Revenge of the Dreamers III

Did You Know?

• The album's deluxe edition was released on January 16, 2020, with 12 additional songs.
• "Under the Sun" features uncredited vocals from Kendrick Lamar.

Recording and production

Recording sessions for Revenge of the Dreamers III took place at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia over ten days in January 2019. A total of 343 artists and producers were invited, and 142 songs were recorded during the sessions. On the standard edition, 35 artists and 27 producers contributed to the final product. Invitations were shared by the entire Dreamville roster, along with other artists and producers outside the label. Videographer Chase Fade described the studio atmosphere as having different energy in various rooms, with trap, R&B, and soulful music being made simultaneously. Dreamville President Ibrahim Hamad stated that over 124 songs were recorded. On the first day, Bas arrived from South Africa and heard JID recording a verse and hook for "Down Bad," prompting him to write his own verse. The track "Sunset" was produced by Pyrex, who said it was a skeleton he and ChaseTheMoney had started a year earlier; J. Cole walked in, heard it, and asked to write. Deante' Hitchcock arrived on the fourth day and wrote his verse for "PTSD" with Omen, Cam O'bi, Mereba, and St. Beauty. On the fifth day, Groove noted an energy shift as Buddy, Smino, Saba, Mez, and others arrived. "Sacrifices" was produced by Groove and co-produced by Henny Tha Bizness, who provided a folder of samples. The song was created in the same room and on the same day as the Elite-produced "1993," with ten songs made that day.

Release and promotion

During the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dreamville held events including a limited edition merchandise pop-up shop, a brunch, and a private concert featuring the label's artists after the All Star game, where J. Cole performed at halftime. At the free concert, several songs from the album were previewed. The entire Dreamville roster appeared on the cover of XXL magazine's spring 2019 issue, photographed by Jonathan Mannion. Dreamville used a hotline number, 1-888-88-DREAM, to talk to fans and play exclusive tracks. On June 26, 2019, a trailer for the documentary Dreamville Presents: Revenge was released, and the film was released on July 2, 2019, on Dreamville's YouTube account. On July 1, 2019, J. Cole announced via social media that the album would be released on July 5, 2019, and posted a link to a pre-order page for limited edition merchandise, including vinyl. The official tracklist and production and engineer credits were revealed a few hours before release. On July 4, 2019, J. Cole and Dreamville hosted The Day Party at the sold-out Brooklyn Mirage, joined by DJ Clue?, DJ Moma, and DJ Spade. The deluxe edition was announced on July 19, and fans heard songs from it at the 2019 ComplexCon in Chicago on July 20 and 21. Free limited edition Revenge of the Dreamers III comics were released on July 27, 2019, in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Atlanta, with only 200 copies per city.

Critical reception

Revenge of the Dreamers III received highly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album received an average score of 77 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork called the album a successful meeting of the minds, writing that it never feels forced or closed off to ideas. Robert Blair of Highsnobiety gave a positive review, stating that Cole and Dreamville created a watershed moment that celebrates an artform. Trent Clark of HipHopDX praised the album as a clinic for hardbody hip hop, saying it sports keepers for a wide range of listeners. Aaron Williams of Uproxx noted that the 18 tracks do not feel like enough.

Commercial performance

Revenge of the Dreamers III debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 115,000 album-equivalent units, of which 24,000 were pure album sales. It is Dreamville's first US number-one album and J. Cole's sixth. Four songs charted on the US Billboard Hot 100: "Middle Child" at number 34 (later peaking at number 4), "Under the Sun" at 44, "Down Bad" at 64, and "Costa Rica" at 75. The album remained in the top 10 for several weeks, selling 33,000 units in its fourth week. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 30, 2019, and Platinum on April 27, 2020. After the deluxe edition release, the album rose to number 12 on the Billboard 200, selling 33,000 units in its 29th week.