If you still don't believe J. Cole is on his way to becoming one of the best rappers in Hip-Hop you still have time to reconsider before his new album drops. His unique presence and introverted personality makes him stand out from your typical rapper and seen as well, just an average guy. Truthfully, that's all J. Cole would consider himself as well, with added potential to be great. Although he would prefer to be respected as an artist he doesn't mind the critics calling him boring because he's built his confidence around knowing he's better than that. Now that he's past the beginning stages of his career trying to sell records and have mainstream success, Cole is focused strictly music and perfecting his craft as an artist now and being an overall good dude.
He's the cover feature for Complex Magazine's December 2014/January 2015 cover, where he took them on the tour of the house that is the studio album is titled after. He spoke to Complex about growing up in Fayetteville,NC, recording the album in Hollywood, California, and being more confident in his self.
Cole speaks on what home is to Forest Hill Drive:
" Home is wherever the authentic, unconditional love is. The fake shit, the synthesized love, is Hollywood. I ran from Fayetteville to New York, from New York to everywhere, ultimately looking for what? For love—respect and love from my peers, love from the fans, love from the critics. I’ve learned that none of that shit is real. I appreciate it, it’s extra love, but it can and should only help and add to the real pot of love. It should not substitute. “Artists” that go to Hollywood and live their lives for the cameras, the attention, they’re supplementing for their lack of love, their holes. Those people—and maybe myself included—are ultimately running away from the place where the real love exists, because maybe it’s too painful, maybe it wasn’t the type of love that they needed, or it was void there. There was no father, there was no support. Wanting to be a movie star, wanting to be a rap star, wanting to have jewelry, wanting to have girls, and wanting to have money, all that shit is just trying to plug those holes. It’s dangerous because it’s not real."
When asked if he'll ever retire like Jay Z:
"Listen to all my music and you’ll hear this nigga who went to New York City and started with a dream; he gained his confidence and his step with The Warm Up and was here to show y’all niggas “I’m the best”—and Friday Night Lights put a stamp on that. Sideline Story was like, “I have to figure this shit out and sell records.” Born Sinner was “Fuck, that wasn’t how I wanted to do it. I gotta make up for that one, I got to get back to myself.” And then fighting through all of that to realize on 2014 Forest Hills Drive, “No, this is where it was always at."
"Listen to all my music and you’ll hear this nigga who went to New York City and started with a dream; he gained his confidence and his step with The Warm Up and was here to show y’all niggas “I’m the best”—and Friday Night Lights put a stamp on that. Sideline Story was like, “I have to figure this shit out and sell records.” Born Sinner was “Fuck, that wasn’t how I wanted to do it. I gotta make up for that one, I got to get back to myself.” And then fighting through all of that to realize on 2014 Forest Hills Drive, “No, this is where it was always at."
This weekend he invited a number of fans to the 2014 Forest Hill Dr. house in North Carolina to exclusively listened to the album before it is available on December 9th. He also released the official tracklist for the album which is available for preorder. See the tracklist below.
CONVERSATION