PFG Teams Up with J. Cole for ‘NEVER SAY DIE’—A Bold North Carolina Collab

Released July 10, 2026

PFG (aka Pretty Face Gangster) is an artist I caught earlier this year with his standout project, DOPEBOY UNIVERSITY. Recently, when J. Cole dropped The Fall-Off, PFG was seen in the “Two Six” video—and now they’ve clearly linked up, as J. Cole fully produced this album, NEVER SAY DIE, and is featured multiple times. So let’s talk about it.

First of all, PFG is dope, and I’ve been saying that since the day I first heard DOPEBOY UNIVERSITY—an album I’ve been trying to put people onto as often as I can. He brings smooth flows and rhymes with a great mix of heavy street lyricism and peeks into more in-depth aspects of his life. The J. Cole features are good for sure, although I think the cosign/look is better than some of the verses themselves. Plus, there are actually more J. Cole features than what’s listed, with Cole popping up uncredited on a few hooks.

My only concern when I saw J. Cole’s involvement with this album was him producing every song. I think J. Cole is a solid producer, but he can still be hit-or-miss, and I didn’t think all the production here hit me as strong as the tracks on DOPEBOY UNIVERSITY. That said, the music here is still great, with some standout tracks for sure. “Mr. Biggs,” “End of the Day,” “910 We Get Active,” and “Handguns & Hang Gliders” are all great songs, with “Whole House” being my personal favorite. These tracks brought the kind of grit I enjoyed from PFG before, and “Whole House” brought a bounce that got Cole into an energetic flow—delivering, for me, his best feature here by far.

I don’t want to come across as down on this album because I think it’s great, and I love that J. Cole is shining a light on some incredible talent from North Carolina. I just wish I liked a few of the beats a bit more, but there’s still a ton to enjoy here. PFG was already making waves, but now it’s safe to say he’s making splashes.

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (8/10)

Standout Tracks: “Whole House,” “Mr. Biggs,” “910 We Get Active,” “Handguns & Hang Gliders”