During his headlining performance on Friday night at Rolling Loud New York, North Carolina rapper J. Cole went through some of his biggest songs and delighted the crowd of thousands, who stuck around throughout a torrential downpour to watch him on the main stage. The Dreamville artist didn’t disappoint, moving through a medley of his older records mixed in with newer songs from The Off-Season. When it came time for Cole to perform his Bas-assisted track “100 Mil,” he admitted that he embellished many of his lyrics in the song, but maintains that it doesn’t lose any meaning.
During a lull between songs, Cole introduced “100 Mil” by telling his fans that the record isn’t entirely sincere, saying, “This next song, this next song contains a high level of… it’s a large amount… it’s a very big quantity of cap in this next song,” said Cole. “I ain’t gon’ lie, I’m doing a lot of capping in this next song, it’s a lot of exaggeration of the truth. But the spirit behind this song, the message behind this motherfucking song is 100% true. What this song is about is, it don’t matter how far you get in this life, how successful you become, how much money you make, don’t lose that hunger, drive, passion for that shit that got you there in the first place. New York City, don’t do it.”
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Cole didn’t clarify which part of the song he’s lying in, but he might just be trying to skirt away from the IRS in time for tax season. J. Cole is one of the most successful rappers in the world, and it’s very likely that he’s surpassed the $100 million mark from his music, so it’s unclear which part of the song is cap.
Listen to him introduce the record below, and revisit “100 Mil” underneath.