J. Cole held the original name of Erykah Badu in Raleigh on Sunday evening (April 6), ending the final Dreamville Festival with its original name, with a surprisingly affectionate performance of “too deep, which is too deep for the introduction”.
This song sample Badu sampled the 2000 track “Don’t Know” from Mom’s Gun Album.
J. Cole
Erykah BaduToo deep introduction
live in Dreamville Fest🚨
▫️First once played pic.twitter.com/px541krt90
— NFR Podcast (@NFR_Podcast) April 7, 2025
The moment that unfolds on a stage, designed to resemble Cole’s former Queens apartment, affectionately known as “Mumhamed’s crib,” adds a personal touch to the emotional ending of the festival.
The moment everyone has been waiting for! @@jcolenc opened his last @DreamVillefest show with the stage set to replicate his room in Mohamed’s apartment – his old landlord and the first person who really believed in his music. 🥹#dreamvillefest #dreamville #jcole pic.twitter.com/fhu58nebeg
— OkePlayer (@okayplayer) April 7, 2025
The fifth and final Dreamville Festival attracted thousands of attendees from April 5 to 6 at Dorothea Dix Park.
The two-day event features a stacked lineup, with Lil Wayne, 21 Savage and Keyshia Cole headlines Saturday.
The festival’s bill included performances by Tems, Glorilla, Jid, Wale, Coco Jones, Earthgang, BigXthaplug and Ari Lennox, and then Cole and Badu shut down the show.
Keyshia Cole commemorates the 20th anniversary of her debut album Thing It, while Lil Wayne reunited with Hot Hot Boys and Big Tymers for a rare suit.
Although it was the last festival of Dreamville’s name, organizers confirmed the event will return as a new brand in 2026.
J. Cole solves the future of Dreamville Festival
J. Cole talks about the changes during the upcoming game.
“We said it was the last fantastic festival,” Cole told the crowd. “I just keep a hundred with you; that’s a lot.”
He confirmed that “this festival will exist” and then adding Dreamville’s name may disappear, but the feeling of “family gathering” will continue.
J. Cole introduces the ending of Dreamville Fest Pic.twitter.com/5esuikvyoi
— Team Dreamville (@teamdreamville) April 7, 2025
The city of Raleigh has signed a multi-year agreement to retain the festival at Dorothea Dix Park for at least four years.
The new version is expected to stay true to its hip-hop roots and maintain the community-driven feel of Dreamville defined since its launch.
Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, long-time manager of Cole, said the goal was to keep the festival spirit, describing it as a “family gathering” that unites people around the world.
J. Cole will continue to be involved in behind-the-scenes events, although it is not clear how often he will go to the stage to move forward.
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