J. Cole, Bruce Springsteen and 6 Other Songs to Know This Week

The New York Times on Jan. 31, 2026 highlighted eight songs drawing attention this week, led by Bruce Springsteen’s quickly written “Streets of Minneapolis” and J. Cole’s birthday mixtape “Birthday Blizzard ’26.” The Times reports that when federal agents killed anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, songwriters responded quickly; Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis” names the shooting victims Alex Pretti and Renee Good and government officials (“King Trump,” Miller, Noem).

The piece calls the song a rallying cry—rising from acoustic strumming to a full band, mixing in crowd chants of “ICE out now!” and ending with Springsteen’s vow, “We’ll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst.” J. Cole’s “Birthday Blizzard ’26” appeared on his website the week before the planned Feb.

6 release of his seventh studio album, “The Fall-Off.” Released on his 41st birthday, the mixtape’s four tracks use looped samples from the Lox, the Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy and address the Kendrick‑Drake feud and the commercialization of beef on social media.

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