On a track titled “Let Go My Hand,” Cole raps, “My last scrap was with Puff Daddy, who would’ve thought it?” It closes with an appearance by Diddy delivering a prayer about love. Imagine a time when two celebrities could get into scuffle and there was no video proof of it. That’s apparently what went down at a 2013 VMA afterparty.

J. Cole’s All-Star Ambitions on “The Off-Season”

• His 2015 Forest Hills Drive tour was nothing short of a success.
• He feels at home among his close friends, and opportunities to hang these days are few and far between.
• Isaiah Rashad’s alcoholism continued after The Sun’s Tirade, resulting in an even longer gap between albums before eventually quitting drinking and smoking in 2019.
• Cole explained that he was put in the studio with Pharrell with the specific goal of creating a hit single that would propel his debut album.

As the story unwinds, you can feel him sense he is just an observer, that his empathy has limits. The success of Cole’s early music was how it dramatized the pursuit of success. He was a hood bystander who’d escaped for the greener pastures of the big-city university, only to defer that track to chase a rap dream. Failure meant returning to his small town empty-handed and saddled with debt.

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He further expressed that he has never once wanted to get drunk. J. Cole has announced the release of his highly-anticipated sixth studio album “The Off-Season,” set to drop on May 14. Cole’s third LP, 2014 Forest Hills Drive was released without any radio single promoting it and would subsequently go on to become the first featureless rap album to go platinum in 25 years. Modeled after his own track “Dollar and a Dream,” the rapper held intimate concerts for devoted fans and only charged them a dollar. In a music business heavily focused on sales, one may have found that idea crazy.

Forest Hills Drive

“Power Trip” was released on February 14, 2013, marking Cole’s second collaboration with R&B recording artist Miguel. On August 30, after an unfinished version had previously leaked, “Can’t Get Enough” featuring R&B singer Trey Songz was released as the album’s second single. In addition, early on September 25, two days before his album’s release, Cole released the music video for the iTunes bonus track “Daddy’s Little Girl”.

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The benefits are seen on “Once an Addict,” where he slowly pushes his mother away as her alcoholism and depression lead her to harder substances. Cole is able to dwell on the pain of witnessing addiction while also hinting that seeing pain is not the same as experiencing it. This account of his mom’s descent is full of gaps and omissions and confusion at what heroin addiction he sees.

“Crunch Time”

It doesn’t apologize for Hart, but encourages men to make better choices. In one scene, Hart shops for a baby stroller when he’s accosted by an eager fan, a 40-something mom with her son in tow, who wants a selfie. Hart’s been caught cheating, so the last thing he wants is to pose for the photo. He grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, under the care of his mother, Kay Cole, a letter carrier for the Post Office. Kay struggled with j cole sober drinking and drugs after Cole’s stepfather, Edward, left in 2003 (K.O.D.’s only guest features come from his alter ego, Kill Edward, inspired by his stepfather).

Jay-Z snubbed J. Cole before signing him

XXL takes a holistic look at Cole’s discography to highlight 20 of his most cinematic stories in song. When it comes to Cole’s stories, though, no subject is off limits. He can tell a tale about losing one’s virginity (“Wet Dreamz”) just as thoughtfully as he can rap about dueling takes on abortion (“Lost Ones”). His knack for recounting these stories—whether lighthearted or heavy—is among the most deft of his generation; every word is chosen precisely and no bars are wasted.

Personal life

• The vulnerability in his lyrics made other songs like “Breakdown” a favorite track for fans struggling with the same thing.
• He’s quietly made it to mogul status and accumulated a $60 million net worth along the way.
• The 37-year-old has remained mostly controversy-free throughout his career, and minimal details are known about his personal life.
• The Bentley costs $700 a day, and Cole’s in Los Angeles for eight weeks.

He’s quietly made it to mogul status and accumulated a $60 million net worth along the way. In a rare 2019 interview with GQ, J. Cole spoke about having a son and his life as a new father. “I changed my life in order to get ready to have a family and to have a son. I literally changed my life, where I was living, the things that I was doing. I changed. So because of that, when my son came, I was ready,” he said.

“That’s why I write so many stories from so many different perspectives, because I’ve seen so many,” he explained. Despite his absurd and often offensive music, Tyler, the Creator has stated that some things aren’t for everyone, which was a reference to drug use. The GRAMMY Award-winning artist has since welcomed his role as one of Rap’s GOATs in the making. His skill on the mic and behind the boards as a producer has inspired many new emcees to chase their dreams. Artists such as Saba, Mick Jenkins, Chris Patrick, Reuben Vincent, Cordae, and more have cited Cole as a major influence. Cole would go on to cement himself as one of the leaders of the new generation of emcees in “The Blog Era,” dropping consecutive acclaimed bodies of work.

Despite J. Cole being the first artist signed to the Roc Nation label, Jay-Z didn’t always believe in his protégé. In 2007, long before he had his own songs topping the chars, J. Cole was just an aspiring rapper and producer hoping to make a track for his favorite rapper, Jay-Z. In fact, he was so determined that he and a friend made a CD full of beats and stood in the pouring rain outside Jay-Z’s studio while he was recording his “American Gangster” album. Just days before his debut album was released in 2011, a rumor circulated on the blogs about Roc Nation label mates Rihanna and J. The pair were on tour together at the time, with Cole opening up on Rihanna’s Loud Tour.