On February 6, 2026, J. Cole released what was supposed to be his final album. At the last minute, he turned The Fall-Off into a double album when he heard Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Like That”. He had previously teased that the album would be his last, though upon releasing the album, he walked back this decision. Additionally, he embarked on a massive tour that further solidified that he wasn’t going anywhere. Initially, he indicated that The Fall-Off would be his last, but quickly hinted that he changed his mind shortly after the album’s release. With all of this still up in the air for months, J. Cole has officially announced that he’s cancelling his retirement plans.

On the NFR Podcast, J. Cole stated, “When I was making that album, I was making it like, ‘Damn, this is going to be my last sh*t.’ Luckily, by the time I got to actually finishing the album, because of circumstances, I’m like, ‘Nah, I’ll never say I’m going to retire.”

J. Cole is a frequent guest on the podcast, which is why it was the perfect space to announce his retirement cancellation.

J. Cole Will Continue His Reign

Since his 2011 debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, J. Cole has consistently released successful albums. Each of his seven studio albums has not only peaked at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, but also reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With this, J. Cole is among the most successful rappers in charting history. If J. Cole were to retire after The Fall-Off, he would’ve gone out on top with nothing less than No. 1 albums. With no intention of retiring, J. Cole’s next albums have a lot to live up to. This won’t be hard, though, as the rapper has comfortably dominated since 2011.

His most recent album, The Fall-Off, is a concept album about visiting his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. In the first half of the album, J. Cole is visiting at the age of 29. He’s 39, ten years older, during the second half of the album. In addition to his rap career, J. Cole has played basketball in three separate leagues. He currently plays for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Association.

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Since 2020, we’ve seen Chrisean Rock transform multiple times. The reality star turned rapper continues to prove she has range and seemingly no physical limits. First, she appeared on the rapper Blueface’s OnlyFans reality show, called Blue Girls Club. On this show, she competed against other contestants and even got physical with Jaidyn Alexis, the mother of Blueface’s children, losing a front tooth during an altercation on the show. Ultimately, she won the show and signed with Blueface’s label.

Next, in 2022, she appeared on Baddies, a reality show on the Zeus Network, and later starred in Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love, with her former OnlyFans host and on-and-off boyfriend. Around this time, Blueface accused Rock of stealing his car. She was later arrested in Oklahoma on drug charges.

A few months later, Blueface’s mother and sister accused Rock of physically assaulting them. In August 2022, she and Blueface got into a physical altercation on a sidewalk in Hollywood. And shortly after that, Blueface got into a fight with Rock’s father, in which she later defended Blueface. Chrisean Rock announced she was pregnant in January 2023. She gave birth to her son, Chrisean Jesus Porter (originally named Chrisean Jesus Malone Jr.), in September 2023. Years later, Blueface and Chrisean Rock were briefly engaged in October 2026. They quickly called off the engagement just ten days later, on October 21, 2026.

Stepping Into The Ring in 2026

Aside from becoming a reality TV star, Rock released a string of singles throughout the early 2020s. Among these, she earned a minor hit with “Mr. Take Ya Bitch” with Lil Mabu in 2023. The diss track was aimed at her former boyfriend, Blueface, and the rapper’s manager, Wack 100. It peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

On April 25, 2026, Chrisean “Holy Hands” Rock made her crossover boxing debut at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino. She impressively won her first bout against Zenith Zion for XRumble Fighting Championships. In September 2026, she defeated Ku’Shiyah Williams by second-round TKO in her professional boxing debut. She is scheduled to co-host the Influencer Fight Night at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino on November 20 and has already teased another fight. However, despite her suggestion that she might fight on November 20, the event’s official listing names her as a host, and no opponent has been announced.

During a recent livestream, Chrisean Rock showed viewers what she described as her boxing earnings. The rapper and reality show star displayed a figure of more than $849,000, though the amount hasn’t been independently verified. Although she’s hinted at fighting again on November 20, her participation in a bout has not been confirmed. It seems that after years of public confrontations involving Blueface and his family, she’s shifted her focus to in-ring bouts instead.

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In the late 90s and 2000s, a New York rapper emerged with a familiar vocal cadence, though he was hidden behind a mask. This rapper created a brilliant persona as a supervillain. He leaned heavily into comic book villains and animated superhero shows for sound bites and references. He took on the name MF Doom, covering his face with a signature metal mask. The majority of his persona was based on Doctor Doom, but also on other Marvel Comics villains such as Destro and the Phantom of the Opera.

It didn’t take long for New York underground rap fans to pinpoint whose familiar voice this belonged to underneath the mask. MF Doom’s real name was Daniel Dumile. In the early 1990s, he performed under the name Zev Love X. Dumile was part of the rap group KMD, which stood for “Kausing Much Damage”, with his younger brother DJ Subroc. They made the group a trio, with another rapper by the name of Jade 1. Just before the rap group signed with Elektra Records, they replaced Jade 1 with a rapper going by the name Onyx The Birthstone Kid.

Together, they recorded two albums, with only one being released during their time together. Their debut album, Mr. Hood, was released in 1991. The album charted decently for a debut album from an unknown group. It peaked at No. 67 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Their lead single, “Peachfuzz”, peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The follow-up single, “Who Me?” peaked at No. 19 on the chart.

The Tragic Death of DJ Subroc

In 1993, DJ Subroc and his brother formed another group called Monsta Island Czars. Additionally, he had taken up producing and produced tracks for his fellow Monsta Island collaborators. This group included artists such as 3rd Base, MF Grimm, and Kurious Jorge.

His original group, KDM, began recording their follow-up album in 1993. Tragically, before it was finished, Subroc was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the Nassau Expressway on Long Island in New York. Dumile wasn’t with his brother, only hearing about the incident later that same day. Following this tragedy, he stepped away from his rap career and experienced hardship. At one point, Dumile reported that he was nearly homeless and had been sleeping on benches on the streets of Manhattan. He then relocated to Atlanta in the mid-90s.

In 1999, Dumile secretly returned as MF Doom, a supervillain rapper. His brother’s death directly influenced this shift in direction. He began performing at open mics, freestyling without exposing his face. Eventually, he adopted a mask, inspired by the 2000 film Gladiator. He released his debut solo album, Operation: Doomsday, on October 19, 1999. The album became a minor hit, peaking at No. 17 on the Independent Albums chart and No. 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. Soon after, the previously unreleased KMD follow-up album was released in 2000.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, MF Doom released multiple solo albums and collaboration albums, either under the name MF Doom or under a handful of aliases and variations. He became a critically acclaimed and notorious underground rapper. In October 2020, Doom was hospitalized in Leeds, England, due to respiratory issues. He died on October 31, 2020, due to a reaction to his blood pressure medication. His family announced his death two months later, on December 31.

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In February 2023, South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes was shot and killed outside of a restaurant in Durban, a city in South Africa. Unrelated to his own death in 2023, Forbes was investigated in connection with the death of his fiancée, Anele “Nellie” Tembe, two years earlier.

On April 11, 2021, Tembe fell from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. Initially, Forbes investigated this death, which was primarily treated as a suicide or unnatural death. In June 2022, the National Prosecuting Authority declined to prosecute anyone in the case. They returned the case docket to the investigating police for further review. Following this, Tembe’s family has vehemently disputed this suicide ruling. The family has alleged that Forbes pushed Tembe from the balcony, cleaning up blood and evidence in the room afterward. Forbes had publicly denied his involvement in Tembe’s death.

Tembe’s family has successfully pressured the court to open a formal judicial inquest into her death. Hearings have taken place in recent months, with the most recent being held on October 20, 2026.

Cape Town DOCTORS’ Testimony May INDICATE Foul Play

In the hearing on October 20, the doctor who examined rapper AKA right after Tembe’s death revealed information about the rapper’s injuries. The doctor claims to have found fresh scratches and bruises on the rapper. In the hearing reported through Times Live, the doctor stated, “The physical examination was done on the patient after exposing his full body. He had many fresh scratch marks. It was quite a tense examination. He wasn’t answering all my questions as I was putting them to him. We convinced him to undress so we could go through the full-body examination. I could understand that at that particular time, he was a bit stressed and agitated. So, we couldn’t get a proper history of how he got his bruises.”

Just one day before the hearing, Forbes’ father questioned this report, as well as the location of the marks on his son’s body. He questioned why no one is focused on the gaps in the medical report and this doctor’s claims. Forbes’ father attended the hearing on Monday. Times Live reports that he claimed, “There are things happening at this inquest where I feel the right facts are not being put on the table, and what’s being put on the table is not being questioned in terms of how accurate it is.”

The next date of this formal inquest has been postponed until November 17, 2026. These proceedings were adjourned to allow further forensic testimony from forensic, medical, and toxicology experts.

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On January 30, 2023, Tampa rapper Ace NH shot and killed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Alana Sims. The 22-year-old was pregnant at the time with a child that was originally believed to be the rapper’s. DNA evidence later indicated that the child wasn’t his. Sims also had an 18-month-old toddler in a nearby car seat during the shooting. The toddler was unharmed in the incident. Ace NH, whose real name is Billy Adams III, had recently been acquitted of an unrelated double-murder case just before the murder. He was arrested on February 8, 2023, for first-degree murder and killing the unborn child.

Prosecutors believe Adams lured Sims to the location because he wanted to continue a relationship with another woman. Initially, he believed the unborn child was his. In September 2026, Adams was found guilty of killing Sims and her unborn child. Following this conviction, an 8 to 4 vote from the jury recommended the death penalty.

Adams Asks The Judge For The Death Penalty

Sometime in October 2026, Adams penned a letter to Judge Mark Wolfe, requesting the death penalty, going against what his defense team has advised. In the letter, as reported by Fox 13 out of Tampa, the rapper stated, “I don’t want my lawyers to present any mitigation or arguments at this hearing, and I am asking this court to sentence me to what the jury voted for.” He also added, “I don’t have a problem with the death penalty.”

He says it’s his own decision despite what his defense has advised. His decision isn’t uncommon in cases like this. The defense urged the jury to consider life without parole for the murder of the unborn child. They did, however, call for life without parole on the count of murder for Sims. For the count of murder of the unborn child, the jury is considering the death penalty.

Billy Adams III, known by his stage name Ace NH, will be sentenced on December 1, 2026. Before his 2023 arrest, Ace NH released four studio albums in a span of three years. His final album, Underground Icon, was released on February 1, 2026, just two days after the murders and only seven days before his arrest.

Photo credit: @acenh7111 via YouTube

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