J. Cole’s creative process in the studio and experiences with fellow collaborators is explored in the latest episode of HipHopDX’s “Deep Dive” YouTube series — watch it below.
The 22-minute video breaks down how J. Cole — who is arguably one of the greatest rappers of this generation — is really like in the studio, straight from the mouths of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Joey BadA$$, and more.
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In the beginning of the video, J. Cole said he studied other established rappers such as Eminem and Nas.
“My first song I ever made, was literally just biting Eminem and Nas,” J. Cole explains. “If you go listen, you will hear both influences and I feel like when you start rapping in the beginning, you really just take all your influences, and you rap like them until you become who you are.”
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In another part of the episode, rapper Joey BadA$$ discussed his initial feeling when he first listened the title track, “4 Your Eyez Only” off of J. Cole’s 2016 platinum selling album, 4 Your Eyez Only.
“I remember I listened to his whole album on a flight and this track, ‘4 Your Eyez Onl'” came on and like, my eyes started getting watery, like it hit me,” he said. “Then the next song that came on was ‘Cranes In The Sky’ [by Solange] and then the tears just started going bro. It was too sentimental for me. J. Cole brought the water to my eyes then Solange just got it out of there.”
J. Cole is known to produce his own music, which can be heard on songs such as “Sideline Story,” “Nobody’s Perfect,” and “Forbidden Fruit,” but J. Cole also draws inspiration from other talented producers, including the legendary Timbaland.
“Timbaland, like he’s on Twitch,” J. Cole explains. “He’ll go live on Twitch sometimes and I don’t be on Twitch, but I watch his YouTube videos. Like, somebody will capture it on YouTube or whatever. So, [the title] is like, Timbaland makes beat, and I clicked it like, oh shit, and I’m like, oh my God. This shit is crazy. I was going to hit him right there like, ‘Let me get the beat,’ but I’m like nah, because sometimes I’ll hit somebody for a beat and they they’ll fuck around and not do nothin’ so I’m like I can’t do that to Timbaland.”
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He added: “So I looped up the YouTube rip, and made a whole song on the shit. I spent the next two days, like writing and recording the song, and right when I was 90 percent through writing it, I was like I should probably call him now and get the real file. And I hit him, and I’m like ‘Bro, could you send me this beat you played on Twitch?’ He was like, ‘Yeah I’ll send it to you, which one?’ And I played him beat and he was like, ‘I didn’t save that one.’ I was like ‘What the fuck, you know what I mean?’ So I had to remake it”
Toward the end of the episode, J. Cole received his flowers of being an exceptional MC from artists such as Cordae, DaBaby, Moneybagg Yo, and Kodak Black.
Watch J. Cole’s “Deep Dive” below. Check out a playlist of all the previous episodes here featuring similar deep dives on Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre and André 3000.
