| Dreamville Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | J. Cole Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | |
| Official website | dreamville |
Dreamville Records is an Americanrecord label founded by American rapperJ. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label ended its distribution deal withInterscope Records, a unit ofUniversal Music Group in July 2025. The roster includesBas,Cozz,Omen,Lute,JID,EarthGang, and Cole himself. Dreamville also houses American record producersElite, Ron Gilmore, and Cedric Brown.[1]
During the compositions ofThe Come Up, Cole started his own record label in early 2007 with current Sudanese-American label president Ibrahim Hamad. Cole and Hamad met while attendingSt. John's University. Cole sought for an avenue to release his own music, while Hamad yearned to start a record label, prompting the two to team up to form Dreamville Records.[2] RapperOmen has been affiliated with Dreamville since the beginning, Omen and Cole met on rapperCanibus chat forum at age 17, where they shared music.[3] Omen was also featured on Cole's mixtapes,The Warm Up (2009) andFriday Night Lights (2010). In 2011, Dreamville was associated with rapper Voli and alternative rock band StartYourOwnRebellion, while Dreamville was still in early formation as avanity label imprint.[4][5]
.jpg)
On January 28, 2014, at a show at theTheater at Madison Square Garden, Cole announced that his Dreamville imprint had signed a distribution deal withInterscope Records. Attendees at the show received a flyer announcing the deal and a mixtape, titledRevenge of the Dreamers. On the same day, Cole announced the signing ofQueens-based rapper,Bas. Cole spoke withBillboard about the Interscope deal saying: "We've been dreaming about a label situation for years." "The deal's been official since late December, and we'd been working on it for a while before that, but it felt too important to just go out and yell it right when it happened. It needed a more grand announcement." Cole explained that talks with Interscope began whenJoie Manda, Interscope president of urban music, reached out to him in 2013, Cole said: "I thought he wanted me to produce someone over there and I was excited about that, but then he told me that he really believed in me as an executive, a label CEO and a producer. ADr. Dre to hisJimmy Iovine. He had the vision."[6]
On June 26, 2014, J. Cole officially announced the signing ofLos Angeles-based rapper,Cozz.[7] Omen didn't officially sign the Interscope deal until after his debut album in 2015.[8] On December 8, 2015, Dreamville released a collaborative album titled,Revenge of the Dreamers II, officially announcing two new label signees,Charlotte rapper,Lute andWashington D.C. singerAri Lennox.[9] In an interview with theRap Radar Podcast, Ibrahim Hamad broke down the self-sufficiency of the artists on the label saying: "I like letting them figure out what their path is. I look at it like, because we learned what we learned from Cole being signed, what I like to do is [say] ‘what is your vision, and let us help you’. I don't ever want to tell an artist no you can't do that, that's not fair to them."[10]
On February 20, 2017 Dreamville announced the signing ofEast Atlanta-based rapperJID to the label.[11] On August 31, 2017 Dreamville also announced the signing ofEarthGang, a hip hop duo consisting of Atlanta-based rappers Olu (Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (Doctur Dot – born Eian Parker). Both EarthGang and JID had previously toured with Bas and Omen prior to signing to the label.[12][13]
On January 6, 2019, Dreamville announced a 10-day recording session in Atlanta for the label's third compilation albumRevenge of the Dreamers III, ending on January 16.[14] During the 2019NBA All-Star Weekend inCharlotte,North Carolina, Dreamville held multiple events scheduled for the weekend, starting with an exclusive limited edition merchandise pop-up shop, a Dreamville brunch, and a private concert featuring the artists on the label taking place after theAll Star game.[15][16] On July 5, the label's third compilation album was released to critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200, selling 115,000album-equivalent units in its first week.[17] The album earned nominations forBest Rap Album at the2020 Grammy Awards, while "Middle Child" and "Down Bad" were nominated forBest Rap Performance.[18] In April 2020, the album was certifiedPlatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[19]
On March 31, 2022, Dreamville releasedD-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape featuring guest appearances from2 Chainz,ASAP Ferg,Young Nudy, Kenny Mason,Sheck Wes, G Perico, andReason.[20] The mixtape was released ahead of the second annual Dreamville Festival.[21] In 2023, It was confirmed that Dreamville will be the primary artists to thesoundtrack album to the sports drama filmCreed III.
| Act | Year signed | Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| J. Cole | 2007 (founder) | 9 |
| Omen | 2009 | 1 |
| Bas | 2013 | 8 |
| Cozz | 2014 | 4 |
| Lute | 2015 | 2 |
| JID | 2017 | 4 |
| EarthGang | 2017 | 3 |
| Act | Years on the label | Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Ari Lennox[22] | 2015–2025 | 5 |
In October 2011, Cole established The Dreamville Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization "created to 'bridge the gap' between the world of opportunity and the urban youth" of Cole's hometown ofFayetteville, North Carolina. The foundation conducts philanthropic activities with the aid of volunteers, such as providing school supplies to students.[31] The Foundation also launched a book club for young men and sponsored "The Nobody's Perfect Writing Contest and Mother's Day Brunch". It sponsors an annual weekend of Fayetteville community events called the "Dreamville Weekend" that features a discussion with the Young Men's Book Club, an appreciation dinner, and a career day panel with African-American professionals in a variety of fields.[32]
In 2014, Cole purchased his childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for $120,000 through the Dreamville Foundation. The home had been repossessed from his mother years earlier while Cole was attending college in New York. His plan is to turn the house into a homestead for single mothers and their children, where they will be able to live rent-free.[33] In 2017NFL playerColin Kaepernick donated $32,000 to fund multiple projects for the organization.[34]
In September 2018, the Dreamville Foundation unveiled a new initiative to aid victims of Hurricane Florence in Fayetteville, NC. According to the foundation's website, donated funds will go toward "hot food stations placed throughout the city, temporary housing options for families, and stocking of food pantries/shelters", as well as local charities that provide services to Fayetteville residents.[35]
On April 27, 2018, J. Cole announced the Dreamville Festival, the festival featuring local music, culture, food and art, and also include a mix of up-and-comers and national acts. It is expected to be an annual festival.[36] However, in the wake ofHurricane Florence, the event was postponed from its original date. The festival was rescheduled and held at the historicDorothea Dix Park inRaleigh, North Carolina on April 6, 2019. The lineup included all of Dreamville's artists as well asSZA,Big Sean,Nelly,21 Savage,6LACK,Davido,Teyana Taylor,Saba,Rapsody, andMez.[37] The Dreamville Festival plan to donate proceeds to the Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy and the Dreamville Foundation.[38] The festival sold out with a capacity of 40,000 people to become the largest event in Raleigh. Ibrahim Hamad remarked on the festival saying "We're not like other companies that are based in a city. Our label is very much an idea, more so than an actual physical place. So you can create it and take it everywhere. To bring that into the festival—where you can just create a place and make it Dreamville and be able to bring people there—was always this cool goal. And that's what makes it unique. It's not based in an actual city. It's just based in our minds."[39]
For the2020 season, the Dreamville Festival is front-of-jersey sponsor forUSL Championship soccer teamNorth Carolina FC.[40] The second annual festival was initially slated for April 4, 2020 however, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed and eventually cancelled. The festival went on at Dix Park as scheduled in 2022, with the dates of April 2–3, its first year being held for two days. The lineup was announced on March 2, a month prior to its commencement, and again included all Dreamville artists, as well asFivio Foreign,Kehlani,Lil Baby, andWizkid (Day 1), andLil Wayne withJeezy andT.I. as part ofDJ Drama's "Gangsta Grillz",Moneybagg Yo, andT-Pain (Day 2). The attendance across the two days totaled 80,000, making it one of the most attended music events in North Carolina history. In addition, the event created an economic impact of $6.7M.[41]
The event returned to Dix Park from April 1–2, 2023 and featured all Dreamville artists, as well as special guestsUsher,Drake,Burna Boy,Sean Paul, and more. A concert representative reported that the event was sold out with an estimated attendance of 100,000.[42][43]
As of 2025 Dreamville Festival has officially come to end of era.[44] The last festival was held from April 5 to 6 and not live streamed as it was in the previous years. The line includedLil Wayne,21 Savage,Erykah Badu, and extra. The festival will still continue, but under new management and name.
On October 12, 2020, Dreamville announced the formation ofDreamville Ventures, a multi-disciplinary media company. Damien Scott is leading the division as president with Candace Rodney as executive vice president, overseeing daily operations including verticals across music, TV and film, publishing, apparel and live events. In a press release withVariety, Cole said: "Dreamville has always been a mom-and-pop operation with grand ambitions and ideas that extend far beyond music. The hiring of Damien and Candace not only expands our family business with two of the smartest and most capable executives in the industry, but allows us to take a massive leap towards turning those big ideas into reality."[45]
On October 12, 2020, Dreamville Studios was launched, a content studio that will produce original and co-produced content, with Candace Rodney who serves as president of Dreamville Studios. Ibrahim Hamad said in a press release: "Dreamville is a brand we built from the ground up and the appointments of Damien and Candace allows us to take the company to levels we’ve always dreamed of while keeping our core values and beliefs at the forefront of our expansion."[46] Candace Rodney previously worked as senior vice president of development atWilmore Films, as well as positions atSony Pictures Television,Lionsgate Television andCreative Artists Agency.[45]
Dreamville Films, Inc is an Americanentertainment company founded in 2015 that produces and distributes films. In 2015, they established a distribution dealHBO.[47] They released documentariesJ. Cole: Road to Homecoming,Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming, andJ. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only in partnership with HBO.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Artist | Album | Details | Peak chart positions | Certification | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | |||||||||||
| J. Cole | Born Sinner |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Bas | Last Winter |
| 103 | 18 | 13 | ||||||||
| Cozz | Cozz & Effect |
| 160 | 31 | 17 | ||||||||
| J. Cole | 2014 Forest Hills Drive |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |||||||
| Omen | Elephant Eyes |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| Bas | Too High to Riot |
| 49 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||
| J. Cole | 4 Your Eyez Only |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |||||||
| JID | The Never Story |
| 197 | – | – | ||||||||
| Lute | West1996 pt. 2 |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| Cozz | Effected |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| J. Cole | KOD |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |||||||
| Bas | Milky Way |
| 35 | 19 | 17 | ||||||||
| JID | DiCaprio 2 |
| 41 | 21 | 17 | ||||||||
| Ari Lennox | Shea Butter Baby |
| 67 | 38 | – | RIAA: Gold | |||||||
| EarthGang | Mirrorland |
| 40 | 22 | 20 | ||||||||
| Spillage Village (with JID & EarthGang) | Spilligion |
| 141 | – | – | ||||||||
| J. Cole | The Off-Season |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Lute | Gold Mouf |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| EarthGang | Ghetto Gods |
| 114 | – | – | ||||||||
| JID | The Forever Story |
| 12 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||
| Ari Lennox | Age/Sex/Location |
| 69 | 36 | – | ||||||||
| Bas | We Only Talk About Real Shit When We're Fucked Up |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Artist | Album | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| J. Cole | Forest Hills Drive: Live |
| 71 |
| Artist | Album | Details | Peak chart positions | Certification | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | |||||||||||
| Dreamville | Revenge of the Dreamers |
| – | – | – | ||||||||
| Dreamville | Revenge of the Dreamers II |
| 29 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||
| Dreamville | Revenge of the Dreamers III |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |||||||
| Dreamville | D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape |
| 11 | 6 | 4 | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Artist | Album | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| Dreamville | Creed III: The Soundtrack |
| 127 |
| Artist | Extended play | Details |
|---|---|---|
| J. Cole | Truly Yours |
|
| J. Cole | Truly Yours 2 |
|
| Bas | Two Weeks Notice |
|
| Ari Lennox | Pho |
|
| Dreamville | 1-888-88-DREAM |
|
| Dreamville | ROTD3.COM |
|
| Bas | Spilled Milk 1 |
|
| Ari Lennox | Shea Butter Baby (Remix EP) |
|
| J. Cole | Lewis Street |
|
| Cozz | Fortunate |
|
| Bas | [BUMP] Pick Me Up |
|
| Ari Lennox | Away Message |
|
| EarthGang | EarthGang Vs The Algorithm: RIP Human Art | Released: September 22, 2023 |
| Artist | Mixtape | Details |
|---|---|---|
| J. Cole | The Warm Up |
|
| J. Cole | Friday Night Lights |
|
| Bas | Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. 2 |
|
| Cozz | Nothin Personal |
|
| J. Cole | Might Delete Later |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | CAN | NZ Hot | |||||||||
| "Down Bad"[86] (withJ. Cole,JID,Bas &EarthGang featuringYoung Nudy) | 2019 | 64 | 26 | 22 | 69 | 10 | Revenge of the Dreamers III | ||||||
| "Got Me"[88] (withAri Lennox &Omen featuringTy Dolla Sign &Dreezy) | — | —[A] | — | — | — |
| |||||||
| "LamboTruck" (withCozz featuringReason &Childish Major) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Costa Rica" (with Bas & JID featuringGuapdad 4000,Reese LAFLARE,Jace,Mez,Smokepurpp,Buddy &Ski Mask the Slump God) | 75 | 30 | — | 71 | — | ||||||||
| "Bussit"[89] (with Ari Lennox) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | Revenge of the Dreamers III: Director's Cut | ||||||
| "Still Up"[89] (with EarthGang featuring Reason) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | CAN | ||||||||||
| "Under the Sun" (with J. Cole andLute featuringDaBaby) | 2019 | 44 | 18 | 16 | 72 | Revenge of the Dreamers III | |||||||
| "Sacrifices" (with and EarthGang and J. Cole featuringSmino AndSaba) | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite magazine}}:Cite magazine requires|magazine= (help)
