J Cole Reminisces on First Raps, Hip Hop Memories, Nas, Tupac, Jay-Z, Opening for Wale

Four years after their first interview J Cole and Nick Huff Barili link up for their fourth in-depth interview.  In part 1 J Cole talks to Nick about his first Hip Hop memory. “My first Rap music memory was Kool Moe Dee…I just remember being a big fan of Kool Moe Dee. I had a Kool Moe Dee poster…I didn’t know that much about him but I knew he was cool.” J Cole goes on to reminisce about the first Rap he wrote, “I wrote a rap when Pac died. I was in 6th grade…I felt compelled to write a rap..That’s like the first official rap I ever wrote. I feel like I was talking about him. Almost like I had to carry the torch or something…in my six grade mind.” Cole remembers being influenced by Eminem and Nas on early tracks like The Storm. “I remember I made a song called The Storm…I thought I would never make a song that good again. Not that I thought I wouldn’t, I was scared that I wouldn’t. I’m like Yo Am I ever going to top this?” On “Let Nas Down” Cole raps” I used to print out Nas raps and tape ’em up on my wall, My niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw.” Elaborating on those lyrics J Cole says “At this time you had Ohhla.com. Now you have lyrics sites everywhere…but back then was like one site that you go for all these rap lyrics…When I made a decision in my mind that I was gonna be a rapper, I tore down all the basketball [posters in my room]. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Penny Hardaway…I remember it was a big day. It was a Saturday. I took the whole day and meticulously ripped down all my basketball posters and pictures and then went and cut out all the pictures of the rap magazines that I had. Source, Blaze, XXL…And what I had on top of that right next to my bed…was the lyrics. I had pages and pages and pages of lyrics. To make my wall you had to be amazing you had to be Nas, Eminem, Canibus, you had to be, Royce would get a verse, Pac…I used to sit…and just read the verses. I already knew them word for word but reading the words was special.” Fast forward, Cole shares the stories when he first signed to Roc Nation and had to pile up into a Honda with his friends and follow the Wale promo tour so he could open up for him. You are going to have to watch the interview to hear the stories. Who is J Scott???

Tune in next week for part 2 of our conversation with J Cole!

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