The first feedback Jay-Z gave J Cole about his music
Obviously, getting a compliment is nice. Getting a compliment on something you’ve created that is markedly personal and vulnerable in its content is even nicer. But to get this hypothetical compliment from Jay-Z himself? That is pretty incredible. And in the case of J Cole, it’s even more extraordinary.
Speaking to Acclaim magazine upon the release of his 2013 album Born Sinner, J Cole explains exactly what Jay’s initial reaction was to Cole’s music after the then aspiring rapper became acquainted with the legendary rapper and record executive.
“He told me he appreciated my perspective,” J Cole said. “That it was fresh, new and honest. That it wasn’t pretentious, as in it wasn’t trying to be anything. He could tell I was just speaking about my life and my perspective, especially with “Lights Please” and “Lost Ones”.”
“He understood me as this smart kid who wants to talk about some real shit but the girl he’s fucking with doesn’t really care about those things and yet he still can’t resist fucking her,” he said, laughing. “That’s what it was in reality, so he appreciated that.”
This feel good story of mentor to mentoree – J. Cole was signed to Roc Nation in 2009 as the label’s first artist – is especially notable considering how just the year before, the North Carolina raised rapper coined the now iconic phrase, “Produce for Jay-Z or Die Trying”.
“Now that’s a reality, what is your ‘Die Trying’ mantra in 2013?” the interviewer asked.
“Good question, let me think,” Cole replied. “‘Album Of The Year’ or Die Trying. Not Rap Album of The Year, Album Of The Year. The Grammys! If I’m in a position to set the bar high, then fuck it. I’m just gonna set the bar as high as possible and we’ll see where I end up.”
Born Sinner is the follow up to the rapper’s debut album, 2011’s Cole World: The Sideline Story. With guest appearances from Miguel, Bas, TLC, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent, the album was primarily produced by Cole himself: by his own admission, he said he had more freedom on his sophomore album than his first.
The album is considered a defining moment in his career, in which the rapper explores an inner turmoil at being caught between ambition and self-awareness, in a wider genre zeitgeist that instead wanted to sound maximalist with the lyrics to accompany it. Cole’s thoughtful and sincere lyricism stood out in 2013, presenting the rapper to the world stage as a thoughtful voice within hip-hop.
The production mixes deluxe samples with melancholic melodies for a darker ambience that reflects the more soulful tone of the album. It was well received by critics; Born Sinner ranked in several best end of year round up listings, as well as scoring nominations for the BET Hip Hop Awards’ Album of the Year and Billboard Music Awards Top Rap Album.
But it was particularly popular commercially, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200, and rising to number one in its third week.
Which would have been a relief to his mentor, Jay-Z. “I did learn early on that to be on that team numbers were important and competing commercially on the charts was of heavy importance,” Cole said later in the interview.