ago, but also their emotionally rooted and melodic harmonies powered by their dulcet vocals.

“Bajo Cero” comes four years after CNCO — formed in 2015 by Erick, Christopher, Richard Camacho and Zabdiel de Jesus (in addition to Joel Pimentel, who left in 2021) — announced their split in 2022 after nearly seven years as a group. As part of the boy band, both the Cuban and Ecuadorian acts earned multiple hits on the Billboard charts, including three No. 1 albums on the Latin Pop Albums chart, such as Primera Cita that spent eight weeks at the top in 2016.

In fall 2024, Billboard exclusively announced that Brian launched his solo career under an exclusive deal with Warner Music Latina and Big Bad Wolf Management Group, and last year, he dropped his debut EP called BTW…Lo Intenté (By the Way, I Tried). Vélez, on the other hand, has been releasing music independently since 2025. 

Both men first hinted at their reunion in a Dec. 30 Instagram post that showed them having a jam session together. Leading up to the release of “Bajo Cero,” they have shared various posts of the two at the recording studio.

Watch the music video below: