Think about the summer camp you went to as a kid, but now, imagine one filled with your favorite rappers. That’s the environment J. Cole created with the mythical Dreamville recording sessions that took place for 10 days in January at Atlanta’s Tree Sound Studios. Golden ticket invites were sent out and over 100 producers and artists from all over the country flew in to partake in the hip-hop summit of sorts.
Cole previously promised that “90 percent” of what was created during that 10-day period would see the light of day, but only so many tracks can make the highly anticipated Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation album.
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The first pair of lead singles were let go on Wednesday night (June 12), released as part of the 1-888-88-DREAM EP, to officially kick off what should be a busy summer for Dreamville. “Down Bad” puts Cole alongside Dreamville signees Bas, J.I.D., EarthGang, and ATL native Young Nudy. Whereas the silky “Got Me” finds Ari Lennox and Ty Dolla $ign crooning with rhymers Dreezy and Omen.
There’s no definitive release date for ROTD3 just yet, but the star-studded album looks to be arriving at some point this summer. Here are five things we want to see from Revenge of the Dreamers III.
1. Wale & J. Cole Reunite
After coming into hip-hop around the same time, Cole and Wale have been through it all together over the course of the last decade plus, and often had their careers compared. The pair of lyrical assassins reunited in 2018 on Wale’s Free Lunch EP for “My Boy,” as Jermaine and the DMV native competitively traded bars looking to outdo one another.
Even though his invite never surfaced online, Wale wouldn’t miss this for the world. Folarin pulled up to the studio and posted some evidence to his IG story, showing off he and Cole’s fresh pair of Nikes. Let’s see the pair of longtime collaborators reconnect and exchange high-level bars on the battlefield that breeds greatness once again.
@Wale x @JColeNC #DreamvilleSessions pic.twitter.com/6kZBoIA7dH
— KD’s Achilles Donor (@LordTreeSap) June 14, 2019
2. Chris Bosh the Producer?
Chris Bosh is an 11-time NBA all-star. When his basketball career was cut short due to a heart condition, Bosh had the opportunity to put some more time into producing music. Dreamvile co-founder Ibrahim “IB” Hamad said Cole reached out to see if he could check out the sessions.
“Chris Bosh hit Cole, like, ‘You mind if I come through for a couple of days?’ I didn’t know he produced — he’s been producing for, like, four years,” IB explained to XXL. “He came through. He had a beat and T-Minus was like, ‘Oh, this is actually hard! Let me get those drums, add a little music to it.’ Cole grabbed the beat, like, ‘I fuck with this.’ Chris Bosh was there for two days soaking up game, playing his beats and adding his two cents.”
Bosh also received the co-sign from EarthGang’s WowGr8, who said, appropriately, “Bosh had the heat.” It looks like he’s landed a record that will find J. Cole rapping on his beat. Could this be the start of a second career for the two-time NBA champion?
3. More Ty Dolla $ign
Ty Dolla $ign served up the most assists in the league for 2018. The California native’s versatility allows him to take any record to the next level, fitting in seamlessly alongside both pop stars and trap artists. His features have become must-listen material for music fans, which was the case on the first taste of ROTD3 with “Got Me.” Cole even returned the favor with a strong effort on Ty’s “Purple Emoji” single.
A Dolla $ign contribution might as well be a cheat code at this point. He can take any track, tie up its loose ends and turn it into poetry in motion, much like a great point guard does on the hardwood. The more Ty fans can get, the better.
4. J. Cole & Drake Join Forces
J. Cole and Drizzy haven’t teamed up since 2013’s “Jodeci (Freestyle)” — simply put, the pair of rap titans are long overdue to link up. Earlier in the year, J. Cole popped up at one of Drake’s London tour dates as a special guest, where the 6 God went on to tease some new music on the way. “I can’t wait to make some new music with you. I know we been working. I can’t wait to let these people hear it,” he shared with the audience.
Back in May, a whiteboard track list photo began floating around courtesy of producer ChaseTheMoney, which read, “J. Cole/Young Nudy/Drake ‘God Flinch.'” Crazed fans immediately began to speculate as to where the record could find a home — here’s hoping it lands on Revenge of the Dreamers III.
5. Buddy, the Real MVP
Buddy‘s Harlon & Alondra was a criminally underrated body of work in the overcrowded year of hip-hop album releases that was 2018. Everyone that spoke about the Dreamville sessions came out impressed by Buddy’s output, as some even called him one of the “MVPs” of the entire trip, even though he showed up half-way through.
“I just was bouncing around. I wasn’t never sitting down. Wasn’t no dull moment. I’m popping up in every studio,” the Compton native said. “I ain’t gonna say that I was, but I keep hearing that everybody been calling me the MVP.” If Buddy is able to notch multiple appearances on the album, it should help him receive the mainstream recognition he already deserves.
I think @Buddy was def one of the mvps at rap camp #ROTD3Sessions
— Elite (@Elite) January 16, 2019