It's been a long few days of waiting but J. Cole's fifth studio album KOD is here. Fans suspected something was coming when the rapper turned his social media profile photos purple. Not long after, he posted a flyer inviting fans to attend a free show at New York's Grammercy Theater which would be first come, first serve. The graphic said no phones, no cameras, no bags, no press, no guest list. Turns out that event was a listening party for the new album.
Later that night came the announcement that a new album titled KOD was dropping on Friday. If that wasn't enough, J. Cole announced an additional listening party on Tuesday in London.
Wednesday brought the official album cover art, which features the rapper dressed as a king with his cape exposing demons and children doing drugs. It came with the disclaimer, "This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction." Fan also got their first look at the album's 12-song track list.
Fans speculated about the exact meaning of the album's title all week. The rapper cleared it up today just hours before its release, tweeting that it had three meanings: Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our Demons. The album's trailer further explained what each of those statements means to the rapper. The rest J. Cole is leaving to our interpretation.