J. Cole explains why he was upset at Jay-Z over a Drake comment

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As a die-hard fan of J. Cole who has followed his career since its inception, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he shares stories about the early days of his journey. The dinner party tale with Jay-Z and LeBron James is particularly intriguing, shedding light on the competitive nature of hip-hop and the unique dynamics between artists.

J. Cole is recounting numerous anecdotes from the initial phase of his music career in an engaging manner. This narrative unfolds on his freshly launched audio series titled “Inevitable“, where he and his manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad narrate a tale about Jay-Z.

Back in 2011, I was invited to a dinner party hosted by the legendary duo, Jay and LeBron James. It was an honor to be there. You know, I had signed with Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation back in 2009, but at that time, I hadn’t yet made a major hit. Jay reminded me of this during our conversation that night. Drake and Future were also present at the event. It was quite a star-studded gathering!

Hamad and Cole recall an instance where Jay requested assistance from Drake, which in turn humiliated the rapper from North Carolina.

Hamad clarified that in our discussion were Cole, Drake, and Future. Then, Jay entered the room, finding us all there. He exclaimed “Yo!” and directed his comment at Drake, saying something like, “Give the guy a hit,” gesturing towards Cole. We were all taken aback by this, even Future seemed to find it awkward as he looked embarrassed. I still recall Future’s expression being one of embarrassment.

Subsequently, Cole elaborated on the situation that led to his discomfort following Jay’s remark. “There’s actually a genuine rivalry [between me and Drake],” he clarified. “Commercially, it’s not cutthroat, but culturally, it remains a competitive arena where people would ask, ‘Cole or Drake?’ To make matters more intriguing, I recently collaborated with him on the album I released just three months ago!

After becoming quite angry with Jay-Z, Cole decided to confront him when he was intoxicated.

“I said, ‘Hey, can I ask you something?’ – something I’ve never said to Jay before – ‘When you were creating Reasonable Doubt, did anyone tell you that you needed a single?’ He replied, ‘No, I didn’t.’

Cole continued, “So why do you insist on that treatment towards me? You’re suggesting I should collaborate with Stargate. It’s convenient to propose I work with them since they have ‘Black & Yellow’ by Wiz Khalifa under their belt. But where is the originality in that?

Following further discussion, Jay acknowledged that Cole was correct, and he ceased inquiring about his hit songs.

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2024-12-02 20:23