Image via Getty/Joseph Okpako
It's been nearly a week since Dreamville dropped their star-studded album, Revenge of the Dreamers III. There's a lot to unpack on the ambitious 18-song project, which features 34 artists and 27 producers, but now that we've had some time with it, we're ready to reflect on our favorite parts. These are the songs, verses, storylines, and one-liners that we can't stop thinking about. These are the magic in-studio interactions that make the ultra-collaborative project the success that it is. These are the most memorable moments on Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III.
J. Cole revealing he’s expecting another child on “Sacrifices”
J. Cole is not only stepping into his position as a celebrity, he’s embracing it. And with that, he’s sharing little gems about his personal life, like his growing family. On “Sacrifices,” Cole shocks with the revelation that his wife is expecting their second child. “She gave me the gift of my son, and plus we got one on the way,” the Fayetteville native reveals. The bar was just as surprising to his Dreamville team as it was to the rest of us. During an interview with Complex, Bas says that even he was unaware of the news. “I didn’t even know that J. Cole was expecting until I heard it on the verse,” he explains. “I had to ask him after, ‘Was that artistic license, or are you serious?’ He was like, ‘No, it's for real.’ I was like, ‘Oh shit!’ As a friend and as a fan, it was dope to hear for the first time. Everyone in the studio was in a moment.” —Jessica McKinney
Dreamville vs TDE (and a J. Cole robbery) on “LamboTruck”
Dreamville’s Cozz and TDE’s Reason go tit for tat on their song, “LamboTruck,” demonstrating why their respective labels are the premier imprints in the game right now. The friendly rivalry isn’t what makes this track an instant hit though. Instead, it’s the unsuspected union that unearths a wicked plot to rob their label figureheads, J. Cole and Top Dawg.
Over a Kal Banx-produced beat, the duo express their frustrations with being underappreciated and overshadowed by other labelmates (SZA, Schoolboy Q, and Ari Lennox to name a few). As the track rolls over to the third verse, what initially began as a venting session turns into a conspiracy to take what was promised to them. “Look, let’s make a deal, while I go rob Cole, you go rob Top. Cool,” Cozz spits. The call-and-response gimmick is both punchy and hilarious. Don’t think so? Just watch Cole’s initial reaction to hearing Cozz and Reason in the studio below. —Jessica McKinney
DaBaby’s verse on “Under the Sun”
DaBaby can't miss in 2019. After asserting himself as one of the year's most exciting newcomers with the best song of the 2019 (so far), he made the most of his appearance on the intro of ROTD 3. Somehow, on a song that features vocals from two of rap's biggest stars, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, the Charlotte rapper manages to come out on top with wildly confident, witty lines about girls, brawls, and diamond teeth. It's worth pointing out that DaBaby fucked up his gas/weed metaphor by name-dropping Jiffy Lube (which sells oil, not gas), but he more than makes up for it when he chooses to finish the song by simply saying his own name as the beat drops out. What confidence. We stan a baby. —Eric Skelton
Ski Mask the Slump God’s date with an AK
“Ayyyyyyyyyy, okay! Goin’ on a date with an AK! Ayyyyyyyyyy!”
These are the kinds of moments you get in a rap camp environment, which would never happen in a normal studio setting. Near the end of “Costa Rica,” Ski Mask the Slump God delivers an off-the-wall line about dating an AK, but instead of the line getting lost in the madness of everything else happening in the sessions, the rest of the room joins in and chants the line back to him. It's spontaneous, raucous energy you won't find in any other environment. As Bas explained to Complex, “We were performing it so many times after [recording], and that moment would go off so crazy amongst us. I think it was the homie Quick [Kaleb ‘KQuick’ Rollins], one of my engineers, he was like, ‘I should just record that and put it on the record.’ It was wild.” Ayyyyyyyyy! —Eric Skelton
Every time Guapdad 4000 shows up
Before ROTD 3, most fans knew Guapdad 4000 for his Instagram account and his associations with Drake more than they knew him for his music. Well, turns out the guy has hooks (and charisma for days). Every time you see Guapdad's name on an ROTD 3 song, you know you're in for something outside the norms of a stereotypical Dreamville cut: He brings an energy that isn't felt anywhere else on the project. “Costa Rica,” “Don't Hit Me Right Now,” and “Wells Fargo” are three of the album's most fun, addictive songs, and that’s largely due to Guapdad’s presence. It's time to start taking his music career seriously. He has something special. —Eric Skelton
Mez’s verse on “Sleep Deprived”
ROTD3 is full of great rapping, but Mez has a turn on “Sleep Deprived” that moves beyond verbal gymnastics and into something far deeper. “Trying to buy me a brick house when I get comma, doe,” he raps, working in a sly nod to one of the most iconic funk tracks of the ’70s. And then, the heart-stopper: “Money gon’ help with a lot of things—but not the trauma, though.” The acknowledgement that there are some problems that all the J. Cole cosigns and Dr. Dre writing credits in the world can’t solve lands like a punch to the gut. —Shawn Setaro
J.I.D asserting himself as a star
Anyone who has been paying close attention to the Dreamville universe over the last couple years isn't surprised to see J.I.D establishing himself as a star right now. His last two albums, The Never Story and DiCaprio 2, gained a dedicated following for the Atlanta rapper, but ROTD 3 might serve as his true breakout moment in front of a mainstream audience. Outside of J. Cole, J.I.D appears on the album more than anyone else, and he carries himself with the confidence of an artist who is the project's clear No. 2 star (after his label head). If this whole rap camp experiment was about boosting the careers of artists on the Dreamville roster, J.I.D took advantage of the opportunity better than anyone. —Eric Skelton
Everything that happens on “Wells Fargo”
I’ll admit it. “Wells Fargo” makes me jealous I didn't get a golden ticket invitation to fly down to Atlanta and sit in on these sessions. This sounds like it was fun as hell to record. J.I.D, EarthGang, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000 spend the whole song yelling, singing, and one-upping each other with lightning-fast verses, until it comes to an all-too-soon end after two minutes. They're having the time of their lives, and you can feel it. This is labeled as an “interlude” but it might be my favorite song on the whole project. —Eric Skelton
Ari Lennox and Baby Rose’s melodic break on “Self Love”
Revenge of the Dreamers III isn’t scarce of layered bars and production, but it is few on melodic breaks. “Self Love” is perhaps the project’s lead sonic number with Dreamville’s First Lady, Ari Lennox, and Baby Rose controlling the reigns. Its subject matter is unintentionally trendy, and while the skimpy verses appear simple, the sultry, shea-buttery cries of both singer-songwriters make this a true R&B song with incredible replay value. If you aren’t familiar with the hearty sounds of Baby Rose (a kindred spirit to Nina Simone), now is the time to educate yourself. —Jessica McKinney
Buddy’s performance on “1993”
You know the jolt of energy you feel from that shot of Henny kicking in? That’s Buddy. A rap and smoke session meshed together, Buddy starts the song with “since 1993 I’ve been smoking weed, ask about me,” then proceeds to play landlord as he kicks everyone else off the track before they can complete their verse. The Revenge documentary let us know Buddy was a spark plug throughout the sessions, and it showed the moment that Cole heard the first line and agreed, “Nobody should have a full fucking verse in this song; everybody’s verse should be cut off.” You can hear each artist laugh as Buddy interrupts them and demands more smoking. The blunt supercede the bars in this song, as Buddy yells, “Stop rappin', n***a, this is not a rap session. We gettin' high.” Wrapped in Elite production, this is just one of many moments where Buddy's contagious energy takes over. He owned this song, but dammit I wish he didn't cut Cole off so early, just when he was about to snap. —Jordan Rose
Deante’ Hitchcock’s verse on “PTSD”
One of the biggest standout verses on ROTD 3 came from one of its least known artists. Deante’ Hitchcock is an Atlanta-based rapper who gained recognition from freestyling in his car and posting it to Twitter. This helped land him a golden ticket to join the Revenge recording sessions in January. Now, he finds himself with one of the best performances on the same album as some of his favorite artists. “I rapped in my car, I performed at open mics I had to pay for, spammed YouTube comments, I DID IT ALL and it all led me here,” he tweeted after the album dropped. Despite it being one of his least favorite verses he recorded during the sessions, his reflective lyrics in “PTSD” on struggling to find balance in life resonated with many. Joined by Omen, Mereba, St. Beauty and Buddy on the outro, “PTSD” was Hitchcock’s one shining moment, and definitely a shining moment in ROTD. —Jordan Rose