He obviously doesn’t use that term, but let’s face it… it’s pretty much true. The clip above features J. Cole speaking on his guest spots on Wale’s Beautiful Bliss, Reflection Eternal’s Just Begun and Young Chris’ Still the Hottest. Hit the jump for streams and his thoughts.
Wale – Beautiful Bliss f. J. Cole & Melanie Fiona
“I really just signed the deal [with Roc Nation] and a couple months after, maybe even not that long, a situation came up where Wale had that song already and they were interested in getting me on it,” Cole explained of what was supposed to be his first feature.
“I didn’t hear his verses, though, I just got sent the beat and I was thinking at the time, ‘This is my first feature.’ This is before [I did] “A Star is Born.” I got to really go in. But mind you, I hadn’t heard his verses — all I got was the beat and the hook and the concept of the song. So I said, ‘Let me make a statement, this is gonna be my first one.’ So I knew when I was writing it, I was like, ‘This is just one of those verses.’ And when I was laying it down, [I got] the same kind of feeling: I think I got one. If Wale’s album dropped when it was supposed to, that would have been my first feature.”
Reflection Eternal – Just Begun f. J. Cole, Jay Electronica & Mos Def
“I just got a text from out the blue from a number I didn’t recognize,” Cole recalled. ” ‘Yo, this is Talib Kweli, I got your number from 9th Wonder, I got this record, me, Jay Electronica and Mos Def.’
You know, wanting to know if I wanted to get on it. I was double-checking my phone, like, ‘Is this serious?’ He sent it to me, and at the time it was his and Jay Electronica’s verse on it. [Eventually] there was two legends on it and one upcoming person like me, who is destroying the game, so I thought, I got to come with it. In writing that verse, I started a verse and probably stopped after two bars. I was going to try to take it deeper and more poetic.
Because I was on a song with Kweli, Jay Electronica and Mos Def, I got to really be saying something. But when I started writing it, it felt forced. I was like, ‘Nah, don’t do it.’ I felt like the song could use a bit of ignorance or new energy. I didn’t want to fall into that mold, even though I could do it, maybe not as good as they can. So I said, ‘Lemme try to stand out on this song.’ And I’m not gonna crush these guys, but I can at least come with something different, and I think that’s why people like it, like, ‘Who is this kid?’ “
Young Chris – Still the Hottest f. J. Cole
“I did the beat and the verse when I caught wind my “A Star Is Born” verse wasn’t gonna make The Blueprint 3,” Cole revealed. “I think No ID told me, he didn’t know if Jay-Z was gonna keep it, cause he was working with him, and Jay was figuring out his album. So I tried to scramble and hit Jay with something and maybe make the album in a different kind of way. So I did the beat and I came up with that verse [about the Roc legacy] and tried to get it on there. It was a far-fetched dream. [Laughs]. So I said let me send it to Young Chris or Wale. I didn’t even know Chris did it [at first], he just put it out. But I was working on it a while ago and Chris killed it.”
PREVIOUS: J. Cole On Roc Nation & Nas Comparisons (Video)
I’m hoping for 5 more J.Cole interviews today. Ok, Ok. Dream big, but be realistic. How about 3 more.
Yea yall bout to start overdosin on postin J. Cole shit like u was doin B.o.B. b4 his album dropped
its funny that drakes sprite commercial is the lead in for the video. Not knockin it but just shows the two different paths they have taken
Wale hardly got bodied on his own shit. if you actually listen to Wale’s verses they are actually way more in depth than cole’s verse. J. cole’s verse is very tangible and easy to get. not a bad thing. but to say wale got bodied? a bit delusional
and jay > em on renegade
J Cole can spit, but he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BORING.
Lyrically he is there, but his charisma is off.
J. Cole didn’t have the best verse on Just Begun.
Both Talib’s and Jay Electronica’s verses was better than J.Cole’s on Just Begun. Agreed with ryuk, Wale’s lyrics are more complex than people give him credit for.
Come on. He might have the worst verse on “Just Begun”.
And I’m taking Wale over Cole any day of the week…
J. Cole stood out on Just Begun..didnt renegade anybody tho…and Wale’s lyrics may have been more complex but doesnt mean it was good,,just cuz its deep dont mean its dope, plus Wale comes off alot like he’s TRYING TOO HARD to be “lyrical”
whatever^^
Peep me how I’m raising up the capital from nathin’
Capital I’m raising like I’m through punctuating
Or shift keys or an I placement ’cause
Shiftin’ keys get your capital raised up
Did Cole say anything that good?
look ma no hands!!! (another A. Hole interview). first off, A. Hole was the WEAKEST in “Just Begun”. his lyrics was nothing but a shoeshine box compared to MOS, Talib and Jay Elec. he basically went in using Mos delivery flow on it. I don’t want here that shit about A. Hole paying homage and propin’ up Mos. if you wanna call yourself an emcee and try and take your shit to that “deeper” and poetic” level, show & prove your fuckin’ style. and please, for someone who’s not even half way finished with his debut album, chill with these boring and self dick sucking interviews. every interview he’s lookin’ scared, like someone is about to throw some hot grit grease in his face.
Wale DEFINITELY got bodied on Beautiful Bliss. I mean, definitely.
@NYC/BROOKLYN Really? Name teasing and talking about who’s scared?? U just wrote an essay and said jack. No trippin. Cole may not be the greatest, but he’s the most notable rookie.
ignore NYC/BROOKLYN…he’ll over analyze anything that has to do with J. Cole just so he can hate..fucking loser
“Peep me how I’m raising up the capital from nathin’
Capital I’m raising like I’m through punctuating
Or shift keys or an I placement ’cause
Shiftin’ keys get your capital raised up”
that right there is an insaane rap
@mewlover..”- i agree
In no way am I saying that J.Cole isnt dope. he is dope as fuck, the future. etc etc. but so is wale. just saying he Wale hasnt been renegade’d by anyone. More importantly Beautiful bliss is a very dope track. Great for hip hop and I wish we could get a video for it.
Wale’s shit was more complex on “beautiful bliss” but like igotthatcrack said, it sounded like he was trying too hard(and this is coming from a huge Wale fan from DC). and ESPECIALLY tha bars MewLover34 quoted. i get the wordplay of that part but he kinda stretched the metaphor thin there and his flow got really choppy. Cole’s verse had dope lines even tho they werent as complex as Wale’s and his flow never faltered. but i think the main reason Cole’s verse stood out is the energy he delivered it with. yea wale purposely had a more chill flow but it made his shit seem less than.
and jay=em on renegade aka one of the top 5 tracks in modern hip hop history
def. a fan of j cole and his beautiful bliss verse
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^agreeed hahaha
I need that J.Cole & Rich Boy asap
I’m a big fan of all those tracks and J. Cole. Def dont agree with him Renegade’n anyone on Just Begun, on B Bliss he def has a diff style than Wale and i do like cols verse better, but Wale is spittin also. On the song with Chris i def think Chris got him….That was Hot 97 “he’s only 16″ Chris right their
He beat Wale on Beautiful Bliss but he had the worst verse on Just Begun.
J Cole says “BUT” lol never fails
I hate when people say “he renegaded him on that song” or “he killed so&so on that joint” if 2 or more people do a song together then they are a team, that type of talk doesnt help hip-hop move forward. its like say Kobe killed Fisher on the court, they on the same team
^^hip hop is not a team sport unless ur in a rap group like Pac Div or The Cool Kids or somethin, but if u represent urself as a MC then its understandable when they say 1 killed da other on his own track
^^^ I disagree. if 2 rappers do a song 2gether they are tryin 2 make a good song. if i was J Cole and people keep sayin that i killed Wale that would bother me. u can say that i had a better verse but not that i murdered him on his own track.
& people still say that shit in rap groups also. “aww Royce killed everybody else in Slaughterhouse” it jus sounds retarded to me
“Wale hardly got bodied on his own shit. if you actually listen to Wale’s verses they are actually way more in depth than cole’s verse. J. cole’s verse is very tangible and easy to get. not a bad thing. but to say wale got bodied? a bit delusional”
its because of the flow. J Cole is NOT THAT NICE. He’s just the same as Drake. all bragging and ego. Thats why theres no actual beef. Wale has more substance CONSISTENTLY than both of them. However as big of a Drake fan I am (since room for improvement dropped) for people to say J Cole is better only shows how small minded rap fans are. They’re addicted to a SOUND or an archetype of music, not the actual presentation. Thats fine by me. I’ll stand by it. Drake is more talented than J Cole. I’ve seen Drake body rappers in “beefs” before and he will cleary do it again. Most of these band wagon fans wont even know that Drake is NICE on the mic. Don’t let this media propelled and sales driven market show you otherwise. Drake is one of the illest out there. Before wayne and afterwards. Just because its all about the bitches, don’t think that this nigga won’t drop some shit to make yall forget about J Cole. Remember both of these ngigas have to sell music. Thast the only reason they have deals. ONLY. Drake have even MORE creative license than cole deal-wise. Hes doing it to establish his base. You think its about ya’ll hogged up on this website? Ya’ll are a part of the machine. Its bigger than you all. At the end of the day most of ya’ll wont even buy the damn album. Ya’ll will download it and listen to the slick shit XXL editors with no CD past 2003 on their desk and comment on what they have to say. J. Cole is NOT THAT NICE. He’s got flow, and can rhyme. Its super average. I don’t know what it will take for ya’ll to come realize this shit.
Jay Elec had a better verse than Cole? I know he has a reputation of being super lyrical, but c’mon son. Not on this one.
Behind every long ass comment on this site is a sensitive dickrider. =/
@Optimize…its all opinion man, I bet there’s some1 out there that thinks Gucci is better than Cole and Drake…”I don’t know what it will take for yall to come realize this shit”…u trying to convert J. Cole fans or something? Lol and every1 knows Drake was better in his CS and RFI days but don’t like he was on Illmatic level back then,,Cole is more conscious than Drake that’s the difference (see World Is Empty, Can I Live II, Dollar and a Dream II) and a lot of us “bloggers” can relate more to Cole’s lyrics/tracks than Drake’s that’s why we like him better…I can probably relate to the 2nd and 3rd verses on Dollar and a Dream II than any verse I’ve ever heard in my life not written by myself lol I’ve had that same mentality and been in that same exact situation he touched on in the 3rd verse…if some1 relates to an artist, u most likely will NEVER change their opinion of that artist
Im not followin the people that say “i fucked wit drake when he did room for inprovement and comeback season and now he is wack” he sounds the same to me. “Over” could have been on comecack season and those same people would have said it was dope
wtf wrong wit ya jcole def. bodied wale
FUCK WHO MURDERED WHO, IT’S A GREAT SONG. THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY SONGS WHERE THE FEATURED ARTIST MURKS THE ARTIST N THE SONG SUCKS, SO IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER.
OH FOR THE RECORD
ATTENTION DEFICIT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>COLE WORLD
MARK MY WERDS
Who decided you have to think of these obscure, super exaggerated references and words most people never use to be lyrical? Biggie puts ALL these niggas we debating about right here to shame, and he had plenty of quality lines that weren’t in the least bit deep. When I hear, “Come together like two pieces of metal, we magnetizing the ghetto,” or “Huff a cig, droppin ashes off the bridge,” I respect the lyricism and wordplay, but in this instance, what he’s actually talking about is not something that I particularly give a fuck about hearing. Off the top of my head, Nas’ verse on that Dr. Dre leak/reference Topless was lyrically better than Jay Elec’s on Just Begun and it was essentially another one of those braggadocio raps with some ill wordplay. Remember when Joe Budden, another lyrical rapper, was praising Jeezy because when he said “I put on for my city,” it was believable and he could feel it? Not saying that’s lyricism or that these dudes never try to be deep, but yall are too quick to dismiss anything that isn’t conscious or deep as low brow or some shit.
^^co-signature
didnt read the other comments but J. Cole didnt have the best verse on “Just Begun”
Beautiful Bliss in particular he completely owned Wale
Cole is the future no question. Second coming of Nas and Jay Z’s protege in the same package look out niggaz
here we freakin’ go with the A. Hole-vs-Flake argument again. I said it before and I’ll say it again, both them niggaz are equally wack. I could care less about who’s gonna make more money, sell more records, performed with, on tour with, on the remix with, on the cover of, has a twitter, hangs out with, is dating, got a gun charge, sold drugs, drives a, lives in mansion, has beef with, shot his brother, changed his religion, is related to, is a rapper/actor, donated money to the Jerry Lewis telethon, sampled Lou Rawls, eats tuna fish, licks envelopes, wears a snuggle and uses sporks. it comes down to S.K.I.L.L.S. not just skills, but originality to back it up.
^^listen to J. Cole – World Is Empty, Throw It Up, or Dollar and a Dream II if u want skills idiot…and listen to Drake – Faded or AM 2 PM if u want skills…I bet you’ve never heard any of those tracks, Drake proved skills back on Comeback Season mixtape, J. Cole proved it on The Come Up and The Warm Up…do ur homework on the artist bucko then develop an opinion
J. Cole BODIED Wale on Beautiful Bliss, end of story. He went the fuck in.
Just Begun? His verse did stand out more…but it wasn’t the best.
Am I the only one who notices when J. Cole says “BUT” in every interview? LOL shit always cracks me up
^^^ NAH NIGGA I BEEN SAYIN THAT LOL
look a few comments back
^^^HAHA….shit is funny as hell to me.
@ NYC/BROOKLYN, I’ve noticed I’ve seen you in just about every J. Cole post on this site. We understand that you don’t like J. Cole. What exactly are you trying to do? Are you trying to stop people from listening to his music? If so, why? Don’t worry about what other people listen to, just listen to the artists you like and keep it moving. I can’t stand Wacka Flocka, but you don’t see me in every single comment section of his trying to convince people that’s he’s wack. You’re making yourself look like a hater.
Agreed @k.p
To Everyone else in this debate: J.Cole may have bodied Wale but does it matter. It isn’t a major blow to Wale cause he still has his fan base debating who is better is retarded as everyone has their own opinions. Though agreed with J.Rob Waka Flocka is garbage. And as for J.Cole being the second coming of Nas, that’s a big no, because being someone else doesn’t work anymore everyone has different personalities now besides most southern rappers. As for being Jay’s protege we will see how long he last before he goes “This just isn’t working out”. Remember Jay doesn’t like competition he likes to feel dominate and if the same J.Cole we know comes to bat he is gonna leave him too
J. Cole is one of the best new comers out there, but he’s no Nas.
Y’all fucken hate so hard, damn. Cole comes hard on shit on the regular. Give props where that shit is due.
why so much hate for you boy j.cole