J. Cole

Charlamagne Tha God Claims Telling Drake To Follow J. Cole’s Blueprint After Kendrick Lamar Battle

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J. Cole’s new Inevitable audio series has revealed many behind-the-scenes secrets of the former Jay-Z protege’s journey to superstardom. One of the biggest reveals by Cole World was Jay-Z asking rival Drake to give the 2014 Forest Hills Drive creator a hit back in the day. Jigga doesn’t appear to be the only person who shares advice similar to that of J. Cole. In the latest episode of The Brilliant Idiots podcast, Charlamagne Tha God claims he told Drake to follow J. Cole’s blueprint following the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Talking to Andrew Schulz, C Tha God shared that he told Drake to take a vacation and then a different approach with his music after Kendrick Lamar took over the industry. “What I told Drake to do after ‘Not Like Us’ since you didn’t want to engage,” said Charlamagne. “Disappear. Go to Turks and Caicos. Live your life for a little while and let nostalgia bring you back.” He continued with a comparison to J. Cole. He added: “He [Drake] tried to do it when he dropped that ‘100GB’ sh*t, right? But he didn’t do it in a packaged way like Cole did.”

Read more: J Cole Apologized To This NBA Champion For Dissing Him Over A Decade Ago

Charlemagne Tha God Says He Told Drake To Go To Turks & Follow J. Cole’s Hit-Making Blueprint.

Drake has been recognized by Spotify as the most streamed artist of 2024; however, many have reported that the artist’s popularity has halted since the overwhelming success of Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks during their rap battle. Last month, Drake told fans he was “unfazed” by the battle as a livestream guest on popular streamer xQc’s platform. Apparently directed by Lamar, Drake said, “I’m here, as you can see, fully intact. Mind, body, and soul. In case you are wondering, right? You need facts to take me out. Fairy tales won’t do it..” While Lamar performance the coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show this February, Drake will be overseas on the newly announced Anita Max Win Tour. 

As fans patiently await J. Cole’s presumed final album, The Falloff. With the release of The Come Up, his first mixtape, and the 10th anniversary of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, he has provided fans with nostalgia. Cole’s upcoming Madison Square Garden tribute concert secured a second date after the first sold out in a matter of minutes last week. The show takes fans back to the artist’s popular Dollar And A Dream days when concertgoers were offered the opportunity to see a full show for only a dollar.   

Read more: J Cole May Bring You To Tears With “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Bonus Track “Die Together”
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J Cole Apologized To This NBA Champion For Dissing Him Over A Decade Ago

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J Cole is indulging in a lot of nostalgia these days alongside his fans. He released new versions of 2014 Forest Hills Drive with bonus tracks for its tenth anniversary, put his early mixtapes on streaming for the first time, and even launched an audio series titled Inevitable going over his career. But this means that the North Carolina rapper also reflected on some previous mistakes, which has apparently been a months-long process. Moreover, former NBA player Shane Battier recently revealed on his podcast that Cole actually apologized to him earlier in 2024 (specifically this summer) for dissing him on the Cole World: The Sideline Story track “Rise and Shine.”

“We in two different games, you playing patty cake / Brother you’re lame, you’re Shane Battier,” J. Cole rapped on the cut 13 years ago. For those unaware, Cole is a big supporter of his UNC Tar Heels, the NCAA basketball team whose rivals are Duke. Shane Battier played for Duke, and the Miami Heat champion explained on his Glue Guys podcast that he just saw this as a stray shot from a passionate sports fan.

Read More: J Cole Releases “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Bonus Tracks And Fans Are Loving Them

Shane Batter Recalls J Cole Apologizing To Him

But then, Shane Battier told the story about how, one day, he was eating dinner in Miami when a waiter told him that J. Cole was there and wanted to apologize to him. “I’m like, ‘Who’s bulls**tting me here?’” Battier joked. “Like, there’s someone yanking my chain. Like, ‘Ha ha, very funny. I get it, guys. I’m lame.’ And, sure enough, I go around the corner and J. Cole was way bigger than I thought in real life. Basketball, like, 6’5″, he’s a big dude. And he’s like, ‘Hey man, I was praying for this moment, that we would have this moment to where I could say, you know what, man, my bad, I was young.’”

Of course, many hip-hop fans out there probably can’t hear this story without thinking about J. Cole’s apology to Kendrick Lamar for dissing him earlier this year. But it just goes to show how big Cole’s heart can get, even when he doesn’t need to clarify a 13-year-old diss. Props to Shane Battier for respecting the mutual UNC/Duke hate and taking it like a champ!

Read More: J Cole Recalls Feeling Surpassed By Kendrick Lamar Following “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” Release

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J Cole May Bring You To Tears With “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Bonus Track “Die Together”

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The year didn’t get off to the strongest of starts for J Cole this year. However, the backend is a completely different story. Over these past couple of weeks, he’s been giving his fans some incredible stories through his Inevitable audio platform. They have very detailed accounts of the first few years of his career and the projects he dropped within that span. But what’s more is that he’s officially shared some music and mixtapes that have been coveted for so long. His first three mixtapes are out now on streaming, and so are some leftovers from the 2014 Forest Hills Drive era.

It’s all to commemorate the album’s 10-year anniversary, which will be on December 9. They were available on two exclusive (and now sold out) physical variants of the album which each had 2,014 units available. There are eight in total and four of them are finding their way onto YouTube thanks to customers receiving the blue alternate cover. “Home Soon,” “Die Together,” “Judgment Day,” and “Winter Wonderland” are in the first batch. The second is sticking out to fans and us the most thanks to its possible connection to 4 Your Eyez Only. He appears to rapping from the perspective of his late friend who refers to as James McMillian, Jr. It’s an amazing storytelling piece, and one that most likely inspired that project. Fair warning: this one may make you cry a little.

Read More: Consequence, Rick Ross, Ghostface Killah, Jim Jones And 38 Spesh Drop “Blood Stain III”

“Die Together” – J Cole

Quotable Lyrics:

A quarter pounder get a n**** blown to smithereens (F*** you say, n****?)
My mama askеd me, “What that drama ’bout?”, and I don’t lie
I said, “A little bit of monеy and a lotta pride”
I swear to God, I cry when I look in my daughter eye
I’m thinkin’ if I die tonight, I never taught her how to ride a bike
And how to fight if n****s clownin’ on her

Read More: Lil Tjay And Polo G Get Contemplative On “Way Out The Hood II”

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J Cole Releases “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Bonus Tracks And Fans Are Loving Them

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J Cole is closing out his 2024 with a big bang, as he released two deluxe physical versions of his 2014 classic 2014 Forest Hills Drive for its ten-year anniversary. Both of them contain four bonus tracks each, and the blue variant arrived at select fans’ doorsteps this weekend. From what people with that exclusive sneak peek have said, they are very compelling storytelling tracks that show off the North Carolina rapper’s incredible skills. These tracks are “Die Together” – which some fans think parallels the theme of 4 Your Eyez Only – “Home Soon,” “Judgement Day,” and “Winter Wonderland.” As for the tracks on the other version, they are “Keep Heaven Dancing,” “Miles,” “Black Man In Hollywood,” and “Obviously.”

Hopefully they all land on streaming services soon, as we’re very excited to hear what else J. Cole had in the vault for the 2014 Forest Hills Drive era. But this isn’t all that he did to treat fans at the end of 2024, as he also released his mixtapes on streaming for the first time late this year. Specifically, fans can now enjoy The Come-Up Mixtape Vol. 1, The Warm-Up, and Friday Night Lights on their preferred DSP.

Read More: J Cole Reveals Plans For Scrapped EP With Meek Mill And Big Sean

J Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive Deluxe Is Starting To Arrive

In addition, J. Cole launched his Inevitable audio series in which he goes over his career with his manager and Dreamville cofounder, Ibrahim Hamad. Their most recent episode had Cole talking about Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city and the pressure and inspiration it provoked in him when it released. “When Kendrick’s album dropped, the journey got harder, the mountain got steeper. Because similar to when [So Far Gone] dropped, where it was like, ‘Oh s**t, there’s another person out there that has the same ambitions as me,’ it happened like that with Kendrick.”

Not only that, but J. Cole even played some unreleased collabs with Kendrick Lamar during select Inevitable episodes, which fans obviously loved to hear. While their relationship is complex these days, all that admiration, care, respect, and collaboration balances all that out. In any case, we can’t wait to check out these bonus 2014 Forest Hills Drive tracks and see what Cole’s got in store next year.

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

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J. Cole Says Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Good Kid’ Album Gave Him a ‘Feeling of Surpassment’

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J. Cole

J. Cole
Photo Credit: Simon Chasalow

J. Cole explored his relationship with Kendrick Lamar on the latest episode of the Inevitable podcast.

Cole and Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad revealed their reaction to Good Kid, M.A.A.D City after hearing singles before the release in a studio session.

“When Kendrick’s album dropped, the journey got harder, the mountain got steeper,” Cole said. “Because similar to when [So Far Gone] dropped, where it was like, ‘Oh sh—t, there’s another person out there that has the same ambitions as me,’ it happened like that with Kendrick.”

He added, “It was a feeling of surpassment. It was two indicators that told me. His first-week numbers were more than mine. The other thing was we had a show where we were both on the same lineup… and I went before him and he went after me.”

Cole would play two unreleased collaborations with Lamar, dropping off “Shock the World” and “Temptation,” which can be heard here.

The post J. Cole Says Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Good Kid’ Album Gave Him a ‘Feeling of Surpassment’ appeared first on The Source Magazine.

J Cole Shares Two More Unreleased Kendrick Lamar Songs Via His “Inevitable” Series

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Yesterday, December 2, J Cole dropped episode seven of his intriguing and insightful audio series, Inevitable. Sadly, we are just three installments away from wrapping this up, with the remaining ones arriving on December 5, December 9, and then December 12. “Born Sinner (Part II)” will be number eight, followed by a two-part breakdown of the 2014 Forest Hills Drive era. Given that this is being billed as “Season 1,” we should hopefully be learning more about his other projects. You have KOD, The Off-Season, and 4 Your Eyez Only to still learn more about. One of the big reasons why the finale of this season is going to be so bittersweet is because all of the nostalgic material Cole has given fans.

For example, all three of his earliest mixtapes are finally on streaming. The Come Up Mixtape Vol. 1, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights, were all put out. The last two especially have been highly desired projects of his, so receiving them all of these years later is a real special treat. Speaking of older material, the snippets between him and Kendrick Lamar have been a joy to hear for the first time.

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J Cole & Kendrick Lamar Need To Mend Things Up ASAP

Last week, Cole was incredibly generous enough to share two of them. What’s more is that both of them were tracks that were going to make a collab project somewhere around 2010. We are still waiting on that like we are for the “Black Friday” releases. But given their up and down relationship, that’s most likely never going to happen. So, we are more than okay to just be able to hear what these two were working on back then.

One of them is produced by Washington D.C. beat maker and rapper Oddisee, and its head-nodding vibe. Lamar makes fun callbacks to the “Malice at the Palace,” the unhinged fight that broke out between players of the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, as well as fans. Then, on the longer two-minute teaser, it’s more of an ignorant and wavy banger with an atmospheric, wind chime-like instrumental. These just continue to show how fire this would have been had it seen the light of day. One day folks, one day.

Read More: J Cole Reveals Plans For Scrapped EP With Meek Mill And Big Sean

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J Cole Reveals Plans For Scrapped EP With Meek Mill And Big Sean

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J Cole has done an exemplary job of getting his legacy in order. The rapper has been recounting his mixtapes and albums via the podcast Inevitable. Cole has treated fans to previews of unreleased songs, but the most compelling piece of information from the latest episode has to do with a project that never materialized. J Cole told listeners that he was in a creative groove with Meek Mill and Big Sean during the sessions for 2013’s Born Sinner. Such a groove, in fact, that he considered dropping a collaborative EP.

This was an astonishing revelation. J Cole had never mentioned plans for a hypothetical EP prior to the podcast, which makes it sound like a what if scenario from a blog era fan. It turns out that the EP nearly came to fruition, though, as all three artists were collaborating with each other throughout 2012-13. J Cole appeared on “24K of Gold” from Big Sean’s 2012 mixtape Detroit. Sean appeared on “Burn” from Meek Mill’s 2012 mixtape, Dreamchasers 2. The latter collab is especially notable, after listening to the Inevitable podcast episode.

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

J Cole Was Supposed To Be On Meek Mill’s “Burn”

J Cole told listeners that he was originally supposed to be on “Burn” alongside Sean and Meek. Things didn’t work out, and the song would up with the lone Sean feature. Cole was working on Born Sinner at the same time Detroit and Dreamchasers 2 were being made. The rapper claims that all three stars linked up at the home of No ID. The producer worked with Big Sean and J Cole numerous times over the years. It stands to reason he would have been involved in the collab EP. In the same podcast episode, J Cole admitted that he was pushed to hone his craft further by the albums that his peers were dropping at the time.

Kendrick Lamar’s debut album was chief among these. “When ‘Kendrick’s] album dropped, the journey got harder, the mountain got steeper,” Cole explained. “It was a feeling of surpassment… It was a clear feeling that he did exactly what I wanted to do [with The Sideline Story].” Cole’s candor continues to be one of the best parts of the Inevitable podcast. Especially when it comes to revelations about what could have been.

Read More: J Cole Announces One-Night-Only Concert For “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Anniversary

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J. Cole Announces One-Night-Only Show In NYC’s Madison Square Garden

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J. Cole has announced a one-night-only 10 year anniversary show for his third studio album, Forest Hills Drive, which first released on December 9, 2014. The show, presented by Chase and produced by Live Nation, will take place at New York’s iconic arena, Madison Square Garden, on Monday, December 16. 

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In celebration of the 10 year milestone, J. Cole also announced anniversary edition vinyls and CDs of Forrest Hill Drive that are available for pre-order now. This includes an anniversary edition of the vinyl and CD (which features four new bonus tracks) as well as an alternate cover vinyl and CD (with four separate bonus tracks).

Earlier this week J. Cole, in partnership with Ibrahim Hamad and Scott Lazer, released the newest episode of “Inevitable” (Season One) — a new limited audio series that launched last week with each episode diving into, and titled after, J. Cole’s vast discography. The latest episode is named after the 2010 project Friday Night Lights and dropped on Wednesday alongside the mixtape’s release across DSPs.

The announcement of the Madison Square Garden show comes on the heels of J. Cole and Dreamville revealing earlier this week that the Dreamville Festival will return to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, 2025 for its fifth anniversary.

The post J. Cole Announces One-Night-Only Show In NYC’s Madison Square Garden appeared first on The Source Magazine.

J. Cole Announces A One-Night-Only ‘Forest Hill Drive 10th Anniversary’ Concert In New York City

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Getty Image

Over the past few weeks, J. Cole has treated fans new and old to the mixtapes (The Come Up, Vol. 1, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights) that launched his career. But the “She Knows” rapper hasn’t forgotten about his early studio albums.

Yesterday (November 29), J. Cole announced a special one-night-only concert to commemorate his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. On December 16, lovers of the project or die-hard J. Cole supporters will gather for the “Forest Hill Drive 10th Anniversary” show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

With the holiday season will underway, the performance, which is presented by Chase and produced by Live Nation, has a special offer for limited tickers. Similar to J. Cole’s “Dollar and A Dream” shows, 2,014 tickets will be made available for $1. But, those tickets will only be made available in-person and limited to one ticket per person.

In addition to the performance, J. Cole has released a 2014 Forest Hills Drive (10 Year Anniversary Edition) vinyl and CD each contain four unreleased bonus tracks (“Home Soon,” “Die Together,” “Judgement Day,” and “Winter Wonderland”). Find more information here.

The presale for “Forest Hill Drive 10th Anniversary” will kick off on Monday, December 2 at 10 a.m. Eastern for Chase credit and debit cardholders. The artist presales is also scheduled for the same time. On Wednesday, December 4 at 10 a.m. Eastern the general sale will launch. Find more information here.

X (Twitter)

Tracklist

1. “Intro”
2. “January 28th”
3. “Wet Dreamz”
4. “03’ Adolescence”
5. “Tale of 2 Citiez”
6. “Fire Squad”
7. “St. Tropez”
8. “G.O.M.D.”
9. “No Role Modelz”
10. “Hello”
11. “Apparently”
12. “Love Yourz”
13. “Note to Self”
14. “Home Soon”
15. “Die Together”
16. “Judgement Day”
17. “Winter Wonderland”

Artwork

X (Twitter)

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

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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.”

Read More: Joe Budden Explains Why Kanye West, Jay-Z & Rihanna Have More “Leverage” Than Drake, Lil Wayne & Nicki Minaj

J Cole & Jay-Z Performing In 2014

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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…

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