J. Cole Opens Up About Yeezy, Addiction, Kendrick And More

Zoe Taylor · May 17, 2018

North Carolina rapper J.Cole recently sat down with radio host Angie Martinez at Salaam Remi's house in Miami before he headlined Rolling Loud 2018. Cole discussed his addictions, those Kendrick collab rumours and Kanye West. J.Cole has had an extremely successful year so far with the launch of his album 'KOD' that smashed Billboard, Spotify and Apple Music records.

Cole said early on in the interview that he's “a dangerous interviewee because it’s hard for me to lie, I just can’t lie. Not only is it hard for me to lie, it’s hard for me to not go in on the whole truth. Once I tell you something, I gotta make sure you know exactly what I’m talking about and give you the full perspective.”

On The Rumoured J.Cole x Kendrick Lamar Album

"[Ab-Soul] might be talking about when we originally got to work. This was years ago... we just did a few songs, a bunch of ideas, put it like that. You wouldn't call it an album, nothing like that... It’s not that I wouldn’t want to work with him, that’s not the case. It’s just that when I’m working on my album, it’s just like, ‘Yo, that’s just how I operate.’ He got a career I got a career, I got a family he got a family, it’s like… it would have been easier back then.”

On Kanye Tweeting A Screenshot Of Their Conversation (since deleted)

Charlamagne tha God said that Kanye believes J. Cole was dissing him on 'False Prophets', and then Yeezy tweeted a screenshot while he was on the phone with J. Cole. He said; "Nah, he called me, but I would’ve never posted that or tell him to post that. That made me feel a certain type of way. I told him that. He apologized, for the record. I told him that it felt like you just used my name in that very quick conversation for social media and to keep your thing going or whatever you were doing. It felt like it wasn’t sincere because of that... When I’m writing ‘False Prophets,’ which that song wasn’t about him. There’s one verse that applies to him for sure, but if you listen to that song, that song is about what this shit is exposing. What I gotta check myself about. And I check myself on that song as well…We’re worshipping celebrities."

On Breaking Records

J. Cole’s album KOD broke the Spotify record held by Drake's 'More Life' for the biggest opening day with 36.6 million plays, and also 'Views' on Apple Music with 64.5 million plays. “Yeah, he texted me and said, ‘I hate you,’” he laughed.

On Social Media

"With social media, I was off it so long that I thought I had beat this addiction. Then I got back on it and I realized, ‘Oh nah, you just took a break.’ I didn’t face it head on…I’m dealing with it right now…I feel like with social media, it’s like, what’s this pull? Why do I keep checking this shit every five minutes? Just being conscious that there’s an urge to be on my phone. I don’t like something pulling my strings. I want to be in charge of my own decisions…I feel like I’m allowing other people’s thoughts to be my own. I feel like I’m diving into other peoples’ business."

On Meditation

J.Cole tries to meditate for at least five minutes to clear his head before a big performance: “I want to become disciplined to where it is a part of my life every day when things are like good or things a little stressful."

On Cardi B

“I just feel like people give her so much advice. … But I saw her interview and it just seemed like, ‘Damn, they put a mad pressure on this girl to try to beat herself.’”

On Addiction

A fan DMed J.Cole when the album dropped on April 20 to talk about how he was setting aside the weed and pills he bought to celebrate 4/20 to reflect on his late mother’s addiction. J. Cole told another story about a friend of a friend who cried because her younger brother opened up to her for the first time about their mother’s addiction upon listening to 'KOD'. He said; “once they hear the stories, like… they never had a space to get it off, so that type of stuff is making it for me, and in those moments, I remember. That’s my hope, that’s my intention.”

On The New Generation Of 'Lil' Rappers

“First of all, I fuck with them. I actually fuck with their music. I’ve spent time like listening and being like, ‘Yo, this is fun.’”