| Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Scott Lazer |
| Produced by | Tripp Kramer & David Peters |
| Starring | J. Cole 21 Savage Ibrahim Hamad Mike Shaw Morray |
| Cinematography | Taylor McIntosh |
| Distributed by | Dreamville Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 13 minutes |
| Language | English |
Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary is a 2021documentary short film based on creation ofJ. Cole's sixth studio albumThe Off-Season.[1] It was released on May 10, 2021 byDreamville onYouTube.[2] It was directed byDreamville Ventures' in-house director Scott Lazer, and produced by Tripp Kramer and David Peters.[3]
The short film is divided into four chapters; "Comfort is the Enemy", "Father Time", "The Climb Back", and "Applying Pressure". Cole shares a behind the scenes look in the studio as well as private moments during the album's creating process. The film also stars American rapper21 Savage interviewing Cole.[4] In the first two chapters, Cole speaks about adjusting work schedule and fighting complacency after becoming a father.[5] In the third and fourth chapters, Cole talks about the inspiration of the album, talking about having writer's block and comparing his hip hop career to playing basketball.[6]
On May 9, 2021, Cole released the official trailer for the documentary titled,Applying Pressure: The Off-Season, on social media.[7][8] The documentary was released on May 10, distributed on Dreamville's YouTube channel. While describing the inspiration of the album, Cole said in the documentary:[9]
This is the moment that a lot of your favorite rappers hit a crossroads. Are you okay with getting comfortable? I had to make a real decision: Are you okay with getting comfortable, chilling, mailing it in, waiting around on inspiration? If this is as high as you ever got — not career success-wise, but from a skill level, like have you wrote your best songs. Did you leave no stone unturned creatively? And when I thought about that feeling, I was like, 'Nah, I'm not cool with that.'[10]
Writing forBillboard, Jordan Rose wrote about how the birth of Cole's son impacted the way he approached music. Cole reflected on advice he received fromPharrell Williams in 2011, talking about balancing studio recording sessions to a routine that allows him to spend time with his family. Rose also wrote about Cole returning to his roots after Cole returned to his college home inQueens, New York in 2016, where he lived while attendingSt. John's University. The author wrote about the parallels between music and basketball in his work such asThe Warm Up,Friday Night Lights, andCole World: The Sideline Story, saying "it looks like Cole is finally back in competitive form, and is getting his shot at the pros while simultaneously plotting his return to rap dominance," and "that hunger was palpable in the music, and as he describes in the documentary, he wants to reignite that feeling."[11]
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | May 10, 2021 | streaming | [12] |
