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J. Cole’s packing on the nostalgia for fans before 2024’s out. The Dreamville boss followed The Come Up‘s DSP arrival with the release of his sacred The Warm Up mixtape to streaming services for the first time on Friday (Nov. 22).
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The Warm Up played an integral role in fueling Cole’s rise as he caught the attention of Jay-Z and earned a deal with Roc Nation. The mixtape originally was released in June 2009 and the streaming version boasts 22 tracks in total.
Standouts from the project include the Kanye West-produced “Just to Get By,” “Dreams and “Lights Please” which garnered enough momentum to even land on Jermaine’s Cole World: The Sideline Story debut album in 2011.
“The Warm Up out now everywhere,” Cole’s Manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad wrote to X. “Took us 15 years but I’m so happy we’re able to get this up. This project is very special to me, shit really put Cole in the game and we ain’t look back since. Forever Grateful for this project, legit changed n—-z lives forever.”
The Warm Up’s arrival coincides with the release of the third episode of Cole’s Inevitable audio series, which finds him reminiscing on his rise to fame. This episode specifically focuses on the tape’s rollout after manifesting his deal with Hov.
Fans can purchase access to the entire series for $10 with two-hour episodes being released every few days to a week. The final of the season will cover through 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
“If you rocked with me at any point so far on my journey, I hope this will give you even more perspective and fill in a lot of blanks,” Cole wrote when announcing the series. “If you have your own dream in life that you hope to achieve, in any field, I hope that this will feed your spirit, giving you confidence to believe in that dream and the encouragement to push through the tough times. To go for it even when you may be afraid to.”
Stream the mixtape below.