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[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELLIOTT WILSON: And you're leading that charge with your
secretive album.
J. COLE: I'm trying.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Wait, one song you did mention, you have
revealed, you've got a song with TLC.
J. COLE: Yeah.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Crooked Smile.
J. COLE: Crooked Smile.
ELLIOTT WILSON: And that's a song that's like, you took
footage of you testing it out, doing an early version of it,
and all that type of stuff.
J. COLE: Yeah.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Why did that song still stick, and like,
became one of those songs that still felt right
to be on the album?
J. COLE: Yeah, so, that song, there's a long
story behind that song.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You can tell us.
J. COLE: Like, the creation of this--
like, it's that long.
There's so many little pieces that lined up for
that song to happen.
But that's one of those songs where I wrote the original on
tour with Drake, on my little studio bus or whatever.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Club Paradise Tour.
J. COLE: On the Club Paradise Tour.
And it was on the underground, I released it, too, it was
like more underground sounding song, originally.
And when I did this Foot Action show in LA, which was
only like, 50 kids there.
It was a private event.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Yeah, that was crazy.
It was like a little, intimate--
J. COLE: Private event.
And I wanted to make--
I was like, damn, how do we make this
*** special for them?
I was like, let's perform a few verses.
And I was like, well, I'll do like, Man On Fire, I'll do
Crooked Smile, and some other *** that I did.
And when I did Crooked Smile, you'll see it on the video, I
didn't know that my my keyboard player, Ron, was
going place the *** that he played.
He played this beat that I had made, like,
some time before that.
He just played the melody for--
ELLIOTT WILSON: Oh, so when you said the video was going
to use that, you really did use that?
That whole part?
Because you say that.
You're like--
J. COLE: Yeah.
You'll hear, it's totally different.
But it is the--
what he was playing.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Yeah.
J. COLE: Was what I ended up using, but I flipped it and
*** like that.
But that's the important part, how the song was made.
The important part was what the song is about.
The song is about crooked smile.
When you get some type of notoriety, you've got people
that just ride with you, and they don't give a *** what
you look like.
They're like, yo, I'll *** with this *** and what he's
saying, because he's speaking to me.
But then you get some people on the outside, it's like,
hey, they're like, oh, he ain't as good as what you're
saying he is.
And then they're also like, look at this
*** eyebrows, man.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Oh, the eyebrows.
J. COLE: Every time I'm on an award show, yo, look at this
*** teeth, man.
And like I said, we're in this Twitter day and age where
Lebron can see *** talking about his hairline, and he
can't run from it.
You know what I mean?
And it's like, I can't run from this ***.
So what I did was I took what they were saying about me and
flipped it, and basically said, like, yo, you can't
*** talk about me.
Like, I'm gonna talk about myself and empower other
people to embrace their own ***, because everybody has
something that the world makes them feel they're lesser for.
You know what I mean?
Whether it be your nose, whether it be your smile,
whether it be your skin, whether it be your weight,
whether it be your hair.
There's always something that somebody is going to remind
you is not perfect about you.
So that's what Crooked Smile is about.
ELLIOTT WILSON: What's making you grow you hair out?
That's a new thing.
J. COLE: I just stole that from Jay-Z for
recording the album.
ELLIOTT WILSON: No, but now the album's done,
you have to cut it.
J. COLE: Because now I've gotten used to it and ***,
but maybe when the album drops, I'll cut it.
I don't know.
But that's why I grew it out, and now I actually kind of
*** with it.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You was like, that's [INAUDIBLE].
J. COLE: Yeah, I just stole it from Jay-Z, that's it.
Just blatantly stole it.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You actually know Jay-Z. That's great.
J. COLE: Well, that's allegedly.
According to the people, I don't even know the ***.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You've got to sneak a photo with him next
time you're with him.
J. COLE: Yeah.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You have to Vine him.
Can you Vine him real quick?
J. COLE: You said what, a selfie?
Oh, sneak one with Jay-Z?
Oh, nothing, just chillin'.
Yo, Jay.
Come on, I love when they do this.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Yo, I want to talk about your man Eve for a
second, because you put Eve in the Dreamville thing.
You Dreamville *** is walking around with a whole
like, different level of swagger right now, man.
J. COLE: What does that mean?
What do you mean?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Y'all is just like, you know, y'all are
young movement, and feeling yourselves right now, man.
J. COLE: No, you know why we just felt like we got it.
Like, we went through a lot of ***, and we're grateful for
it because we learned a lot a ***.
Like, all that *** that I'm talking about with my first
album, that I had to go through.
Man, I'm grateful for that because I feel like
it created a monster.
Like, I'm stronger, smarter, I know way more.
Like, Power Trip is a perfect example of that.
That was effortless.
Like, that flow.
There was no thinking behind that.
So with Dreamville, it's the same things.
It's like, we feel like as a young company, we saw this
*** from literally the ground up, and learned a lot, you
know what I mean?
So our future, I feel like is brighter.
It's going to be the long way.
I notice everything I do is the long way,
and the long route.
But I feel like we're gonna figure this *** out.
ELLIOTT WILSON: So speaking of futures, so how do you see the
rest of the year playing out?
You're gonna drop this album, you're going against Kanye,
boom, and then what do you see the rest--
you know, Crooked Smile might be a single, probably, right?
J. COLE: Yeah, yeah.
Drop the album, Crooked Smile.
I'm sure the people will choose the single after that.
That's how it works.
You drop your album, the people tell you
what the single is.
And then I'm touring the album in the fall.
I'm gonna give the people like two months to live with it,
you know what I mean?
Learn the words, so when we come, it's like--
ELLIOTT WILSON: July, August?
And then--
J. COLE: Naw, like August, Sep-- yeah, yeah, exactly.
Come in like, late August, September?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Back to school, back to school?
J. COLE: Exactly.
And come with a tour.
But in the middle of that, I really am fiending to produce
like, somebody's whole project.
Like in that little, like, six week period, I mean, I just
haven't figured out exactly who it's gonna be, or what.
I want to get in with somebody.
I've got a producer itch is what I'm saying.
Because even now when I was done with the album and I
finished out, I was complete.
I felt good.
Not like before, when I told I was like, oh, I still got more
in the tank.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Yeah.
J. COLE: I felt complete, but the production side of me was
like, it's still like, I want to make beats.
You know what I mean?
I'll be thinking of beats and ***, so I feel like--
ELLIOTT WILSON: You gave something to Talib Kwali
recently too, right?
J. COLE: Yeah, I'm on Kwali's album.
I got one on--
I'm excited about that, too.
I'm on Kwali's album, but there's this kid, Elijah
Blake, that sound of No ID.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Oh, yeah.
Elijah Blake the singer.
Very talented.
J. COLE: He signed to Def Jam and No ID, and I got one on
his album, and it's retarded.
You know what I mean?
It's like, even the story about how it happened is dope.
So I just want to get in with people, and I really want to
do a project, not just like one offs.
ELLIOTT WILSON: The whole thing.
J. COLE: Yes.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Like Kendrick Lamar guy, that's what they
want you to do something with.
J. COLE: Yeah of course.
Of course.
That's going to happen.
ELLIOTT WILSON: No, but do you feel like that people, they're
going to hear Born Sinner, and they're going to kind of like,
jock J. Cole the producer side, also?
Like, that's going to be like a thing where you're going to
be even more high demand, not just as an artist, but also as
a producer because of your production on that album?
J. COLE: Yes.
Yes, I do.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Because, yeah, for the intro, like, it's very
next level, your production.
J. COLE: Thank you, man.
Thank you.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Yeah, let's do a couple quick questions.
Just some quick questions before we get out of here.
-I wanted to know, how do you feel in the future, will you
be signing new female rappers?
J. COLE: Is that a plug for yourself
right there, you saying?
-I gotta ask.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Dreamville will sign anybody that's
talented and dope.
J. COLE: Yeah, on some real, like, man, the game needs
great female rappers, you know what I mean?
-Real female rappers, I'm just gonna say.
J. COLE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
And--
no, I don't want to put her on the spot like that.
ELLIOTT WILSON: No, no.
Next up, next up.
J. COLE: Yes?
-Are you going the same route, the way like, what's his name,
like Lil Wayne went with Young Money and Jay went with
Rockefeller, Kanye went with GOOD Music?
So Dreamville, that's going to be your own label.
So you already have the production, you're a rapper,
so you're going to lead that team in like, your record
label, basically?
J. COLE: Yeah, I mean, in a sense I think the difference
is my *** is so organic, like, I didn't go, like,
looking for people.
Like, if you look at the people that's associated with
my team, and Dreamville affiliated, or Dreamville, for
real, like it's all family.
I just had to realize that, oh, ***.
I've been blessed enough that along this path, I just met
the most talented ***.
If y'all know this *** Canei Finch, he's probably the most
talented producer that I know.
But he also is an incredible, like, people don't even know,
but they're going to find he's an incredible songwriter and
he raps, you know what I mean?
And then you've got Elite, you've got
Omen, you've got Bas.
This is our family.
I didn't go--
I mean, it's going to happen.
I'm gonna go find somebody.
ELLIOTT WILSON: It's organic.
It's an organic institution.
J. COLE: Right, but right now, this is just family, you know
what I mean?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Let's get somebody further back.
-Get it, girl!
-Hi.
OK, so I flew in from Boston just for you.
J. COLE: Wow.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Question.
-I love you.
J. COLE: That's incredible.
Thank you.
-Anyways, so I want to know when are you dropping--
well, I heard rumors, temptations, there's an album
dropping with you and Kendrick.
I want to know when it's coming.
J. COLE: So what's the question?
About the album?
-Yeah.
Do you have like a--
ELLIOTT WILSON: One day.
-Next year?
Two years?
J. COLE: I can't say an exact-- we haven't talked
about an exact date.
What we talk about is, yo, the minute we both get four weeks,
you got to understand, that ***--
first of all, he came out and--
so he has to tour.
He has to tour his album.
He has to do that, you know what I mean?
And I'm trying to make a *** dent with my album, so
I have to do the same thing.
So we have to find maybe a month where we both are free,
you know what I mean?
And knock out a large majority of the album.
I would hope that next year we could do it,
you know what I mean?
Thank you.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Let's get the brother right there in he
middle with the blue.
The blue right there.
-Yo, I go to St. John's, too.
J. COLE: St. John's.
ELLIOTT WILSON: St. John's.
J. COLE: Queens!
-It's the college, brother.
Representing.
J. COLE: What year are you?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Question, question.
-So my question for you is how do you feel that your college
experience helped you later on in the future to
get where you are?
ELLIOTT WILSON: There you go, that's a good question.
I like that.
-I love you, Cole!
J. COLE: Thank you, man.
It definitely didn't help with my grammar, clearly, because I
don't know the difference between tweeted and twittered,
and whatever.
But I think just it gave me a different perspective to rap
about, you know what I mean?
Like, of course clearly, I guess, I know more about, ah,
PR and *** like that, and like public relations I know a
little bit more.
But I will say this.
Naw, ***, it.
This ***'s trying to cut me off.
He's pointing other people out.
ELLIOTT WILSON: No, my bad, my bad.
J. COLE: Naw, I want to say this.
ELLIOTT WILSON: [INAUDIBLE].
J. COLE: I want to say this.
You get people that's like, man, Cole, you rap about going
to college.
Like, ***, Jay-Z made 13 albums taking about selling
drugs, and you love all them ***.
You know what I mean?
Like, let me talk about the *** that I actually did, you
know what I mean?
So I wanted to say this.
-Hi, I'm Kiera Lopez.
I'm from the Bronx.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Aw, she nervous.
J. COLE: Kiera Lopez.
ELLIOTT WILSON: She nervous.
-I just wanted to ask, what was your idea for both album
covers, the non deluxe and the deluxe version?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Good question, good question.
J. COLE: It was a great question.
Great question.
ELLIOTT WILSON: I'm slipping, man, god dammit.
J. COLE: Yeah, I thought he would have asked that ***.
ELLIOTT WILSON: The album covers.
J. COLE: Album covers.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Great question, great question.
J. COLE: What do you want to know?
What was the inspiration, or what?
ELLIOTT WILSON: The standard and deluxe.
J. COLE: Oh, why the difference?
Ah, because--
oh, the reason for both is duality.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Describe each one.
Describe what each one represents.
-Yeah, what they man.
J. COLE: OK, yeah.
I mean, I don't, like-- it's art.
Those joints is really works of art, you
know what I'm saying?
-Are the seven lines for sinners?
J. COLE: If you want to interpret it like that, it
could be for sinners.
But clearly, the obvious thing is that there's a duality.
There's a dark and there's a light.
I will tell you a little piece of information that's cool,
because you all paid your money to come here.
The deluxe cover that you see, which I'm very happy about
right now, that wasn't the original deluxe.
On the last day that I had to turn in the album, the cover
that I had, which was this baby, like, in Heaven,
basically surrounded by like, clouds, like these puffy
clouds or whatever, it was just dope.
Classy, like, crazy.
The baby wouldn't get approved.
Like, the parents wouldn't approve the baby for an album
called Born Sinner.
So at the last minute, we switched it to
what you see now.
But I think it worked out better.
ELLIOTT WILSON: All right, we got like, two more questions.
I wanna get Meg in here.
-I just want to know, in the interview with Respect, you
said that you wanted to be looked as a yay or ho figure
with this album, and I wanted to know now that the album's
done, do you think you've accomplished that, and or has
your goal changed?
ELLIOTT WILSON: Where was that in?
What was this in?
-Respect.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Oh, [INAUDIBLE].
Oh, yeah, you made a great point about how people don't
view you as on a level of a Jay-Z or Kanye, but that's
actually where your fans believe you are getting to
that point.
J. COLE: Yes.
ELLIOTT WILSON: And, you know, your desire to be that.
And I mean, it's funny because ironically, who would know
that later on you'd be challenging Kanye literally?
So--
J. COLE: Exactly.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Talk about that.
Like, trying to get to that point where people really look
at you, like you said, with the idols that you're either
equal or better than them.
-Better!
J. COLE: I feel like, I don't know how to answer that.
Like, that's always my goal.
It's not even just with this album.
If it doesn't happen with this album, guess what?
I'm going to go again.
I feed off of rejection.
I feed off--
I actually work better when you don't believe.
I go harder, you know what I mean?
So that's always the goal, because I feel like there's a
certain level of respect that I deserve, of like--
not deserve, but I'm looking for, you know what I mean?
If I ain't proved it to you yet, all right, watch.
You know what I mean?
So yes, that's always the goal.
ELLIOTT WILSON: You know, it's funny, from knowing you and
knowing Drake, I think people kind of underestimate the
competitiveness.
Like, individual competitiveness.
Like, how competitive you are, how competitive he is.
J. COLE: Yeah.
ELLIOTT WILSON: I think people underestimate your
competitiveness.
J. COLE: I think so too, because they interview me, and
for like, the first three, four years I was very humble,
and like, very respectful.
And I still am, but now it's like, all right, man.
There's a certain chip on my shoulder.
I'm tired of playing so nice.
You know what I mean?
Like, I want to let people know what I'm coming for, and
what I'm aiming at.
ELLIOTT WILSON: One more.
One more, one more, one more.
-Hi.
I'm Samantha.
ELLIOTT WILSON: She's nervous, too.
You nervous.
-I'm nervous, yes.
This has like, made my life.
But anyway, what is one of the biggest lessons you've learned
being in this industry?
J. COLE: Don't let Elliott Wilson hear your album before
you're ready to talk about it.
ELLIOTT WILSON: Naw, man, you did really good.
You did really good.
J. COLE: Thank you.
In this industry, I just learned a life lesson in terms
of creativity.
In terms of being an artist, you know what I mean?
Like, especially being an artist.
Artist and commercial don't go together,
you know what I mean?
It actually doesn't mix, no matter who you think is like,
oh, he's so pure.
Like, man, he never--
trust me.
You've got to walk this line when it comes to like, being
an artist, and like having a commercial responsibility or a
commercial pressure to it.
But one thing I learned, I learned about navigating that.
And I learned that ultimately as an artist, don't matter if
you paint, if you draw, if you rap, if you write.
Whatever you do, you have to follow, and it sounds generic,
follow your heart.
Do what makes you happy.
Like, do what brings you excitement.
To only follow that.
You know what I mean?
So, I can't-- this could take an hour.
ELLIOTT WILSON: That goes back to the beginning, though.
Great to see you like, in this, very happy.
You're very happy, with this Born Sinner ***.
You're in a great space.
J. COLE: Yeah, Born Sinner ***.
And just life, yeah, right.
You're right.
ELLIOTT WILSON: June 18th.
J. COLE: June 18th!
ELLIOTT WILSON: You guys ready?
You guys ready?
I want to thank J. Cole.
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you so much.
J. COLE: Thank you.