J Cole reveals surprising pick for his current favourite rapper
J Cole has revealed an unlikely pick for his current favourite rapper.
The likes of Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, and Nas often come to mind when people name their top MCs, but Cole has offered a different take.
During his recent appearance on Lost in Vegas, the Dreamville rapper gave Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest his flowers.
“The first answer that comes to my mind is somebody that I’ve been playing the last month – this one song in particular,” he began. “And it made me dive back into some of the shit he’s been releasing over the years. It’s gonna be hella left-field… but Killah Priest.”
He was impressed by the Brooklyn rapper’s new song ‘NASA Case’ after admitting to only knowing him from GZA’s ‘B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)’, which appeared on the classic 1995 album, Liquid Swords.
“I played this song and this shit … it’s crazy,” he said about the 10-minute track. “I didn’t know what the fuck to expect. I just clicked [on it]. It’s nine and a half minutes. It’s not a style that’s normally the one I gravitate to. It’s super dense, it’s super, I’m not even going to say poetic. It’s prose. It’s like a book, damn near. And he’s telling this story.”
He continued, “Bro, I shit you not, I’m listening to it, and I’m like, ‘I can’t exactly follow what he’s talking about.’ I’m getting enough, though, to keep me hooked.”
Cole went on to explain that he listened to the song many more times and understood the message more clearly with each play.
“I listened to that song, I shit you not, like nine times in a row because every time I listened to it again, the story got clearer and clearer. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God! Is this n*gga an alien?!’ By the time I’m done with my ninth listen, and I see the concept he’s playing with, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, is this n*gga from another dimension and he knows some shit we don’t know?!’”
He added, “It’s one of the only songs outside of my album that I’m playing ’cause it’s so enjoyable and I’m so amazed with what this dude did. Shout out to Killah Priest, man.”