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RELATED: Dreamville Fest 2025 Day 1: A Celebration of Music, Culture, and Community

As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” That couldn’t be more true than on day 2 of the “5th and Final” Dreamville Festival at Dorothea Dix Park on Sunday night.

The day started with a performance from R&B newcomer Akia before shifting gears to the hip-hop side with South Carolina’s own Trap Dickey. Dreamville signees Cozz, Earthgang and J.I.D. kept the energy flowing as the performances gave a little something for everyone. We got big energy from rappers BigXThaPlug, Anycia, Wale, and GloRilla, while Coco Jones and Tems smoothed things out on the soulful tip.

Speaking of soul, Neo-Soul icon Erykah Badu brought her out-of-this-world aura to the Dreamville stage as the penultimate performer, bringing the smooth, soul-stirring vibes that have kept her in the business for nearly 30 years.

And finally, the head honcho of Dreamville himself, J. Cole, hit the stage for his final Dreamville headlining set. This time, he kept the special guests at a minimum, with Badu being the only on-stage collab for a performance of “Too Deep for the Intro,” a fan favorite from his Friday Night Lights mixtape.

Indeed, Cole opted to give fans a retrospective of his entire career, ranging from the big hits like “Love Yourz,” “Work Out,” and “Neighbors” to the mixtape classics like “Grown Simba” and “Sideline Story” that made us fall in love with “The Kid From The ‘Ville” in the first place.

RELATED: Raleigh Partners with Dreamville for Multi-Year Dix Park Music Festival

As he closed out with another Friday Night Lights cut, “Farewell,” it was evident that it was the end of Dreamville Fest as we know it. However, it is the beginning of a new phase of bringing the vibes to Raleigh.

Either way, J. Cole has left an invaluable mark on the city, and we are grateful to come along for the ride.