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J. Cole's debut mixtape is finally on major streaming services 17 years after he dropped it.
On Tuesday, November 19, the North Carolina native announced that he uploaded his first-ever project The Come Up Mixtape Vol. 1 on all DSP's. A majority of the project, like his debut single "Simba" and "Dollar & A Dream" produced by Just Blaze, is now available on streaming platforms. However, four songs from the original tracklist didn't make the cut including "Throw It Up", "Mighty Crazy", "Get It" and "I Do My Thing."
"The beginning," Cole wrote on Instagram. "'The Come Up' finally available now on DSP’s. 🙏🏽🙏🏽"
The mixtape arrived hours after Cole shared the first episode of his brand-new limited audio series "Inevitable." The 10-part series features the Grammy award-winning rapper, his manager Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad and filmmaker Scott Lazer as they run through J. Cole's entire career from the time he wrote his debut song and performed at his first show all the way up until today.
In the first episode, appropriately titled "The Come Up," Cole recalls his first trip to New York City, how he met Ib, and rehashes the making of his debut mixtape. He reveals fun facts about songs from his catalog including "Wet Dreamz," which he wrote in 2006 and held on to it until he dropped 2014 Forest Hills Drive. He also explained how Kanye West impacted his early career.
"I didn’t know how to talk about *my* life. And then, f**king Kanye West happened," he explained. “The ‘Through The Wire’ video dropped and that changed my life. Kanye was the first time I saw myself in somebody. He just made it possible to talk about your life or regular perspectives in a way that’s appealing. He became my favorite artist, at that point. He kinda cracked my mind open.”
Fans can get access to J. Cole's "Inevitable" series for $10 on his official website. Relive J. Cole's The Come Up Mixtape Vol. 1 on iHeartRadio and then listen ot the first episode of "Inevitable" now!