J. Cole closed out the fifth and final Dreamville Festival in style on April 6, 2025, with a surprise assist from Erykah Badu. The duo hit the stage together for the first time ever to perform “Too Deep for the Intro,” a fan-favorite from Cole’s 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights. Sampling Badu’s 2000 banger “Didn’t Cha Know?,” the live rendition was pure vibes—ending with a warm hug that lit up the crowd.
A Farewell Packed with Gems
Since it was the last Dreamville Fest as we know it, Cole went deep into his bag. He dropped rare cuts like “Grown Simba,” “Looking For Trouble,” and “Rags to Riches (At the Beep),” plus debuted his latest single “cLOUDs” live. Fans in Raleigh, NC, ate it up, getting a mix of nostalgia and fresh heat.
The Future of Dreamville
Cole got real with the crowd about the festival’s end—and its rebirth. “We said this is the last Dreamville Festival, right? That shit be a lot,” he admitted. “We wanna put on for Carolina, bring amazing artists, but it takes a toll.” The good news? It’s not goodbye. “This festival will still exist—it might not have the Dreamville name, but we’ll be back in this field,” he promised. A new brand’s coming, and Cole’s hyped to keep the legacy rolling.
Sascha Stone Guttfreund from Dreamville and Roc Nation backed this up last week, saying, “We’re here for years to come with a multi-year deal. We’re building something new and exciting with Raleigh.”
Star-Studded Send-Off
The 2025 fest wasn’t just Cole’s show. Lil Wayne and the Hot Boys, 21 Savage, GloRilla, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Badu—who co-headlined earlier—lit up the stages. It was a fitting end to Dreamville’s current chapter and a teaser for what’s next.
