J. Cole has revealed that part of him wishes his “First Person Shooter” collaboration with Drake didn’t top the Billboard Hot 100.
The Dreamville rapper secured the first No. 1 single of his career last month thanks to the For All the Dogs track, which beat out another song from the same album: the Yeat-assisted “IDGAF.”
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During a rare appearance on Lil Yachty‘s A Safe Place podcast, J. Cole admitted that he sort of didn’t want his first No. 1 to be an “alley-oop” from his good friend Drizzy.
“If it would’ve went No. 2 it wouldn’t have mattered,” he said. “I wouldn’t have felt no way. If the other song would’ve went No. 1, it’s like, bruh, I’m cool.
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“I’d almost feel better not having my first No. 1 being off a Drake alley-oop, you know what I mean? I love Drake and I love that I’m a part of that moment with him with Michael Jackson.
“But it’s like, bruh, I’m grateful I’m a part of it, but if that other song would’ve went No. 1, n-gga, I’m still grateful I’m a part of it.”
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He added: “I wasn’t at home like, ‘Come on y’all! Pick up the streams, man! We gotta beat this muthafuckin’ Yeat! Come on!’ Nah, I wasn’t doing that.”
Cole also credited the fact that his and Drake’s fans still “buy singles” with pushing “First Person Shooter” to the top of the Hot 100. According to Luminate, the song sold 4,000 digital copies in its first week, in addition to earning 42.2 million streams and 4.3 million radio airplay audience impressions.
In addition to handing J. Cole his first No. 1 single, “First Person Shooter” also wrote Drake further into the history books as he equaled Michael Jackson’s tally of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song secured Drizzy his 13th chart-topper, leaving only The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (19) and Rihanna (14) ahead of him.
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J. Cole, meanwhile, previously came close to topping the Hot 100 with “My Life” in 2021 and “All My Life,” his collaboration with Lil Durk from earlier this year, both of which peaked at No. 2.
Cole’s Dreamville signee JID recently shared his thoughts on “First Person Shooter,” claiming his label boss stole the show.
“I’ma go with J. Cole all day. It wasn’t even close,” the Atlanta native said in a recent interview when asked who had the best verse. “We love Drake though, but I don’t know.”
J. Cole shouted out Ice Cube‘s 3-on-3 pro basketball league BIG3 on the song, which drew a response from the N.W.A legend.
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“Shoutout to @JColeNC for mentioning @thebig3 on his new song with @Drake called ‘First Person Shooter,'” Cube wrote on X shortly after its release. “Thanks for the love.”
