The ‘super-intense’ conversation J Cole had with XXXTentacion: “He left a mark on me”
J Cole comes from a different generation than XXXTentacion. While Cole exhibits a more traditional style of rapping, coupled with the emotional influence of artists like Kanye West, the Florida rapper was part of a completely separate movement. SoundCloud rap may be from another world to Cole, but he always gave XXX the time of day.
XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on June 18th, 2018, at the age of 20. Attackers stole his Louis Vuitton bag with $50,000 inside and drove off in an SUV. Just months before his death, Cole had a video call with the rapper, which lasted for hours. Their chat involved XXX being insecure about his mental space.
“I spoke to him on FaceTime one day in February for, like, three hours,” he told Billboard. “His management reached out to [my manager] Ib and asked if he could FaceTime me or call me. It was a super-intense conversation. He left a mark on me, just as a person.
“Pssht. He started off the conversation literally on some, like — he didn’t even say hello. He started off basically saying, ‘I’m not on your level yet.’ He was talking about spiritually and mentally, and that was intense because I was like, ‘Huh? I’m not on no level.'”
Despite doubting himself, he was motivated to become a better person. XXX aspired to be the figure he perceived Cole to be. “He was praising me while also saying he was going to achieve whatever it is he felt that I had,” he recalled. “I’ve dealt with mentally ill people in my life before, many of them. And right away, I notice that this kid is super passionate and smart, but I could also see that he was so deep in his mind.
“When I found out [about the abuse allegations against him], my first response was, ‘Man, I hope maybe one day I’ll get a chance to talk to this kid and figure out if there’s any place that I can help.’ Because anybody who would do the shit that he did… Hurt people hurt people.”
At the time of his death, XXX was facing many charges, including assault, battery, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. A victim’s testimony detailed alleged abuse carried out by XXX, both psychological and physical, including an attack while the woman was pregnant with his child. Despite the allegations, Cole felt for him.
“I’ve walked through prisons and talked to these dudes who got life,” he said. “They took someone’s life at 16 or 17 years old. You haven’t had the chance to process your trauma at that age. I’ma be sympathetic to a kid who has clearly been through so much fucked-up shit that he inflicted this on someone else.”
Cole paid tribute to XXXTentacion following his death. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging his flaws, he wrote, “This got me fucked up. RIP X. Enormous talent and limitless potential, and a strong desire to be a better person. God bless his family, friends and fans.”