On a quiet Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee State basketball practice turned into something bigger. It wasn’t a press conference. No sponsor backdrops were erected. And security barricades never showed up. Instead, J Cole walked into an HBCU gym and changed the temperature of the room.
Fresh off debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with The Fall Off, Cole skipped the predictable promo stops. Rather than late-night television or a corporate listening event, he chose to pull up to an HBCU basketball practice.
Then he did more than wave from the sidelines.
He laced up.
A North Carolina Bond Brought Him to TSU
J Cole’s stop at Tennessee State was intentional.
The Fayetteville, North Carolina native shares a long history with TSU head coach Nolan Smith. Their connection runs through Carolina basketball culture. Smith became a Duke legend before transitioning into coaching. Meanwhile, Cole built his name in hip-hop while staying close to the game.
Years ago, Smith filmed the now-famous mall prank where Duke guard Quinn Cook pretended to be J Cole. Fans laughed. Social media exploded. The moment became a small but lasting crossover between hoops and music.
More than a decade later, that same connection brought Cole into a TSU practice gym.
This time, it wasn’t for laughs.
Cole owns legitimate basketball credentials. In 2021, he played for the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League. A year later, he joined the Scarborough Shooting Stars in Canada. Over time, he trained with NBA veterans like Joe Johnson and Larry Sanders. Coaches have described him as a reliable shooter and disciplined defender.
Because of that résumé, players listen when he talks.
However, doing it at an HBCU adds another layer.
J Cole and The Honda Civic Return to Campus
The Tennessee State visit fits into a much larger rollout.
Cole is currently on a surprise “Trunk Sale Tour” promoting what he calls his final album, The Fall Off. Instead of traditional marketing, he has been selling physical CDs out of the trunk of a Honda Civic.
That image is deliberate.
Back in 2007, he sold his first mixtape, The Come Up, out of the trunk of his Civic for $1 during North Carolina A&T’s Greatest Homecoming on Earth. At the time, HBCU campuses gave him a real audience long before the industry paid attention.
Nearly two decades later, he has returned to those same spaces.
During February alone, Cole stopped at:
- North Carolina A&T
- Howard University
- Hampton University
- Morehouse College
- Clark Atlanta University
- Alabama A&M
At Howard, crowds flooded the campus after dark. At A&T, students lined up for hand-to-hand CD exchanges. Each stop felt intimate. More importantly, each one felt deeply connected to the culture.
Then came Tennessee State.
Instead of a trunk sale, he stepped into basketball practice.
Different setting. Same foundation.
Why an HBCU Gym Matters
Cole could have launched this campaign anywhere.
He might have pulled up to an ACC powerhouse like UNC or Duke. He could have staged a polished, sponsor-heavy activation.
Instead, he chose an HBCU.
That decision carries weight.
HBCU homecomings helped test his early records in real time. Students passed his CDs around dorm rooms. Word-of-mouth built his foundation before Roc Nation ever entered the picture.
As a result, when he walks into Tennessee State’s gym, the moment feels authentic.
For Tennessee State basketball, the impact stretches beyond a single night. Social clips travel quickly. Recruits notice. National outlets amplify the buzz. In today’s landscape, culture equals visibility.
A simple pickup run can shift perception.
Sports, Hip-Hop, and Cultural Capital
Cole has always lived between two worlds.
He writes like a poet. He trains like an athlete.
His professional basketball stints were not gimmicks. He earned those roster spots through workouts and preparation. Teammates respected his approach. Coaches respected his discipline.
Meanwhile, Nolan Smith represents the reverse arc. He rose through elite college basketball, played professionally, and now builds a program at an HBCU.
North Carolina shaped them both.
One pursued hip-hop. The other chased hoops.
Now their paths intersect inside a Tennessee State gym during the promo run for the Fall Off Tour.
In a crossover moment that reinforces the connection between HBCU athletics and cultural influence. It also signals that these campuses remain central to the broader sports and entertainment conversation.
More Than a Promo Stop
Fall Off Tour may mark the closing chapter of J Cole’s recording career. Yet this rollout feels communal rather than corporate.
He didn’t start in arenas.
His rise began on HBCU campuses. It grew at homecomings. It stretched across parking lots. And it lived inside a Honda Civic with the trunk wide open.
Tennessee State basketball simply became the latest chapter in that story.
For one February night, an HBCU practice gym became the center of hip-hop culture.
And that felt exactly like how J Cole always intended it.