J. Cole's Forest Hills Drive home hit by Hurricane Florence

Hurricane Florence toppled a large tree on the Fayetteville childhood home of J. Cole — on same the day the rapper was supposed to have held his inaugural Dreamville Festival in Raleigh.

It's not clear how much damage the tree did to the Forest Hills Drive house made famous by Cole's third studio album, "2014 Forest Hills Drive."

High winds from the storm has snapped limbs and uprooted trees across the city, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people since Friday. Authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order for everyone living within one mile of the Cape Fear River, which is expected to come within feet of historic flood levels early this week, and the Little River.

J. Cole's house is far from the rivers but wasn't spared from Florence's high winds. The home is where Cole's mother moved with her two sons after she remarried. Cole's father was in the military and the family had lived in military housing before they split. Cole's Dreamville Foundation bought the home in 2014 for $121,000, and he has said he wanted to use the 1,600-square-foot property as a rent-free home for single-mother families.

Cole was supposed to be performing in front of thousands in Raleigh on Saturday night at his Dreamville Festival, a daylong event with a lineup of music stars. But Hurricane Florence forced the organizers to cancel the event.

Cole graduated from Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School and has never forgotten his roots in the 'Ville. 

The video for the track "Who Dat" from his first album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” featured students from E.E. Smith and Fayetteville State University, which sparked a minor controversy.  He founded the nonprofit Dreamville Foundation, which has organized back-to-school supply giveaways and other efforts for area children (See photos). He frequently appears without fanfare at local schools or charity events.

And his album “2014 Forest Hills Drive″ made the address a mecca for fans — but also a target of vandals.

[Forest Hills Drive street signs keep disappearing, city says]

In August 2015, Cole performed a sold-out show at the Crown Coliseum that featured surprise guests Jay Z and Drake. [See photos] The concert was filmed for an HBO special, “J.Cole Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming.”