J. Cole & Lil Durk Perform "All My Life" Live For The First Time

BYGabriel Bras Nevares3.5K Views
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2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Show
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 22: (L-R) Lil Durk and J. Cole perform onstage during the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Chicago MC brought out Cole as a special guest during his Friday set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival.

It's been odd to think about the fact that one of the year's biggest hits so far hasn't been performed by both its artists on the same stage. After all, isn't that a surefire way to get a crowd excited and energized, especially at a music festival? Well, that's what Lil Durk realized for his Friday (September 22) set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. As the Billboard mainstay "All My Life" started to play, J. Cole emerged to thousands of fans excitedly cheering for his surprise appearance. The two rappers embraced for a moment, went close to the crowd, and got them bouncing for the chorus drop.

Furthermore, it's great to see that Cole and The Voice were able to make this happen, even a while after its release. The two spoke very fondly of their respect for each other before and after their collaboration came to light. It proved to be a major standout on Lil Durk's album Almost Healed, with both MCs operating at top form over one of the project's most notable instrumentals. Compared to the Chicago drill artist's other work, it's emblematic of how tender, honest, and emotive that LP can be.

J. Cole Pops Out During Lil Durk's Set To Finally Perform "All My Life" Together

Here's what Lil Durk most recently had to say about the collab in an Apple Music interview. "Shout out to J. Cole," the "Pelle Coat" hitmaker began. "Even just to have that type of music out, just on a positive level, feels super, super good. I think that the J. Cole feature was definitely unexpected for my fans. He went super cr*zy. And it's so cr*zy, because we've been talking for two years. He always be like, 'Send me a record,' and I'm like, 'I got to find the right record.'

"And I'm glad I waited two years, because in my eyes he's a legend," he continued. "So if you have a chance to do a song with legend, do you send him something just to send it, just to say you got one, or you're going to make it stick? So that's why I never just sent him a record, because I want something that's going to stick. As soon as I did the record, he was the first person that popped into my head. I'm like, 'I got it.'" For more news and the latest updates on Lil Durk and J. Cole, come back to HNHH.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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