The J Cole song that revealed his worst fear: “I’m mindful”
Part of J Cole‘s appeal is that he comes across as a regular guy. His lyrics are relatable, and he’s never been interested in material things. From the early days of his career, he’s pushed the fact that he’s come from very little. With a dollar and a dream, he’s guided himself to being signed by Jay-Z and becoming one of the best-selling rappers of the 21st century.
In 2013, the Fayetteville rapper released his second album, Born Sinner. The project became his second to top the Billboard 200, and features big names like 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and TLC. One of the songs on the project, ‘Rich N*ggaz’, revealed his worst fear at a point when his career was at its most promising.
In the first verse, he raps, “Worst fear – goin’ broke, ’cause I’m bad with money/ Crooked smile n*gga, momma never had the money.” Despite everything going his way, he was worried about having nothing because he struggled to handle his finances.
The song is the perfect example of Cole thinking of himself as an Average Joe, detailing his dislike of wealthy people. Elsewhere in the song, he raps, “I hate rich n*ggas, god damn it/ ‘Cause I ain’t never had a lot, damn it/ Who you had to kill? Who you had to rob? Who you had to fuck/ Just to make it to the top, damn it?/ Or maybe that’s daddy money; escalator, no ladder money/ Escalade, new Caddy money.”
10 years later, Cole appeared on Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart, admitting he was still scared of losing it all, even as one of the world’s biggest artists. “I can’t really sit here like some mogul and give business advice ’cause I don’t think I run the best business,” he said. “I’m grateful to have great people around me where it’s like, my money good. I’m smart with my money, and that just comes from fear.
“I don’t never, ever wanna be broke again so I’m slow to spend. I would definitely say [I’m] mindful because if it’s the right thing, if it’s a family vacation, I’mma spend. I’m not afraid to spend, but I’m mindful — yeah, I think mindful is the word.”
Cole has never wanted money for anything other than to live a comfortable life. On the flip side, he has acquaintances who are the opposite, never satisfied with what they’re earning and chasing another money-making opportunity. Cole respects that, but that isn’t the type of person he is.
“I do wanna make a lot of money but that’s only for safety purposes,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “Like, I don’t have a lust of money and I actually don’t even have a love of money. I know these people, they’re my friends and they’re also rappers that I know, they love money, they’re addicted to getting money. And that’s cool, too — that’s what makes some of the most successful businessmen.”
He added, “I don’t love money like that. I love the comfort and the safety and the ability to retire my mom or if there’s a problem with my brother or my father has a problem, I like that feeling of being able to provide. So that’s the thing I do love about money.”