J. Cole Bids Farewell to Dreamville Festival With Special Performance Featuring Erykah Badu
J. Cole closed out the fifth and final Dreamville Festival in spectacular fashion on Sunday night (April 6), enlisting neo-soul legend Erykah Badu for a historic collaboration. For the first time ever, the two artists performed “Too Deep for the Intro” together, a standout track from Cole’s 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights, which samples Badu’s 2000 hit “Didn’t Cha Know?” The duo’s chemistry was undeniable as they brought the song to life on stage, ending the performance with a warm embrace.
As the festival’s last edition in its current form, Cole curated a special setlist, blending deep cuts from his extensive catalog with new material. Fans were treated to live renditions of lesser-performed tracks such as “Grown Simba,” “Looking For Trouble,” and “Rags to Riches (At the Beep).” Additionally, Cole debuted his latest single, “cLOUDs,” for the first time, adding to the emotional weight of the evening.
The Future of Dreamville Festival
During his headlining set, Cole took a moment to address the future of the festival. Despite previous announcements marking this as the final Dreamville Festival, the rapper clarified that while the event may no longer carry the Dreamville name, it will continue in a rebranded form.
“We said this is the last Dreamville Festival, correct? That’s what we said,” Cole told the crowd. “I’ma keep it a hundred with y’all, that shit be a lot. It be a lot because we wanna put on some amazing shit for y’all, we wanna put on for Carolina, we love being able to offer that and bring amazing artists [here]. But that shit be a lot.”
Reassuring fans that the festival’s legacy would endure, he added: “I’ma just let y’all know our plan: we’re still gonna bring you some shit — this festival will still exist. It might not have the Dreamville Festival name on it, but we will be back in this field […] Before we go, I wanna thank you for making Dreamville Festival a massive success every fucking year. I’m sad, but we will be back, just in a newer form.”
This statement was later echoed by Dreamville and Roc Nation promoter Sascha Stone Guttfreund, who confirmed that the festival has a multi-year deal with the city of Raleigh and will continue under a different name.
A Star-Studded Lineup
The 2025 Dreamville Festival was packed with high-profile performances. In addition to J. Cole and Erykah Badu, the festival lineup included sets from hip-hop heavyweights like Lil Wayne and the Hot Boys, 21 Savage, GloRilla, and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Badu, who co-headlined the event, delivered a soulful performance earlier in the night before joining Cole for their long-awaited collaboration.
While this marks the end of Dreamville Festival as fans know it, Cole’s assurance that the event will return in a new form keeps the spirit of Dreamville alive. Whether under a different banner or with a fresh vision, J. Cole’s influence on the music festival landscape is far from over.
