J.Cole announces hiatus from live concerts

During his performance at The Meadows Music and Arts Festival in New York last night, the multitalented J.Cole announced that he's taking an indefinite break from performing live, with that night's show being his last for "a very long time."

"Before I get outta here. This my last show for a very long time," Cole said near the end of his set. An Instagram video of Cole's statement, taken by a fan in the audience, can be viewed here.

Cole's last album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, was released almost two years ago. The album was well received by critics, and earned Cole both a BET Hip Hop Award for Album of The Year as well as a platinum sales certification from the RIAA. While Cole hasn't given an official reason, rumors suggest that Cole's decision to stop performing live is so that he can concentrate on working on his next album. Recording sessions for 2014 Forest Hills Drive took nearly a year, with Cole also handling the production work on that album himself.

Since the release of his last album, Cole has released multiple singles. The 2015 Jeremih song "Planes," on which Cole is featured, was nominated for a Grammy earlier this year.

By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com