Wikipedia

Might Delete Later

Might Delete Later is the fourth mixtape by American rapper J. Cole. It was released through Dreamville Records (under the name Cole World, Inc.) and Interscope Records on April 5, 2024. The mixtape features guest appearances from Young Dro, Gucci Mane, Ari Lennox, Cam'ron, Central Cee, Bas, Daylyt, and Ab-Soul. Included in the mixtape's production credits are Cole himself, T-Minus, Charlie Heat, FnZ, ATL Jacob, The Alchemist, Mike Will Made It, and Pluss, among others. The mixtape was supported by one single, "H.Y.B.", a collaboration with Bas and Central Cee that was sent to US rhythmic radio on April 30, 2024, weeks after the mixtape's release.[1] Might Delete Later was J. Cole's first project not to be released under the Roc Nation imprint.

Might Delete Later
The name of the album in black block text on a bright, glowing, partially distorted orange screen.
Mixtape by
J. Cole
ReleasedApril 5, 2024 (2024-04-05)
GenreHip hop
Length43:10
Label
Producer
J. Cole chronology
The Off-Season
(2021) 		Might Delete Later
(2024)
Singles from Might Delete Later
  1. "H.Y.B."
    Released: April 30, 2024

Background

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Might Delete Later's release had been hinted at through vlogs published by Cole in the weeks leading up to its release. [2][3][4][5][6] While promoting his upcoming studio album, The Fall Off, on February 21, 2024, J. Cole shared a video titled "Might Delete Later, Vol. 1" that included a snippet of "Crocodile Tearz".[7] Just under a month later, on March 18, J. Cole shared 'Vol. 2" of the vlog, which included a snippet of "3001".[5]

On March 22, 2024, Future and Metro Boomin released their collaborative studio album, We Don't Trust You. The album's sixth track, "Like That", included a verse where featured artist Kendrick Lamar dissed J. Cole and Drake in reference to their collaborative track "First Person Shooter" that had been released the year prior.[8][9] J. Cole responded to Lamar's diss on Might Delete Later with "7 Minute Drill", a track Cole later deleted from streaming services after apologizing to Lamar for his response at Dreamville Festival 2024. Lamar and Drake would go on to engage in a rap feud throughout the following weeks.

Controversy

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Following the release of the mixtape, Cole faced backlash from fans and reporters after allegedly making what were perceived to be transphobic comments on the project's eighth track, "Pi".[10][11] Some fans perceived the lyrics to be a reference to Kendrick Lamar's "Auntie Diaries", a song where Lamar addresses transphobia and his relationship with his transgender relatives.[12]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[13]
Pitchfork5.1/10[14]
Sputnikmusic0.5/5[15]

Might Delete Later was largely met with mixed critical reception upon release. Writing a positive review for Clash, Robin Murray described how the mixtape's tracks, excluding "7 Minute Drill", feel like "exhilarating dip[s] into some of J. Cole’s core tropes". He wrote that the production on the mixtape is "slightly out-of-step with the tape as a whole", but he noted that the production feels more "ingrained" in comparison to Future and Metro Boomin's We Don't Trust You.[13] In a middling review for Pitchfork, Paul A. Thompson wrote that despite "plenty of compelling... rhythmic, textural, and even personal elements" on Might Delete Later, the mixtape’s repeated declarations of greatness and demands for recognition are ultimately “rendered vacant and vaguely sad” after Cole's removal of "7 Minute Drill" from the project.[16] Writing a negative review for Sputnikmusic, Dakota West Foss wrote that the mixtape's "bars and punchlines" are those "that scan like [a] parody," saying that Might Delete Later "is a miscalculation at every level" and comparing the project to Chance the Rapper's underwhelming studio album The Big Day. In a play on the project's title, Foss' final consensus was that Cole "should delete [it] now."[15]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, Might Delete Later debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 115,000 album-equivalent units, which included 137.95 million on-demand streams and 9,000 pure album sales.[17] This earned J. Cole his eighth top-ten entry on the chart, and his first project to not debut at number one since Born Sinner in 2013, which would later end up reaching the top of the chart.

Track listing

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Might Delete Later track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Pricey" (with Ari Lennox featuring Young Dro and Gucci Mane)
4:55
2."Crocodile Tearz"
  • Cole
  • T. Williams
T-Minus3:49
3."Ready '24" (featuring Cam'ron)
  • T-Minus
  • DZL
  • WU10
  • AzizTheShake
3:30
4."Huntin' Wabbitz"
2:42
5."H.Y.B." (featuring Bas and Central Cee)
  • DZL
  • AzizTheShake
  • FnZ
3:54
6."Fever"
  • Cole
  • Jacob Canady
  • Ofer Ishai
2:23
7."Stickz n Stonez"
3:21
8."Pi" (featuring Daylyt and Ab-Soul)
Daylyt5:55
9."Stealth Mode" (with Bas)
  • Cole
  • A. Hamad
  • Holmes
  • Dieng
  • Anthony
  • DZL
  • AzizTheShake
  • Daoud
2:15
10."3001"
2:38
11."Trae the Truth in Ibiza"
  • DZL
  • Daoud
4:15
12."7 Minute Drill"
3:32
Total length:43:10

Notes

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Might Delete Later
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 2
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[19] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 55
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 3
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[24] 11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[26] 27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 31
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[28] 29
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[29] 6
Irish Albums (OCC)[30] 6
Italian Albums (FIMI)[31] 95
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[32] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 1
Nigerian Albums (TurnTable)[34] 12
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[35] 5
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[36] 6
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[37] 74
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 11
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 7
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[41] 9
US Billboard 200[42] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[43] 1

References

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  1. ^ "A Recap of Radio Add Recaps". Hits. April 30, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Dionne, Zach. "J. Cole Surprises Fans With Might Delete Later f/ Cam'ron, Gucci Mane, and More". Complex. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Small, TeeJay (March 27, 2024). "J Cole Continues to Tease The Fall Off: Might Delete Vol. 2 Takeaways". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Caraan, Sophie (March 18, 2024). "J. Cole Previews Another New Song in Might Delete Later, Vol. 2 Vlog". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (March 18, 2024). "J. Cole Previews Unreleased Song in Might Delete Later, Vol. 2 Tour Vlog: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Gonzales, Alex (April 5, 2024). "J. Cole Dropped Might Delete Later, A Surprise Mixtape". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Alexandria, Lavender (February 21, 2024). "J. Cole Shares Snippet Of New Song "Might Delete Later"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Perry, Kevin E.G. (March 22, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar disses Drake and J Cole on new song: 'It's just big me'". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Lamarre, Carl (March 22, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Takes Hard Shots at Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That"". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Krueger, Jonah (April 5, 2024). "J. Cole Comes Out as a Transphobic Loser on New Song "Pi"". Consequence. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Cole, Alexander (April 5, 2024). "J Cole Called Out For Transphobic Bars On "Might Delete Later" Track "Pi"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (April 5, 2024). "J. Cole Faces Backlash for Transphobic Lyric on New Project". XXL. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Murray, Robin (April 5, 2024). "J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Clash. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Thompson, Paul A. (April 10, 2024). "J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Foss, Dakota West (April 5, 2024). "Review: J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Thompson, Paul A. "J. Cole: Might Delete Later". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 14, 2024). "Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' Scores Second Week Atop Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – J. Cole – Might Delete Later" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – J. Cole – Might Delete Later" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – J. Cole – Might Delete Later" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  23. ^ "J. Cole Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "Album Top-40 Uge 15, 2024". Hitlisten. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – J. Cole – Might Delete Later" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  26. ^ "J. Cole: Might Delete Later" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – J. Cole – Might Delete Later" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  28. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2024. 15. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  29. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 15 – 2024" [The Music – Albums – Week 15 – 2024] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  31. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 15 (dal 05.04.2024 al 11.04.2024)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  32. ^ "2024 15-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  33. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Top 100 Albums: April 5th, 2024 - April 11th, 2024". TurnTable. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  35. ^ "Album 2024 uke 15". VG-lista. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  36. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  38. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 15". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – J. Cole – Might Delete Later". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  41. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "J. Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  43. ^ "J. Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
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