drake & j. cole Archives - New Hip Hop News

J Cole Claims That Jay-Z Once Told Drake To Give Cole A Hit Single

November 30, 2024 by newhiphopnews

J Cole and his manager and Dreamville cofounder Ibrahim Hamad continue to bring fans a compelling experience via their Inevitable audio series chronicling the former’s career. They brought fans a lot of interesting reflections and revelations so far, with one alleged interaction in particular driving a lot of fan interest. Moreover, the North Carolina rapper and Ib claimed that Jay-Z once told Drake to give Cole a hit single. This was at Hov and LeBron James’ Two Kings dinner during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2011, and Cole wanted to find a hit single before the release of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.

“We having a conversation. Me, Cole, Drake, Future [The Prince],” Ibrahim Hamad said of Jay-Z and J. Cole. “I don’t know who else but there were a couple more people. So then Jay walks in and he sees all of us together. He goes ‘Yo!’ and he looks at Drake and he says ‘Yo, give the boy one,’ points at Cole like basically ‘give him a hit.’ We’re all like ‘what?’ I even remember Future’s face being like, that’s embarrassing.”

J Cole & Jay-Z Performing In 2014

J Cole <a href= — NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 28: Rappers J. Cole and Jay Z perform in concert at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

“He’s looking at Drake and pointing at me and going, ‘Give him a hit, give my boy a hit,’ basically,” J. Cole remarked during the new episode. “What I do remember is being at the dinner after that and I’m just looking at Cole and he looks pissed,” Ib added. How they spoke on the meaning behind all this is that the two MCs were at a highly competitive point and had just collaborated on the song “In The Morning.” Not only that, but Cole had allegedly failed to put out a hit single before this album cycle despite previous attempts like “Blow Up” and “Higher.”

Apparently, J. Cole actually confronted Jay-Z about this situation later into the night, claiming hypocrisy over this demand for a hit single when Reasonable Doubt didn’t have that expectation. What’s funny is that not only did Cole World: The Sideline Story become his biggest album at that time, but “Work Out” proved to be a massive hit. So it all worked out in the end…

[via]

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J Cole & Drake Showed Off Their Chemistry 14 Years Ago On “In The Morning”

November 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

J Cole recently released his classic and beloved 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights on streaming services for the first time, and fans are rejoicing as a result. It’s a big unexpected hit of nostalgia amid a pretty interesting year for the Dreamville boss, such as a new reflective audio series, a brand-new mixtape, and a Kendrick Lamar battle that seems to shift in public perception with each new update. But none of that would be possible without Cole’s talent, one that he displays on “In The Morning.”

It’s a pretty smooth and steady romantic cut that leans more lustful than languid, and features the other big piece of the Kendrick Lamar battle: Drake. He and J. Cole are in a pretty vague spot right now, mostly because Drizzy himself hasn’t really responded to the North Carolina MC’s defense of him in any significant way. But their chemistry on this Friday Night Lights cut is quite solid, and it’s one that they definitely improved upon 13 years later with tracks like “Evil Ways.”

Meanwhile, J. Cole is seemingly closing out 2024 on a reflective note, looking back at his career through the Inevitable audio series. With that in mind, listening to “In The Morning” really brings that retrospection to life. With The Fall Off still on the way and new chapters emerging in the 2024 rap war seemingly every day, it looks like 2025 will also be a busy year for Cole. In any case, we’re excited to see him tackle it.

J Cole & Drake’s “In The Morning”

Quotable Lyrics
You see, my intentions with you was clear,
I’m learning not to judge a woman by the s**t that she wear,
Therefore, you shouldn’t judge a n***a off the s**t that you hear,
Get all defensive, apprehensive, all because my career

[via]

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J Cole Reveals How Listening To Drake For The First Time Changed His Career

November 21, 2024 by newhiphopnews

J Cole and Drake have quite the complex relationship these days, but their bond and their parallel trajectories have too much history to completely vanish all because of a massive rap beef. Moreover, the former recently praised the latter during the latest episode of his Inevitable audio series with his manager and Dreamville cofounder Ibrahim Hamad, plus filmmaker Scott Lazer. Specifically, the North Carolina rapper compared his skillset to the Toronto superstar’s, and also drew connections between their styles, how Drizzy impacted what Cole wanted to release, and how this all affected his Lights Please and The Warm Up mixtapes.

“Like, the only one with that perspective, and that sharp of a pen,” J. Cole’s comments began. “And I was like, ‘Yo, that’s gon’ be my thing.’ Like, that’s what’s going to separate me from the pack. So the second I heard that freestyle that Ib is talking about, the Drake freestyle, one, I was blown away because of how good it was. But two, subconsciously, I was like, ‘Ha.’ There was someone else out there the whole time, that was working maybe just as hard as I was working, and was thinking the same things, maybe. Who had the same opportunities to come and occupy a certain space and lane that I never saw any competition for. And right away, I saw, like, ‘Oh, s**t.’ Not only is this n***a nice, but then, when So Far Gone dropped, now it became – Because I didn’t know how big Drake was.”

J Cole Speaks On Drake’s So Far Gone

J. Cole talking about how Drake putting out So Far Gone made him put songs on The Warm Up that he was saving for the album https://t.co/KGLn9AP1ao pic.twitter.com/bSoAzmz5wt

— shead head (@soulqrn) November 21, 2024

“Here’s a n***a that’s been training up in some of the similar areas and also he has his own unique abilities, the same way I have my own unique abilities,” J. Cole said of Drake. “But I’m like, ‘Yo. Not only am I not the only one in this space, I’m now actually starting late.’ My deal with Jay ain’t even done, you know what I mean? Like, I’m not even anybody yet. Like, n***as don’t even know me yet. And this n***a’s off to the races with joints. Like, hits, like, cultural shifting s**t. So, to Ib’s point and what Ib was getting at and where I think we end this was, at that moment, I had to shift my mindset and we had to shift our mindset about what The Warm Up was about to be. It no longer could just – ’cause Drake just changed the game.”

Drake’s So Far Gone was an incredibly influential and pioneering mixtape for how it changed expectations about the nature and quality of tracks one could find on a project of its caliber. J. Cole’s freestyles over classic beats were no longer enough, and it’s wild to see how both their artistic trajectories became so much more.

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Drake & J Cole Stock Up On “Born Sinner” CDs In Old Clip From Drizzy’s “100 GIGS” Website

August 25, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Fans aren’t really clear on whether or not J. Cole and Drake are still cool with each other after the Kendrick Lamar battle this year. However, a new batch of footage that the latter released on his “100 GIGS” website suggests that it’s all still love. Moreover, he included an old video that many fans might recognize, showing the “First Person Shooter” duo buying a lot of Cole’s Born Sinner CDs at a New York Best Buy back when it dropped in 2013. Along with some other commonly accessible footage, some fans cheekily wonder why the 6ix God is sharing this stuff from the vault when a quick YouTube search is just as effective. To make matters even more ironic, the video is literally on Cole’s page.

Nevertheless, that’s a nit-picky and irrelevant argument to make if you want to add that to your Drake hater resumé. Jokes aside, another example of this is his inclusion of a classic clip of Kanye West at OVO Fest 2013. In the video, Ye credits the Toronto superstar for inspiring him and Jay-Z to make Watch The Throne together after the “pressure” that he was putting on them and the rap game at the time.

Drake & J. Cole Go On A CD Shopping Spree

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A post shared by No Jumper (@nojumper)

Elsewhere, though, it seems like J. Cole might continue to be a “MIDDLE CHILD” when it comes to Drake, a situation he found himself in during March and April of this year. Many fans clowned the Dreamville MC’s decision to retract his Kendrick Lamar disss, thus placing him in between of two warring colleagues. But at the end of the day, it’s probably the most humanistic, honest, and respectable moment to emerge out of this entire saga. Regardless, the reason why he might be stuck between two worlds again is not only because of his feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU, but because of a supposed collab with A$AP Rocky that will land on the Harlem creative’s next album.

Meanwhile, all these new Drake drops (and shots at his opps) sharply contrast his rival Kendrick Lamar’s silence these days. He might release something soon according to a couple of unverifiable sources, but you’ve been hearing that all year, if not all decade. At least that whole situation didn’t seem to impact Drizzy and J. Cole’s bond, if this re-uploaded Best Buy video is any indication. But some fans will not stop their speculations until their relationship is as clear as day.

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Drake Allegedly Left Dreamville Festival Before J Cole Went On Stage, Mandii B Claims

May 17, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Get your tinfoil hats on, folks: we have another possible development in the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, which once upon a time also included J. Cole. Moreover, these new claims come from guest Mandii B on the Need To Know podcast, who alleged that Drake was actually in attendance at this year’s Dreamville fest. If you recall, this was the moment in which Cole apologized to K.Dot for his response track, “7 Minute Drill,” affirming that beef wasn’t in his spirit and he would remove the track from streaming services out of love for the Compton rapper.

Well, according to Mandii, Drake was actually backstage at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina, and was presumably slated to appear alongside J. Cole. She even insinuated that they meant to perform “First Person Shooter” together, but that when Drizzy found out that the “No Role Modelz” MC was going to back out, he left 30 minutes before his colleague hit the stage. Of course, it’s important to note that this is an unverified allegation, one that fans and social media users disputed in the comments section of the post below. Still, considering how the public has reevaluated Jermaine’s decision, this is an interesting possibility to think about.

Drake Attended Dreamville Festival But Left Before J. Cole Performed: Hear The Alleged Story

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A post shared by Akademiks TV (@djakademikstv)

For one, fans could assume, if this story is true, that Drake meant to explicitly team up with J. Cole against Kendrick Lamar through this statement performance. While we’ll probably never know for sure what the dynamic was here, it at least suggests that Cole let Aubrey know of his plan beforehand. Now that the beef between the “Poetic Justice” duo has seemingly settled for now, many are taking a retrospective look at the bread crumbs behind us. Even if this story isn’t true, it’s fair to say that there is a lot of tension between all parties now as a result, even if some is stronger than others.

We already saw what it looks like when other rappers like Lil Yachty appeared in the mix involuntarily, or when folks like Rick Ross doubled down and chased equal engagement. None of it’s been very pretty. As such, we’ll probably see a lot more theories come up as to what really happened between Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole. The most likely outcome is that this is the latest myth in hip-hop history, and one we’ll be scratching our heads with for years to come.

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J. Cole Being On “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU” Is Viewed As Him Double-Crossing Drake By Fans

April 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Once again, Metro Boomin and Future have stirred the pot. They have been the ones who helped kick off piling on Drake and now they are adding more fuel to the fire. Kendrick Lamar sent some serious warning shots on “Like That,” but that was all the hating on Drizzy from WE DON’T TRUST YOU. The project’s sequel on the other hand, has turned things up notch. The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky took the time to get some things off their chest on “All to Myself” and “Show of Hands.” But some fans feel that J. Cole is also hopping on the Drake hate train with his out-of-nowhere feature on WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU.

He appears on the the last track from the first disc called “Red Leather.” On it, Cole further addresses the creation of “7 Minute Drill,” as well as his apology. “My energy was never on some toughest n**** s*** / I was just a conscious rapper that would f*** a n**** b****.” So, there were no shots fired at Drake on this cut. But the mere fact that he would go onto Drake supposed enemies’ record is why the community sees this as a form of betrayal rather than an exciting opportunity for Cole.

Fans’ Hilarious Memes For J. Cole Appearing On WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU

Drake finding out J Cole is on Red Leather #WeSTILLDontTrustYou pic.twitter.com/TcXgj74kq4

— Zak (@zakeekinlaw) April 12, 2024

Drake: We gotta get them back
J Cole:
#WeSTILLDontTrustYou pic.twitter.com/kSYxxfyNtp

— “J” (@j__43_) April 12, 2024

Twitter users have become comedians since this all animosity toward Drizzy started about three weeks ago and today has been no different. HipHopDX found some incredibly funny memes and tweets surrounding Cole changing up on The Boy. Things have also seemingly been awkward for the “First Person Shooter” collaborators ever since the apology. There were some rumblings that Drake was going to perform at Dreamville Fest earlier this month. But according to a recent episode of Rory & Mal, the latter of the co-hosts asked Drake if he would be going, and the response was anything but confident. “‘I don’t know, should I? ‘Cause it’s weird right now. Are we performing the record? Can we ever perform ‘First Person Shooter’?’”

What are your thoughts on J. Cole “switching up on Drake” for being a feature on Metro Boomin and Future’s WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU? Do you think Drake will respond negatively or indifferently to this, why or why not? Outside of the “controversy” are you enjoying “Red Leather?” We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU, J. Cole, and Drake. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the music world.

[Via]

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