NTT – With your career just starting to take off, what have you basically been up to lately?
J. Cole – Just workin’ on this album, I been in LA recordin’, New York recordin’, just tryin’ to get together the right material which is a hard process sometime tryin’ to make it perfect, but that’s what I’m workin’ on right now.
NTT – Since your new artist that’s staying busy did you take any time off for the holiday season?
J. Cole – Yeah, I went home for Thanksgiving and chilled with my family that full weekend. I try not to take too much time off though, just a few days for Christmas too.
NTT – Were you born and raised in Fayetteville or did you move around a whole lot?
J. Cole – Naw, I had only moved one time and that’s when we moved from Germany when I born, that’s where my parent were stationed.
NTT – How would you say what your early life was like?
J. Cole – It was pretty normal I think. I went to school, played rec ball, school ball, went to the skating rink every week, went to the mall, and went to the teen clubs. I just went the natural progression that I think a large majority of the kids where I’m from go through. Nothin’ crazy, had a good childhood.
NTT – When and why you decided to become a rapper?
J. Cole – I like 12 or 13 when I started rappin’. Pretty soon after I started it I noticed that I was kind of good, so I started to take it serious. I had some friends who rapped and I was a ways better. Not sayin’ that to be cocky, but they always let me know from cyphers that it was apparent that I was a step ahead. I was like 14 and I was better that niggas that was 18, 19. From that point on that what I wanted to do.
NTT – Who would you say were some of your influences?
J. Cole – 2 Pac, Nas, Outkast, Jay-Z, Eminem, Canibus, and Royce Da 5’9.
NTT – You would say all those guys help shape the style you rap with now?
J. Cole – Yeah, I took certain things from all those guys throughout the years and molded it into my own thing and added like my own little spice on it.
NTT – Before you met Jay, Was there any breakthroughs for you into the business?
J. Cole – I don’t even know man because I didn’t really have anything big that happened, I didn’t have any beats placed. I knew people within the industry, but I don’t if you could really call that a break.
NTT – So how did you finally meet Jay-Z?
J. Cole – I got introduce to Jay through a friend a mine that was a engineer and he knew Jay.
NTT – You was saying just before that he was a big influence on your career. How you feel about being the first artist signed to Roc Nation?
J. Cole – It was a total blessing man, it’s a honor really. The large majority of people who call themselves fan of hip-hop consider him the greatest. With me being able to go over there is a blessing.
NTT – So being on the “Blueprint 3” album was even more of a big deal?
J. Cole – Yeah exactly. I got to shout out my city on there. It was good feeling.
NTT – You mentioned earlier about your working on the album, besides yourself producing on the album are you going to be working with any other producers and who would you be collaborating with?
J. Cole – Yeah I’m workin’ with No I.D. He’ll have stuff on there. I feel already that we got some classic material on there for the album, then myself of course, as of right now that’s it. We’re not really lookin’ for too much but if somethin’ happens we’ll go for it. As far as artists we gonna treat that the same way and just go with the flow. If I want somebody on it, I’ll reach out but I don’t have nobody in mind as right now that I gotta have.
NTT – What kind of advice would you give to any up and coming artists looking to break into the industry?
J. Cole – I would say make music for yourself and try to please yourself first. Make sure you have a passion for what you’re doin’ and stay true to yourself. When you try to step outside of your zone and do songs based on what other people think and you think a certain group of people are gonna like this type of song, you think the A&R’s gonna like this type of song, or you think the clubs or the DJ’s are gonna like it I think you makin’ the wrong turn. You should just try to make the music that’s true to yourself and it will play out for you in the long run. “Lights Please” just now startin’ to pick up on the radio and I made that song back in 2007 and now it’s 2010. It’s not a typical radio song. That’s why I say don’t make a certain type of song to get a deal or get on the radio things will eventually work out for you.
By Nikita Terrell Thompson
http://www.qthequestion.com/2010/01/11/j-cole-roc-nations-finest/
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