J. Cole Debuts ‘Applying Pressure’ Video

On the heels of his chart-topping album The Off-Season, J. Cole drops the second visual from the project.

In the gritty video for “Applying Pressure,” directed by Scott Lazer, the Rwanda Patriots star flexes while hitting the streets of New York. Cole dances on an empty subway and rides a stationary bike. He also links up with Harlem’s own Dave East, who Cole shouts out on the song (“My latest beat just sound like they was released by David East”).

“Applying Pressure” follows the video for “amari,” which dropped last week.

The Dreamville boss earned his sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with The Off-Season, which opened with 282,000 equivalent album units, the biggest week for a hip-hop release of 2021. Additionally, four songs from the 12-track album charted in the top 10 on the Hot 100—”my.life,” “amari,” “pride.is.the.devil,” and “95.south.”

“Sending a thank you from Rwanda! #1 album, I appreciate the love, i heard the noise from out here,” said Cole, who is playing for the Rwanda Patriots in the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League. “the off-season means keep pushing yourself, I will do the same.”