Posted by J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season is finally set for release on Friday (May 14), and even his collaborators can’t contain their excitement. If dropping “interlude” wasn’t enough of an appetizer for fans, one of the song’s producers, T-Minus, has given high praise for the upcoming project.
During a new interview with Complex, the Canadian producer agreed with a question about The Off-Season being a contender for album of the year.
“After hearing ‘interlude,’ I was telling him, ‘Bro, it’s crazy. It feels like you’re hitting a prime. These are some of the best bars and writing I’ve heard from you ever in your career,’” he relayed. “Just his delivery and everything is going. Even from a production perspective, I’m really loving what he’s doing. So I mean, expect The Off-Season to be full of fire.”
Tommy Parker, who co-produced “interlude” with J. Cole and T-Minus, added, “I cannot wait to hear it myself. I’ve been listening to ‘interlude’ since it came out. And I’m a part of it, but it’s been on repeat. So I can’t wait until this album comes out.”
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T-Minus has previously produced J. Cole songs such as “Lion King on Ice,” “Middle Child” from Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III and KOD’s “Kevin’s Heart,” as well as his 6LACK collaboration “Pretty Little Fears.” Elsewhere in the interview, the producer talked more about the North Carolina MC’s creative mindset going into the album and how he’s involved in every part of the recording process.
“Cole is tapped into every aspect of the creation of the record,” he explained. “He writes all of his own music, writes all of the songs. He produces, he mixes; he’s super involved. And at times, he goes through these eras of being focused on some things more than others. But all around, he’s just that guy who’s very grounded when it comes to the creation of the entire record, which is dope because when I create with him, he’s very much directing where he wants the record to go. In most cases, when I work with an artist, I have to do a lot more of the directing.”
Speaking on the good response to “interlude,” he said, “I’m extremely excited and thankful. This has been a long time in the works for me. But honestly, I’m not really on social media that much to see all of their reactions. Like Cole, I’m very much tapped in with my family and what’s going on in the real world.
“It’s just cool to hear from friends about what’s going on, or how excited people are. So I’m just paying attention from the sideline, but I’m grinding. I’m working, because all that matters to me is doing the next one.”
Listen to J. Cole’s “interlude” below and look out for The Off-Season to arrive on Friday.