J. Cole Announces New Album 'KOD,' Unveils The Tracklist and Cover Art

After a flurry of excited speculation last weekend, earlier this week, J. Cole announced a new album called KOD due out tomorrow (Friday, April 20).

He's shared the cover art, also, which sees an artistic rendering of Cole dressed as a king with children under his cape who seems to be afflicted with vices. “This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction,”  the cover reads. 

In recent days, Cole became more publically visible and active on social media, leading many fans to suspect something big was coming.
 
First, Cole appeared in an ESPN commercial for the NBA playoffs. A commercial appearance from an iconic musician would not alone be cause for excitement, but in the days that followed, Cole changed his Twitter profile. The artist had not made a single Twitter post in almost a month and suddenly updated his profile picture to a completely purple image.
 
Immediately, fans became curious and started tweeting Cole about the possibility of new music. A response of sorts came Monday afternoon when Cole announced a spontaneous show in New York City.
 
Posting details of the show merely an hour and a half before it began, Cole revealed that it would be first-come first-serve and no press would be allowed. He also stated that there would be no guest list and bags, cameras, and phones were strictly prohibited.