“The Real Is Back. The Ville Is Back": New J. Cole Mural in Downtown Fayetteville

Completed on February 11, 2026, local creative Mookthehartist has gifted the city a new cultural landmark: a striking J. Cole mural tucked beneath the steel beams of downtown’s bridge. And it doesn’t whisper nostalgia, it declares legacy.

Front and center, an early image of Cole is captured mid-recording, mic suspended in front of him, eyes focused, mouth open as if the bars are still being written in real time. To the left, more eras of Cole’s journey are layered in portrait form, subtle nods to growth, hunger, and the evolution from Fayetteville dreamer to global voice. This mural is a timeline in grayscale. Stamped boldly beside him: “The Ville Is Back.” With "The Real Is Back" overlaying. This is a notable quote from J. Cole's track "Janurary 28th" which is featured on his previous albums, "Forest Hills Drive"

A Love Letter to The Ville

Fayetteville has always claimed Cole, but this mural feels like the city claiming itself. Under the dim lights and framed by raw industrial architecture, the piece lives in the heart of Downtown FAYNC. Mookthehartist’s decision to render the work in monochrome is intentional. The absence of color sharpens emotion. It highlights texture. It centers expression. It forces you to focus on the face, the voice, the message. No distractions. Just presence.

And that presence? It feels permanent.

More Than Paint

Public art does something powerful, it anchors memory to place. For Fayetteville, this mural isn’t just about J. Cole’s success. It’s about what happens when a small-city dream refuses to shrink.

It’s for the kid walking past wondering if their vision is valid. It’s for the creatives building in silence. It’s for The Ville TWO SIX!!! Aaaahhhhaantttt!!

February 11, 2026 now marks more than a completion date. It marks another chapter in Fayetteville’s cultural creative renaissance, a city continuously redefining itself through art, music, and unapologetic identity.

“The Ville Is Back” isn’t about returning. It’s about reminding the world we never left.

And now, it’s written on the wall.

We Chopped it up with Mooktheheartist

Zairis: Public art lives in conversation with community what reactions or moments from people passing by has stood out to you since the mural went up

Mookthehartist: Man, just the kids running up out of the opening school recess and it just having the kids asked me as I'm doing it ‘is that Cole’? It like made my heart warm but I was like yeah and  they just started screaming I'm like bro what are you like 9 or something? You know, what this is? That was so hard. That was that was one of my big highlights of that day and then my homegirl Ayanna she pulled up and she was like Yooo! Another big one is when the art teacher came out there and spoke to me and she said how she felt about it like how it made her feel and like what it conveyed for her and I was like it's doing exactly what I wanted and I'm not even done with it yet. To get her praise was dope to get the kids approval was my real stamp, like I don’t even care if it don't look good or anything that could happen, they had to approve it, that's all that matters. The kids, the art teacher and then everybody else that pulled up,  you [Zairis] pulling up out there just people spotting me, I was trying to keep it hidden and people still fount out. So it was the motivation for sure, everybody that pulled up on me as I worked it pushed me to go harder.

Zairis: For young creatives in Fayetteville who see the mural and feel inspired what message would you want them to take away about pursuing their art and representing their hometown

Mookthehartist: Ohh man do it because its you. Do it because you feel it, don't do it to get paid don't do it because somebody told you to do it, or you should do it, do it because if you don't do it, it makes you uneasy you're not at peace. Do it for your peace because when you love it you're going to do it regardless. Things of the regular life is not going to factor, the system is not going to factor, you're living your dream and being your dream because that's where your peace and your happiness is and it's one thing that nobody can take from you. Nobody will ever be able to touch it. Where it's only tangible to you and tangible to your soul because one thing about doing stuff like that when you really love it you realize how rich your spirit and soul feels. So that's what you should take away from seeing  this art and seeing that its a process. This is the process of being the young Cole to older Cole. You see the beginning to the end– the journey is long the journey is far but it starts with you. So take that from me, that it starts with you.

Behind The Scenes of making The Mural

Filmed by: Zairis T. Miles, Mark Mayr

Edited By: Mark Mayr

Zairis T. Miles

Founder & Editor In Chief