J. Cole

J. Cole Is Envious Of People Who “Don’t Have Strong Vision” & Live Peaceful Lives

by

We don’t often receive intimate sit-down interviews from J. Cole, but the rapper took some time to chat with Bob Myers. The Dreamville giant appeared on the Golden State Warriors general manager’s Lead By Example podcast to discuss his life and career comprehensively. We’ve highlighted several takeaways from the conversation, but there was also an interesting moment when Cole revealed his envy for people living in normalcy. Undoubtedly, the chaos that comes with Rap stardom is intense.

However, the attention may become more overwhelming when you’re considered a GOAT or an icon. Myers and Cole discussed staying self-motivated when you’re sitting at the top of the hill of success. It can be a slippery slope for people like J. Cole, who consistently look for the next goal to reach. “You know what I’m envious of, too? To that point,” said Cole. “The way that I said is valid to someone who wants to live that life, but I also think another valid way to live is, yo. I’m envious of people who don’t have a strong desire or strong vision.”

J. Cole Envies Peace Of Mind

Cole added, “They live a peaceful life and an enjoyable life. And it’s like, ‘Yo, I go to work, I like my job, I like my salary. I’m not stupid rich, but I love my family, I come home. Life is amazing.’ And they live their life like that.” In a society where people chase fast cash and internet fame, Cole admires people who are comfortable with their surroundings. “I think that that is just as valid, I think they’re equally valid,” he said of both worlds. “And I don’t think, you know, I don’t think anyone should feel—’cause I’ve come across people that maybe… ‘Cause we live in a very like, we live in a society and a culture that pushes.”

“It’s like a hustle culture, work hard, boom boom boom. I think people could feel almost guilty or insufficient for not having some great dream to dream. And I’m like, no. It’s a blessing to be satisfied, to be at peace, to be content with life.” This is a conversation you don’t want to miss, as Cole speaks on his love of basketball, painful lessons learned in life, and more. Check it out above.

[via]

J. Cole Pulls Up To South Jamaica Queens To Listen To Local Rapper’s Music

by

J. Cole and Queens Rapper

In a new video, J. Cole was spotted listening to a South Jamaica, Queens rapper named Ty Trilly in his apartment lobby at the 40 Projects. Cole vibed with Trilly and even gave him props for his music. Recently, Dreamville boss J. Cole pulled up to the 40 Projects in South Jamaica, a neighborhood in […]

The post J. Cole Pulls Up To South Jamaica Queens To Listen To Local Rapper’s Music appeared first on SOHH.com.

[WATCH] J. Cole Says He Smoked Cigarettes Regularly At 6 Years Old

by
J. Cole Drops "Procrastination (Broke)" Loosie Using Fan-Created Beat He Found on YouTube

In a revealing episode of Lead By Example with GS Warriors General Manager Bob Myers, rap wunderkind and b-ball enthusiast J. Cole told Myers he believed he had a real shot at the NBA, but a cigarette habit at the tender age of 6 made that dream in particular a little harder to reach.

Cole, a Fayetteville, NC native, revealed that by six years old, he had already developed an unhealthy habit; smoking cigarettes. “At 6 years old, I was smoking cigarettes regularly around the neighborhood,” says Cole. “I was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood that [my older brother, Zach] was hanging around and they were smoking. And I was young and fearless and trying to be cool.”

See the segment from the interview below.

The post [WATCH] J. Cole Says He Smoked Cigarettes Regularly At 6 Years Old appeared first on The Source.

J. Cole Honed His Humble Persona With A Trip To The Projects To Hear An Aspiring Rapper’s New Music

by
j. cole rapper
Getty Image

Over the past decade, J. Cole has crafted a well-deserved reputation as a humble, down-to-earth figure in rap. Besides eschewing the typical trappings of rap stardom — chains, flashy cars, designer clothes — he’s gone out of his way to present himself as the kind of guy who’ll just pull up to the local YMCA to get in some shots on the basketball court or get nervous about featuring on a song that he’s about to utterly dominate.

And while fans believe he’s working on a new album as he features on K-pop stars’ songs, it seems he still has time to hone his humble persona, appearing recently in a New York City housing project to consult on an aspiring rapper’s new music. Ty Trilly, the rapper in question, posted a video on Instagram of J. Cole listening to his music in the lobby and offering feedback. “I ain’t even put a second verse on it yet,” Trilly admits.

“You don’t even need it, n****,” Cole says in response, giving a few more words of encouragement. “Shoot the sh*t, put that b*tch out, next! ‘Cause they gon’ feel it. And they gon’ feel the next one, I swear to God.”

Cole has demonstrated his willingness to nurture the careers of up-and-coming rappers throughout the past few years, lending his support to artists like Dreamville mainstays Ari Lennox, JID, Lute, and more. Could Ty Trilly be the next addition to the rapper’s label? Anything can happen, and if anyone is willing to support another artist’s dreams, it’s J. Cole.

J. Cole Graces Aspiring Rapper With Listening Session Visit In NYC Projects

by

Cole’s always for the people, and his latest interaction with a rising artist is no different. J. Cole recently surprised up-and-coming rapper Ty Trilly at his listening session in a New York City project, and lended an ear to his track “Adapt.” Moreover, it’s unclear how they linked, but Ty expressed his gratitude via Instagram with a clip of Cole. “Cole pulled up on me To hear my new shit, No Meetings in the city straight Raw block shit,” he wrote. “Appreciate You @realcoleworld , It’s up From Here !!” Then, the Dreamville boss gave Trilly some advice on the song.

“I ain’t even put a second verse on it yet,” Ty told him, to which Cole replied earnestly. “You don’t even need it, n***a. Shoot the s**t, put that b***h out, next! ‘Cause they gon’ feel it. And they gon’ feel the next one, I swear to God. I know what you mean like, ‘Man, I probably need a second verse.’ No, n***a. Just that! Shoot the video, put that b***h out, it’s gon’ land on the people it’s supposed to land on.”

J. Cole At Burgeoning NYC Rapper’s Listening Session

Recently, J. Cole apparently found a type beat from YouTube he liked and dropped a song exclusively on the creator’s channel. Even though not everybody believes that story, it’s certainly consistent with this clip- that is, if this is a genuine run-in, as well. But when has skepticism ever been fun in the rap game? Regardless, the “No Role Modelz” rapper, and role model for many, also talked to Trilly’s crew about how to take off.

“I’m shooting that s**t, I’ma go with my n***a — what is it? Pasta on the what? Pasta On Da Lenz. And I’m taking it to the crib, we gon’ edit this s**t and I’m putting it out, bro! Y’all n***as got a whole f***ing — it’s already a network over here. You n***as just gotta come together, you know what I mean? There’s too many people right here to not have the network.” From one of the best rappers of our generation, those words should mean a lot to an MC of any background or exposure level. Regardless, check out more clips of their interaction down below, and return to HNHH for the latest on J. Cole.

Ty Trilly’s Crew Gets Game

[via]

J. Cole Says He Doesn’t Consider Himself A Leader Of The New Generation

by

J. Cole Interview

J. Cole sat down in an ESPN interview with Golden State Warriors general manager, Bob Myers. During the interview, Cole said he doesn’t consider himself a “leader for the new generation.” He also noted he hoped someone could fill the void for kids to follow. In a new interview with Golden State Warriors general manager […]

The post J. Cole Says He Doesn’t Consider Himself A Leader Of The New Generation appeared first on SOHH.com.

J. Cole Compares “2014 Forest Hills Drive” To Winning A Championship

by

The debate surrounding J Cole’s legacy often lies within the number of classic albums in his catalog. Some would say none, while others proclaim 2014 Forest Hills Drive as his magnum opus. The rapper didn’t win a Grammy for the album. However, he later earned a trophy for his contributions to 21 Savage’s “a lot.” During his conversation with Bob Myers on Lead By Example, he explained that the experience of recording and releasing the album felt similar to a championship run. “Had I won it early on, I feel like it would have validated all of those feelings I had for it,” J Cole said.

“Maybe it would have felt like a championship at that point, I’m not sure,” he continued. However, 2014 Forest Hills Drive’s loss allowed him to reflect on his career. These days, he doesn’t necessarily hold the accolade to the same standards as he did when he was younger. “After more time with sitting with myself, it becomes clear that, ‘Oh, wait a minute, those things weren’t for you.’ And then when it actually came, it was almost like, ‘I’m not in love with this thing anymore.’ So it couldn’t feel like a championship,” he added.

J Cole’s Grammy Win

Evidently, the Grammys can’t dictate J. Cole’s greatness. During his conversation, he told Myers that winning the award was “nowhere close to a championship for me.” Still, in retrospect, the success and praise that 2014 Forest Hills Drive earned made felt comparable to how the Bulls two-time three-peats. “The making of this album I got called Forest Hills Drive, and the releasing of it and the tour, that was a championship run in the way that how the Bulls look at The Last Dance,” he said.

Ultimately, the album’s success cemented J Cole’s status in hip-hop and the recognition from institutes like the Recording Academy couldn’t take that away from him. “The fact that it didn’t win didn’t change my experience. That was what a championship felt like to me,” he concluded. 2014 Forest Hills Drive dropped with no prior announcement, leaping to the top of the Billboard 200 with 350K units sold in its first week. Check out J Cole’s interview with Bob Myers above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments. 

J. Cole Views ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’ Like A ‘Championship Run,’ With Or Without A Grammy Win

by
j cole
Getty Image

J. Cole‘s album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, was well acclaimed — enough to earn him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album in 2016. He lost to another beloved project in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, though.

However, in a new interview on ESPN’s Lead By Example With Bob Myers, the musician opened up about while the accolade was important to him at the time, just making the record great meant more in the long run.

“It was so important to me,” J. Cole said. “Had I had won it early on, I think it would have validated all those feelings I had for it. Maybe it would have felt like a championship at that point, I’m not sure. The fact that it didn’t happen and then it didn’t happen and it didn’t happen, it allowed me to reflect.”

“There was an album that felt like a championship,” he added. “The making of this album I got called Forest Hills Drive, and the releasing of it and the tour. That was a championship run in a way I would look at how the Bulls look at The Last Dance. That was the feeling. Guess what, that album didn’t win a Grammy. A Grammy didn’t increase my enjoyment or decrease my enjoyment. If that album had won a Grammy, it wouldn’t have changed my experience. The fact that it didn’t win didn’t change my experience. That was what a championship felt like to me.”

Cole eventually did go on to win a Grammy for his “A Lot” collab with 21 Savage in 2020.

J. Cole Confessed To Smoking Cigarettes At The Age Of Six Was The Dumbest Thing He Ever Did

by

Ever since the release of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, nearly a decade ago, J. Cole has been smoking sh*t in rap music. However, thanks to his latest confession, that wasn’t the only thing the Dreamville boss was smoking on. During a recent interview with Bob Myers for ESPN’s show Lead By Example, the “Adonis Interlude” musician revealed that at one point earlier in his life, he regularly indulged in smoking cigarettes.

When asked by Myers what was the dumbest thing he’s ever done, the songwriter quickly confessed his past with tobacco. “At 6 years old, I was smoking cigarettes regularly around the neighborhood,” he replied.

Growing up in the rural south, Cole shared that it was far more common than one might believe. “I was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood that my older brother was hanging around, and they were smoking,” he shared before adding, “And I was young and fearless and trying to be cool.”

As he reflected on how he could be exposed to something so dangerous so early, he relied, “To them [the kids of the neighborhood], it’s funny. They were 10 years old themselves. So, it’s funny for them. Nobody’s really worried about me. They’re 10 and smoking cigarettes.”

According to the rapper, his nicotine habit was shorted-lived, as his brother and then soon his mother eventually found out. “This is going on for two-three weeks,” he said. Later Cole shared that the look of heartbreak and disappointment on his mother’s face was enough for him to kick the habit.

Watch the full interview above.