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Co-founded by Grammy-winning rapper/producer J. Cole and manager Ibrahim Hamad, Dreamville Records has been behind full-length projects from the likes of Cozz, Lute, JID, and Ari Lennox. In addition to these albums and Cole's chart-topping releases, the Dreamville roster has been promoted with a series of compilations, Revenge of the Dreamers, launched in 2014. They've followed the chart-topping, Grammy-nominated, platinum-certified Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019) with D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape (2022) and the Creed III soundtrack (2023).

Although Dreamville's beginning pre-dates Cole's 2011 mainstream breakthrough with Cole World: The Sideline Story, the label didn't truly lift off until 2013, when Cole and Hamad arranged a distribution deal through major-label Interscope. Revenge of the Dreamers arrived shortly thereafter in January 2014. Cole, who had recently achieved his second straight number one album with Born Sinner, was directly involved in seven of the 11 tracks, joined by Dreamville signees Omen and Bas, among other collaborators. A sequel, even more concise than the first volume, followed toward the end of the next year with Cozz, Lute, and Ari Lennox added to the mix. This volume charted, entering the Billboard 200 at number 24 with a Top Five showing on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Dreamville's stock continued to rise in 2019. That April, they held the first Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, Cole's home state. Three months later, they offered Revenge of the Dreamers III, a weightier set with the label's artists showcased alongside Young Nudy, Saba, Vince Staples, Dreezy, Ty Dolla $ign, and many others outside the roster. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in July 2019 and was nominated for Best Rap Album in the 62nd Grammy Awards. The competitive nature of the sessions was exemplified by "Down Bad," with JID, Bas, J. Cole, Nudy, and the duo EarthGang splitting mike duties over a taut Pluss production. That track earned the crew a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Rap Performance. A platinum certification for the parent release was awarded shortly thereafter.

Dreamville then reconnected with DJ Drama (host of JID's 2018 album DiCaprio 2) for D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape. Its late-March 2022 release preceded the second Dreamville Festival, which expanded to a two-day event in Raleigh. D-Day landed at number 11 on the Billboard 200. 2023 saw Dreamville provide the soundtrack for Creed III, which included the single "Blood, Sweat, and Tears," a collaboration with Bas, Black Sherif, and Kel-P. ~ Andy Kellman

A forthright lyricist and understated vocalist who has singled out the likes of Minnie Riperton and Mýa as two of her many inspirations, Ari Lennox has been the one-artist R&B contingent of J. Cole's Dreamville roster since 2015. The singer and songwriter made her commercial debut on the label in 2016 with the Pho EP, followed in 2019 by her first album, Shea Butter Baby, which reached number seven on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart. She appeared on Dreamville's Grammy-nominated Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation and issued a remix EP before she scored a number one hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart with "Pressure." That single heralded the 2022 arrival of her second album, age/sex/location.

Originally from Washington, D.C., Ari Lennox (born Courtney Shanade Salter) made her first moves during the first half of the 2010s with the Five Finger Discount mixtape, the Ariography EP, and tracks such as "Bound" -- all of which she uploaded from 2012 through 2014. In 2015, she began an alliance with J. Cole's Interscope-affiliated Dreamville label through a featured appearance on Omen's "Sweat It Out" and a showcase on the Revenge of the Dreamers II compilation standout "Backseat." The next October, Dreamville issued Lennox's Pho, an EP that entered Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart at number 40, led by the Hollywood JB collaboration "Night Drive." She contributed background vocals to Cole's chart-topping 4 Your Eyez Only and opened for Cole during the rapper's extensive 2017 tour in support of the album.

Throughout 2018, Lennox was featured on cuts by labelmates Bas and Masego, offered a handful of stray tracks, and appeared beside Cole on the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced Creed II soundtrack. That song, "Shea Butter Baby," became the title track of Lennox's first album. Released in May 2019, Shea Butter Baby reached number seven on the Top R&B chart, and number 67 on the Billboard 200. Around the same time, "Shea Butter Baby" itself registered on the Adult R&B Songs chart. Lennox raised her profile even more with her subsequent contribution to the Grammy-nominted Revenge of the Dreamers III. Shea Butter Baby (Remix EP) arrived in March 2020, and was followed by more charting singles during the rest of that year and 2021, with "Pressure" topping Adult R&B Songs. Additional tracks such as the slow jam "Hoodie" and the Summer Walker collaboration "Queen Space" set up age/sex/location for its September 2022 release. The LP reached no.60 on the Billboard 200 and no.13 on the R&B Albums chart. Lennox stayed busy in 2023 with the releases of "Get Close" and "My Phone Can Die," the latter of which saw her team up with James Fauntleroy. ~ Andy Kellman

Atlanta hip-hop duo EarthGang was formed by two friends when they were in high school, and they carry the torch of boundary-pushing, somewhat psychedelic rap from innovators like OutKast and Future. Along with working concurrently as part of the Spillage Village collective, EarthGang issued increasingly adventurous releases of their own, signing on with J. Cole's Dreamville label for a series of EPs and their 2019 album Mirrorland. Their follow-up, Ghetto Gods, appeared in 2022, followed by various collaborative singles with artists like Pharrell Williams and Daya. More EPs followed ahead of 2024's Perfect Fantasy, a joint release with Spillage Village.

EarthGang was formed in 2008 by Johnny "Olu O. Fann" Venus and Doctur "Eian Undrai Parker" Dot. After meeting in high school, they continued to make music together, influenced by a diverse range of artists like Curtis Mayfield, T-Pain, Lauryn Hill, and Gil Scott-Heron. They began working on their first EP while at Hampton University in Virginia, and The Better Party was released in 2010. Around the same time, the members of EarthGang linked up with rapper JID to form the Spillage Village collective, adding new rappers, vocalists, and producers to their membership over the next several years.

Still focused on EarthGang, the duo self-released two mixtapes in 2011, Mad Men and Good News. EarthGang began to tour, and in early 2013 they performed at the A3C Festival in Atlanta. Later that same year, they released their debut studio album, Shallow Graves for Toys, and the record reached number 11 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart. The pair continued to raise their profile touring North America, including sets at SXSW. 2015 saw the release of Strays with Rabies, which included guest spots from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and DJ Khalil.

In 2017, EarthGang signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records and released the EP Rags, followed two months later by another EP, Robots. A third EP, Royalty, appeared in February 2018, followed one year later by the full-length Mirrorland, which included their heartfelt single "Proud of U" featuring Young Thug. The album reached number 20 on the rap chart and 40 on the Billboard 200. In 2020, EarthGang reconnected with their Spillage Village counterparts for the release of Spilligion, the collective's fourth album and first for Dreamville. The duo's second LP for the label, Ghetto Gods, appeared in early 2022, hitting 114 on the Billboard 200 with guest spots from J. Cole, CeeLo Green, Future, and others. Over the next year, EarthGang continued to collaborate with artists like Pharrell Williams, Dermot Kennedy, and Daya. Starting with 2023's Earthgang vs. the Algorithm, they returned to the EP format, following it up in 2024 with Robophilia and Snakegang, the latter a collaboration with U.K. duo Snakehips. This set the stage for their next full-length, a highly collaborative joint effort with Spillage Village called Perfect Fantasy. Released in October 2024, it featured guest spots from T-Pain, Eric Bellinger, Damon Albarn, and more. ~ Bekki Bemrose