J. Cole Reveals "K.O.D" Meaning In Album Trailer

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American hip-hop artist J. Cole performs at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 1, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
J. Cole shares a trailer for his forthcoming album.

Within the span of a week, J. Cole confirmed why he's one of the best to do it in the game right now. He slowly hinted at a new album release by clearing his Instagram and announcing a free show in NYC before he confirmed the release date for his album, K.O.D. He's relied on people who attended the listening party to relay the message to the masses including the album title's definition. With only a few hours to go until it drops, J. Cole breaks down the meaning behind K.O.D in his new album trailer.

K.O.D stands for three different things, "Kidz On Drugz," "King Overdose" and "Kill Our Demons." In the psychedelic album trailer finds J. Cole's voice pitched down (maybe even as his alleged alter ego, KiLL Edward) as he explains the affects that mental health and drugs have had on the youth. 

"K.O.D. Kidz On Drugz. It's not gon' take long for their to be an advertisement that says, 'are you feeling down? Are you depressed? Are you having lonely thoughts?' and then they shove a pill in your face. The first response of any problems is medicate." The voice says over the drug-induced visuals. 

"King Overdose" stands for the times people look for an escape whether it be through their phone, alcohol or anything else. Finally, "Kill Our Demons" represents that the "end goal" to finally overcome the same aspects that haunt people throughout their lives.

Peep the full trailer below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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