J.Cole Is BET’s Rising Icon
J.Cole will be taping BET’s Grey Goose Rising Icons performance tonight and you can be there! You must be 25 or older.Arrive at the location by 3:45 PM, doors open at 4:30 PM. This is a televised event, that means NO LOGOS. Trendy,fashionable and neat are a requirement, casual attire. Send over your RSVP to JColeRisingIcons@gmail.com to attend. EARLY ARRIVAL IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED! AND RSVP DOES NOT GUARANTEE ENTRY
Hiro Ballroom (The Maritime Hotel) 88 9th Ave betw 16th & 17th Street.
Congratulations Jermaine!
Shoutout: JCM
J.Cole Interviews With Jenny Boom Boom Part IV
He answers the question that we all have been waiting to hear!
J.Cole Performance & Interview With Ill Roots
The whole interview is dopeness so enjoy & comment
Shoutout: @Aumk28
J.Cole Interviews With BET Music Matters
Enjoy!
Also,click here to visit the Music Matters page that BET has hosted for him.
[Video] J.Cole Performs At The 2010 BET Awards
In case you missed it, here’s Cole’s full performance from tonight which includes a new verse the folks at BET didn’t air!
As always clap for ‘em!
Watch J.Cole On The BET Awards Live Stream
No cable? No problem! TeamCole got you covered! Click here or here to watch J.Cole tonight on the BET Awards. Feel free to chat on the message board & leave comments on JCF. Be sure to watch the pre & post shows as well you NEVER KNOW when or where light skin Jermaine may pop up !
J.Cole Interviews With Power 98
Check out J.Cole’s quick interview with NC radio station Power 98, where he gives his favorite fansite a shout out! Listen here!
Also be sure to tune into the BET Awards tomorrow to catch our boy hit the stage!
J.Cole Remembers Michael Jackson 1 Year Later
When I think of Michael Jackson and the impact he’s had on my life, I’ve got a few memories stuck in my head. The first one that comes to mind is the Bad tape. I remember growing up there were only a select few artists that I idolized, and Michael Jackson was definitely at the top of that list. I just remember the white Bad cassette tape that I played every day of my life. Specifically loving songs like “Dirty Diana” and “Man in the Mirror” – these are songs that I was in love with as a kid, and really defined my childhood.
I’ll never forget, the day that the Dangerous album came out. I don’t remember how old I was, I must have been around 7 years old or something crazy like that, but I remember the day that album was released like it was yesterday. My mom knew how big of a fan I was, and how bad I wanted that album. She surprised me that day by picking me up from school. I didn’t take the bus that day because she was there at school waiting on me. We went to Paradise, the little local record store we had, and she bought the Dangerous album for me. I unwrapped the cd before I even got home, I went home threw it in my CD player and just played it for probably like a month straight. Just little things like that as far spring to mind, I was really obsessed with Michael Jackson when I was younger.
Spotted: GG
[Video] J.Cole Remembers Michael Jackson
J.Cole Interviews With Power 95.3 Part II [Audio]
This is the conclusion of the Power 95.3 interview that was posted yesterday Cole speaks on groupies “A Star Is Born” & “Who Dat” and once again confirms what all the ladies have been asking @TeamCole members about ….We see you! Enjoy!
“The flow cold as a shoulder as a gold digging hoe when a broke nigga approaches, told ya I’m focused man, I let you muthafuckas soak it in” J.Cole
Reflection Eternal Speaks On J.Cole
Talks of J.Cole start around the 2:50 mark but the whole interview is worth a listen!
J.Cole Interviews With Power 95.3 [Audio]
In this interview J.Cole talks about his long road to success,working with Jay-Z on A Star Is Born & how fast things are a moving for him right now! Click Here for the download
J.Cole Talks About Breaking Rules For “Who Dat”
After this week’s release of J. Cole’s “Who Dat” music video, SOHH caught up with the Roc Nation rookie to get more details on the new visual.
Giving the exclusive scoop on how the video was filmed, Cole talked about taking an organic approach to his new clip
“I think it was an excellent reception,” Cole told SOHH. “I just wish I would’ve explained to people more that it was a one shot, that we shot on film and even when you watch it in HD version it looks incredible because it was on 35mm film which is what they use to shoot movies with. Even with that said I think people respect the fact that I went home [to Fayetteville, NC]. I didn’t come out with a whole bunch of jewelry, a whole bunch of light skinned girls with short shorts on. It’s a real organic feeling video. I really wish I would’ve explained more to people but you know in time people will get it. They’ll see all the imagery and all the little signs.” (SOHH)
Cole also said he was unfazed by the song not being a typical commercial single.
“I just do weird stuff. Even the fact, coming out with ‘Who Dat.’ It’s not the typical song that’s going to be on the radio, it’s not the typical song that’s going to play in the clubs but that’s what it felt like,” he added. “That was the feeling. It felt like the move so we moved. It’s going to do it’s job, it’s going to do what it’s supposed to do. I think the video was the same way. It was like, ‘Yo, we love this idea. Let’s do it.’ Forget about the rules and what your first video is supposed to be. I’m supposed to [have] X amount of scenes and this amount of light skinned girls. I just like to do things my way.” (SOHH)
The video began to circulate online earlier this week.
Roc-Nation’s number 1 artist J. Cole just released the video for his first single “Who Dat” off of his still untitled project under Roc-Nation . Roc-Nation is Jay-Z’s music label which is still in its initial stages, J. Cole is one of the best in the roster yet and Who Dat is one of the illest songs i’ve heard in a long time. The video was shot by BBGUN and is a one-take video, pretty dope. Surprising how difficult it is to make one-take videos, J’s doing all sorts of different things, surrounded by continuous explosions behind him and people rooting “Who Dat” in the back. (The Media Kings)
Last February, Cole talked about putting together his forthcoming Roc Nation debut album.
“I’m in with No I.D. right now. He’s incredible. It’s fun,” Cole said about his album’s production. “My favorite producer, after I started producing [and] paying attention to producers, was Kanye…Being in with No I.D. last night and watching him work, it was like, ‘Duh.’ I been in with other producers, it don’t click. It don’t connect. It connects with him. I figure if I grew up looking up to Kanye, Kanye is cut from the No I.D. cloth.” (MTV)
ShoutOut: SOHH
J.Cole Speaks On Filming “Who Dat” [Video]
According to Rap Radar J.Cole was celebrating the release of NBA Elite at the Bryant Park Hotel in NY Brandon Jennings and Kevin Durant. In the video he talks about shooting the video in one take with none of that digital camera stuff.
J.Cole Nominated for Sucker Free Summit Award
Via MTV.com
The “Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010″ will be chosen by you, the audience, from the 20 candidates MTV News has selected.
Cast your vote below, but bear in mind that this poll is strictly limited to up-and-coming talent: artistscannot have released a major-label album by June 21, 2010, or been voted into a previous “Hottest MCs in the Game” top 10, so MCs like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Eminem, Kanye West and evenDrake — our #3 Hottest MC last year — and chart-topper B.o.B are not eligible. We’ll have the 2010 “Hottest MCs” rollout later in the year.
You should cast your vote based in the following factors: The MC’s musical skill (rhyme ability, flow and songwriting) as well as their buzz on the street and the impact they’ve had on the game so far. All of those factors should be taken into consideration when casting your vote!
The poll is open until midnight on July 16, and the five MCs with the most votes will be unveiled starting on July 19. All five will be featured on the award show the “Sucker Free Summit” on July 25, and then the winner, chosen by you, will be announced.
As you’ll see from our list below, plenty of up-and-coming MCs have made their names known in recent months. So take a look, consider carefully, and cast your vote!
Vote here!!!
J.Cole’s “Who Dat” [Dirty Version]
J. Cole – Who Dat (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.
”Go figure, A slow transition from a lil broke nigga from ville” J.Cole
J.Cole Performs “Lights Please” | Power House
J.Cole performs “lights Please” at the Power House Pre-Party June 19, 2010.
J.Cole Interviews With AllHipHop.Com
Depending on who you ask, the future of hip-hop lays within the hands of Jermaine Cole. Having received validation and financial support from one of the genre’s living legends, as the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, it appears that J. Cole has officially been passed the proverbial baton. And if you believe in signs and premonitions, then his guest feature on The Blueprint 3 says it all: “A Star is Born.”
With two successful mixtapes, The Comeup (2007) and The Warmup (2009), a great deal of buzz has been generated in anticipation of Jermaine’s solo debut. Upon the release of “Who Dat?,” the album’s lead single, J. Cole managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry—reflecting on his love of Nas and 2Pac, the professional lessons he’s learned from Jay-Z, and the lasting influence his mother had on his burgeoning career.
AllHipHop.com: As a fellow native of North Carolina, I am curious to know if you have been engaged in any conversations with either 9th [Wonder], Phonte or Big Pooh? Have they reached out to you and congratulated you on your success?
J. Cole: Yeah, absolutely. Me and 9th speak from time to time. Actually, if he’s reading this, I want him to hit me back, because he never hit me back! [laughing] But I’ve been a fan of these guys for years. When I was in high school, I used to go to this club in downtown Chapel Hill, [Local 506]. And on [“Microphone Mondays”], 9th was deejaying, and there would just be freestyle battles. And basically, long-story-short, [Little Brother] had just made the cover of XXL, which was big. When that worked for them, I was like, oh man, they got a real good rating. So I was up there every Monday, getting a dose of some real hip-hop. I always remember like looking up to 9th early on.
AllHipHop.com: When you officially arrived in New York City, was the scene a little bit different from what you expected? Compare and contrast the New York scene versus the North Carolina scene.
J. Cole: The difference between the two scenes. Man, at that time, everybody had a mixtape in New York. Everybody, man! [laughing] And like back home, it wasn’t really like that. Some people were doing mixtapes, but it was more like, you know, people were pressing up albums. People were paying money to press up albums, and selling them out the trunk of their car. Up in New York, it was more like, let’s just go to the local spot where they press up CDs, and we’ll just like press up like a thousand mixtapes and hustle those. Back home, where I came from, it was more like selling albums out of the trunk of your car. Or even if you had to like burn the CD yourself and write on it, it was more so about an album, instead of mixtapes. So that’s like what the independent grind was about in the two cities.
AllHipHop.com: Was there a particular opportunity in New York City that really helped you shape your craft?
J. Cole: I don’t think there was just one thing. But going to school and actually being in New York helped me broaden my subject matter. And it helped me review what I was going through back home, or what was happening back home in a different light. It was like I was writing about home from a distance. Like it gave me time to kind of reflect. Seeing New York, kind of helped me see like damn, well, it’s not like just back home. Back home, we don’t have this and damn, back home they’re not doing this. It’s like, I realized how many damn strip clubs and pawn shops and crime we have in my city, to be such a small city. So that’s really what it was. It just gave me a different perspective to write from. It’s like, when you’re in one place for so long, sometimes you need to step away to really see, see what’s going on.AllHipHop.com: I can definitely see that. While in attendance at St. John’s University, your studies revolved around communications and business. What rapper do you think was the best communicator?
J. Cole: I would say probably like Nas, in terms of telling stories. I love the way he told his stories. They were so vivid. Like he described everything in the room to you, basically, in rap form. And I was also into that. I started mimicking that pretty early on. And 2Pac’s stories, too! He wasn’t so vivid with his details, but he captured the emotions and those feelings that we can all relate to. Nas was more so about describing what’s happening, and Pac was like describing the feeling.
AllHipHop.com: And on the business front, what rapper do you think has the best business savvy?J. Cole: In terms of business, I feel like that’s Jay. Jay handled his business in the best way a rapper can handle his business. So I try to model myself and my moves after those he’s made. I’m not necessarily following it exactly, but just knowing that you got to invest your money and think outside of the rap box. That’s major.
AllHipHop.com: Few emcees possess college degrees, so what life skills do you think the college experience provided beyond your coursework that prepared you for life in the music industry?
J. Cole: I think it just gave me more time to grow as a person, really. You know, college gives you an extra four years to organize your life and your thoughts and just really grow up. So rather than jumping into the real world at eighteen, you can say it’s like the difference between somebody that’s going to come into the NBA right after high school, and somebody that’s going to come in after four years of college. Like the guy with four years of college is a little more prepared; not because he’s a better player, but because he has had more time to prepare and grow up. So that’s what college gives: more time to analyze life and become smarter. And that’s what it did for me. It bought me some time, basically.AllHipHop.com: As the first artist signed to Roc Nation, how does it feel to be selected to christen the label?
J. Cole: Man, it’s a huge honor, man, to like have these people believe in me, especially with the type of music I’m doing. It’s not your average stuff. This ain’t what’s normal out there, you know what I’m saying? Like this isn’t what’s typically on radio or selling a million albums. So to have people put their trust in me from Roc Nation to Columbia to my management, and doing the type of music I’m doing, it makes me feel proud. Like I’m not just proud of me, I’m proud of them! [laughing] The game is changing, because four years ago, somebody like me couldn’t get on. There was no place for me. People didn’t want to hear what I had to offer. But now, people actually do listen and they hear what I’m saying.
AllHipHop.com: Your song “Lights Please” created quite a buzz on the net and it is one of the songs that ultimately led to your signing at Roc Nation. Are there any special memories attached to the song – from a songwriting, production or recording standpoint?
J. Cole: Yeah, especially when I think about the beat. It just started off as a drum loop. Then, I added those keys, and it just sounded like something special. After that, I took a little break, and I just remember that when I came back to it, the words just flowed out so easily. And it was great, because there was no pressure involved. I was just broke. About to graduate school. So kind of, without even knowing, I was panicking – just hoping this music thing was going to take off a little quicker. But at the same time, it was like music was my escape, man. I could always go home from school or from work or whatever I was doing, and just work on music. And that was what came out that night. And it was really something that I was going through at that time, so that’s just why it just flowed out so easily. But yeah, I just remember being super duper broke. And not having enough. And not having no real career plan of what I was going to do. I just knew that I was not about to go get a nine to five career job after graduation, and I wasn’t going to go to grad school. So everyone else was applying for jobs, and applying for grad school, and I was like: “Man, I’m going to make this music thing happen.”
AllHipHop.com: When you look back on your Blueprint 3 collaboration, do you think that it is somewhat prophetic for you to record “A Star is Born” with Jay-Z?
J. Cole: Yeah, man, that’s kind of crazy. Like when you really think about it, and you think about where I could potentially be ten years from now, fifteen years from now, the power of that name right there is crazy. It’s not something I think about often, but when I do think about it, I definitely think: “Man, it’s crazy how that worked out.” [laughing] And Jay’s smart for that! [laughing continues] You know, if I end up blowing up, he is going to end up looking like a genius!
AllHipHop.com: With your recent touring experience with Jay-Z on the Blueprint tour, how do you think you have grown as a performer? And on top of that, what lessons did you learn as you watched him perform?J. Cole: To answer all that: just over-all confidence. Like I gained confidence and I learned like, you know, the importance of confidence. When Jay is on that stage, he knows he belongs on that stage. And it shows, and it flows through every move he makes and every rap he speaks and every time he talks to the crowd with no music on. It shows. That confidence shows. So that’s one thing I learned, like, man. You’ve got to know that you belong up there and that the people are there to see you, if it’s your show, and people are there to see you. And if they’re not there to see you, you’ve got to make it so they will come to see you next time and they’ll never forget your name. So that’s what I gained from the experience.
AllHipHop.com: The first single for your upcoming album is entitled, “Who Dat?” When your name is mentioned, what qualities and characteristics do you hope people will mention?
J. Cole: Oh, man, I hope they equate my name with quality. Quality lyrics. Quality beats. Quality hooks. Quality concepts. You know, there are some artists who go out there and do what they need to do, but they know in their hearts that they are just throwing some s**t together. But it’s enjoyable music, so they know people will listen to it. I hope when they listen to mine, they know it is something special. It’s like the difference between watching Soul Plane and Avatar. You see the difference. You see the level of work that was put into a piece of work. So I hope when people view my work, I’ll be more like Avatar than Soul Plane! [laughing]
AllHipHop.com: Out of all the songs that you have recorded, what led you to select “Who Dat” as your grand introduction to a larger, mainstream audience?
J. Cole: This song turns heads. Like, this song is a conversation piece, because when it comes on the radio, for the people who don’t know who I am, they’re going to immediately turn their heads and ask: “Who is this?” It doesn’t sound like anything on the radio. Who knows what it’s going to do on the charts? Who knows how far it’s going to go? But it will absolutely strike a nerve. No one will be able to forget this song, because of how left it is of everything else. It’s impressive, and really strikes a nerve.
AllHipHop.com: When you look at the lyrics of “Lights Please” and “Not Too Late,” what inspired the creative observations of the female’s perspective in these experiences?J. Cole: Observations. Even though they’re talking about a misguided female, it’s still empowering in a way. It’s not just bashing a girl. It’s touching on serious everyday issues, and if there’s a girl out there listening to my music and being exposed to that, hopefully she look at her man and say: “Oh, s**t, let me change that.”
AllHipHop.com: Your mother played an important role in jump-starting your early music career, when she bought a beat machine for you. What kind of special appreciation do you have for her?
J. Cole: Yeah, there’s a few things she always instilled in me. One of the most important ones is the she really made me believe that I could really do anything. Some people are blessed enough to have parents that try to tell them that. Some people don’t. But my mom constantly told me that and made me believe it to the point where it was like: “Well, I can do anything — be a basketball player, be a painter, be an astronaut.” I really believed her, and I never doubted that I could ever do anything. And when I started to think about rapping seriously, it was almost like the audacity to think that I could go do that came from her, without her probably even knowing that she was feeding me that.
ShoutOut:KiKi
J.Cole Interviews With BCreme [Audio]
This is a older interview that was just posted by GotEsKee, In this interview Cole discusses going back home,not feeling pressure & much more.
