J. Cole talks about Drake, Kendrick Lamar, “The Off-Season” and more in a new interview.
J. Cole has finally released his sixth studio album “The Off-Season” which is expected to debut at #1 on Billboard 200. He continues the promo run as he sat down with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez for an interview on the latest episode of Boardroom’s “The ETCs” Podcast. On the show, J. Cole talks about his growing legacy, recently joining Basketball Africa League’s team Rwanda Patriots BBC, new album “The Off-Season“, becoming a father, competition with rappers like Drake & Kendrick Lamar, and much more.
Cole talked about his friendships with other “big players” like Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who he’s often compared to. The Dreamville CEO stated that he was all about the competition at the beginning of his career and never sought to connect with his peers since he believed they were all competing for the top place. Cole, on the other hand, claims that his time in the industry has radically transformed his outlook.
“These are the guys that push you, and you gotta push them,” said J. Cole on Drake & Kendrick Lamar. “What I tryna do in the past, I was so competitive, I don’t know how they would feel, you’ve to talk to them but I know for myself. I was so competitive early on, even though we were all friends, I’ve never been a reach out, I’ve never been that person. I am doing here what I do, Someones likes working out together, I guess in the NBA in the past that was unheard of, why would I work out with this ni**a, I am tryna destroy this ni**a, you know what I mean. And that was kind of my mentality early on.”
“But as I got older, I realized no one is truly my peer or can relate to what I am going through in life more than these people right here. I genuinely f**k with these dudes. And as time goes on, I’ve been tryna strip the competition from it. I am more interested in the relationship because I also see a time when I’m not doing this, that seems very realistic to me. And at the time when I am not doing this, I wouldn’t wanna be like we never really did anything. So I am at that point, more interested in a genuine relationship before I was interested in the competition before I was just interested in putting pressure, or responding to pressure. It’s just less competition in my mind because ni**as are old bro [Laughs].”
Also Check out: J. Cole Says He Will Never Officially Announce His Retirement.
“Michael Jordan will never be universally hailed as the greatest player of all time–and that’s insane. And LeBron James will never be universally hailed as the greatest player of all time–and that’s insane. You’ll never have it, so it comes with age to realize that like, ‘Yo, what are you even worried about?’ ‘Cause you’re just setting yourself up for suffering.”
The hosts ask him if it’s the respect thing now. “It was always respect thing,” he says. “Because you are not gonna be competitive with somebody you don’t respect. Now it’s more of like a wisdom thing where it’s like, yo you can never have it all, 100% of people never gonna say Kevin Durant is the best player, 100% of the people never gonna say J. Cole is the best rapper breathing, you won’t get 90% that say, Drake, you won’t get 90% that say, Kendrick Lamar, It’s never gonna happen.”
Cole also discussed his recently released studio album, The Off-Season, as well as rumors about his impending retirement. He informed the hosts that he isn’t planning an “exit strategy,” but that he “looks forward to the day when it ends” so he may follow his other passions.
“I’m so obsessive over it,” he said about his music career. “When I set a goal, I give it so much … It’s exhausting, ’cause I also have other things I want to do in my life. Those things never have a chance. These are things that I have to be bad at and become good at it. I would never have the time if I did music, on a J. Cole-career level, if I chase that career or kept feeding that career for the next five, 10 years, I would never have time to do all this other sh*t I wanna do … I’m setting up a peace path, to where if I did feel like being done, I’m at peace with it.” He continued: “Maybe I don’t [step away from music], but if I did, I know I checked all these personal boxes for myself and now I give myself permission to go do some other sh*t. In terms of what’s next for me, music-wise, there are still a couple of things I want to finish … I think I’ll always be involved [in music].”
Check out the full interview below.
