Tag: J. Cole

J. Cole had a memorable moment meeting Nas right after recording “Let Nas Down,” playing it for his manager at the airport only to discover Nas was nearby

J. Cole had a divine moment when he met Nas just after he had finished recording “Let Nas Down,” as he played it to his manager at the airport only to find that Nas was also within close proximity.

The latest installment in his audio series Inevitable, Cole tells of the Houston airport surprise days after laying down the track. As manager Ibraham “Ib” Hamad listened to the track, he was stunned to see the Queensbridge legend standing only a few feet away.

“Ib is like, ‘No way,’ and I look up, and Nas is right there!” Cole recalled. “I was like, ‘Get the fuck out of here!’”

Cole thought of the meeting as a stroke of divine intervention. It was no coincidence, in his estimation. “This is a sign from God, like, ‘Keep on your path’,” Cole reflected, noting he had never met Nas before. The singer’s flight sat Nas right behind Cole, prompting him to think that timing is everything.

J. Cole finally apologized to NBA legend Shane Battier in person for a lyric from his 2011 debut album ‘Cole World: The Sideline Story’

J. Cole finally had the chance of finally apologize to the NBA legend Shane Battier face to face because of a lyric he had in his 2011 debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story. The line from the track “Rise & Shine” said: “We in two different games, you playin’ patty cake/Brother you’re lame, you’re Shane Battier.”

Battier said on a recent interview that he bumped into Cole at a restaurant in Miami over the summer. The line was never really a bother to him; that is part of the reason he thanked Cole for acknowledging it. “I caught a stray,” he said. “I figured he’s a Carolina fan, and we used to beat Carolina all the time, so I thought he might just be mad. But you know what? I probably am lame, so I owned it.”

That was the moment Battier remembered: “The maitre d’ came up to me and said, ‘There’s a guy who wants to apologize to you-his name’s J. Cole.’ At first, I thought this was a prank, but sure enough, I walked over, and there he was, much bigger than I imagined. He said, ‘Man, I’m sorry. I was young, and I’ve been hoping to have this moment to apologize.’ I told him, ‘No worries, I get it.’ I appreciated his humility, though I thought it was funny.”

J. Cole has many heartfelt tracks, but one song from his catalog still deeply resonates with him

While J. Cole has never been a stranger to tracks that touch the heart and make one think, there is one song in his entire catalog that still resonates with him today.

During the latest episode of his audio series Inevitable, the Dreamville rapper became teary while listening to “Can I Holla At Ya,” a song from his EP released in 2013, Truly Yours.

Inspired by Lauryn Hill’s “To Zion,” the track talks about how difficult things have been for Cole’s mom following the stepdad’s exit from the family and the heart-wrenching aftermath.

Cole just lost it while going through some of these sad lyrics. “Bro, that s- hit me crazy,” he revealed, his voice breaking.

The North Carolina native battled tears as he went on to speak about the song’s meaning, referring back to the horrible time he and his family spent back then.

“When I was writing that song, I was about to turn 27, I think. So he had left the family like eight years ago, and I saw my mom going to a real low point,” he recalled.

He picked out one particular lyric that got to him: “‘When you left, I watched that lady crumble.’ It’s like, ‘Oh shit. Damn,’” he said, stopping to get himself together.

“In the moment, I must have wanted that n-gga to feel that shit […] That’s why it’s hitting me ’cause I can hear the hurt.”

This honest moment gave fans a taste of the number of personal battles Cole has had to go through, as well as the emotional residue his music carries.

J. Cole drops literally what he considers to be his “best project” on streaming platforms

Coming after J. Cole’s earlier two mixtapes, The Come Up and The Warm Up, his all-time favorite fan mixtape Friday Night Lights is finally made available for numerical streaming via Spotify and Apple Music.

Sharing the news on Instagram about this latest development was North Carolina’s rapper excitement, stating: “This is very special for me. Been waiting patiently for this day just like a lot of y’all have been waiting for it. I wanna thank the people who kept these projects alive, even when they weren’t on streaming, especially this one. Friday Night Lights now available to everyone on all platforms.”

He added: “To fully understand what this means for me, you would have to know the whole journey. This Inevitable series we’re doing is that.”

The 19-track mixtape was released for free in November 2010, featuring Drake, Wale, and Dreamville’s Omen.

Cole’s ‘The Warm Up’ tape is now on DSPs

J. Cole throws more into his catalog on streaming portals, releasing his lamestream 2009 mixtape called The Warm Up just days after dropping the first project titled The Come Up.

Cole added The Warm Up to the streaming portals Friday (November 22) to let his fans know through his longtime manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad as well.

“The Warm Up out now everywhere,” he stated. “Took us 15 years but I’m so happy we’re able to get this up. This project is very special to me, shit really put Cole in the game and we ain’t look back since. Forever Grateful for this project, legit changed n-ggaz lives forever.”