J. Cole recently addressed his position in Hip Hop during an interview with Noisey.
“I don’t wake up every day like, ‘I got a great status in the Rap game,’” J. Cole said. “No, I feel behind. I don’t feel like I’ve done enough.”
While he may not feel that he has done enough in Hip Hop, Cole said he sometimes takes time to cherish what he has accomplished.
“I only get brief moments to appreciate things,” Cole said. “I might get a two minute thought of like, ‘Wow, you really did sell more than Kanye. You currently have sold more records [of Born Sinner] than Kanye West’s album [Yeezus], which came out the same day.’ Then I’m back to focusing on what’s next.”
Cole’s Born Sinner has sold approximately 599,000 copies to date. The album was released on the same day that Kanye West released his album, Yeezus, which has sold approximately 537,000 units to date.
Although Born Sinner has sold more records than Yeezus, Cole maintains that he cares more about matters concerning music rather than sales figures and trophies.
“I don’t live for the accolades,” Cole said. “I’m more so about the music. Making it, and putting it out. Those are the two best feelings.”
J. Cole Responds To Critics Who Say He’s Boring
While his music has allowed Cole to hit the charts, it has also allowed for some critics to hit him with claims that he is “boring.” Cole was asked about these critics.
“It’s funny, but it’s sad,” Cole said. “Everybody has their own style of music that they like. I could never let that affect me in the way I make music. The people who like Soul Plane are probably gonna think Shawshank Redemption is boring. It’s not the end of the world.”
Cole also said that he tries to avoid listening to too much criticism.
“I just gotta disconnect from it,” Cole said. “You can’t be a commentator and a player at the same time. I don’t have the energy anymore to care about the small talk. It’s cool that people care, because five years ago, nobody cared, but I don’t care about the chattering. It’s becoming more and more like noise to me.”
J. Cole released the video for his new single “Crooked Smile” yesterday (September 18). The video was dedicated to the life of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a 7-year-old who was killed during a 2010 police raid in Michigan.
RELATED: J. Cole Dedicates “Crooked Smile” Video To Aiyana Stanley-Jones
Cole sold more than Rick Ross last album too LMAO
MMG DONT SELL, SELF MADE 3 IS A FLOP. DRAKE ALBUM DESTORYED THEY SALES. NOBODY EVEN REMEMBER SELFMADE 3 OUT
Lol he compared his music to shawshank redemption. He’s in denial that he’s more so like those 1905 moving pictures with no sound and subtitles. This nigga is a rapping Bullet Blender Infomercial. Fuck outta here with your retort. Your raps are Okay but I think it’s your fucking producing that earned you the nickname J.Quil. he out sold Yeezus because he’s had two singles on heavy rotation Lol Ye sold on his name alone.
you’re in idiot, dude didn’t compare his music to shawshank. he was just pointing out that people like different shit in everything whether its music movies or whatever
J.Quil….LMAO!!! I missed that one. Love it!!
Good for him. Go to thegrandreport, they got. Some good hip hop videos on there
YEEZUS TRASH
JCOLE BORING TO ME, BUT HE GOT TALENT
DRAKE>KANYE>COLE
Dumbass.
I like Cole, but bullshit on the “I don’t care about sales”, the reason why he moved his album is because a Wale vs J. Cole day would do nothing for his sales. Also, nobody brought up the question, “How do you feel about album sales?”, he fucking started talking about the sales himself. Going up against Kanye was a good move, it also helps that he had a radio friendly single out for 5 months, Crooked Smile is going to help him even more.
J Cole doesn’t have the power to move his release date so all you’re doing is feeding into the hype and gossip.
^^^You’re a fucking idiot. What kind of insider information do you have, other than bullshit?
They don’t. This is the stanning that is disgusting on the internet.
J Cole is an employee, not a label executive. The executive, Jay Z came out after him. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that’s the reason for the pushup, not the so-called battle of sales that they sold to the sheep.
Who’s stanning here?
You’re just a faggot conspiracist, who acts like he has “insider information” on how shit works in the music industry. You’re a fucking moron if you don’t think an artist can move up or delay their album. Keep acting all cryptic and shit, it only makes you look like a weird paranoid faggot.
like Clifford replied I’m stunned that any one can earn $9838 in a few weeks on the internet. special info… http://www.Fb39.com
you’re in idiot, dude didn’t compare his music to shawshank. he was just pointing out that people like different shit in everything whether its music movies or whatever
He ain’t even out sell Yeezus first week so it’s irrelevant y’all tryin to boost this lil nigga selfiesteem Yeezus was best album of 2013 so far
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7fibtRFnLs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJxKnpYo70M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI-KjVLS6Uk
Yeezus is still the better album, in my opinion. Cole is a great lyricist but Born Sinner was just decent to me. He made a typical album that made hip hop heads happy but he didn’t take any risks. It honestly sounds like something that Kanye would’ve made back in ’05, which shows how far ahead of the game Kanye really is.
I’ve been saying that all this time. A lot of J Cole’s music sounds like dumbed down versions of the music Kanye used to make in the mid 2000’s. He is so stuck in the mind set, he can’t grow as an artist. He tries too hard to be like Kanye and has no real identity for himself. I’m not impressed
Who cares about sales ?
Kanye did make a great album. So does Cole.
Both of them at least tried to bring something to their music without really thinking about sales.
Exactly the opposite of Jay or Drake. But NOOOOOOO, you niggas just want sales, you dont want something new, you dont want music, you dont want lyrics … no you just want them to dumb bars, bitches, beefs, big cars a catchy hook …
HIP-HOP aint dead, but the “fans” sure want to kill it …
Amen my brother
I like both Soul Plane and Shawshank Redemption but I understand where he’s coming from, sales is bitch talk for niggas that have no creativity to focus on legacy..
Word. You got these wack rappers like meek mill and french montana talking about killing the sales while J COle just focuses on the music.
Yeezlost was garbage.
Try harder. You might get there someday.
Yeah okay dumb fuck-stop living in denial- that wannabe piece of art bullshit was garbage.
That’s not trying harder. That’s just you getting mad, like a fag. Keep trying though, but you’re chances of getting there someday is getting slimmer.
Cole might have sold more than Yeezy, but drake will destroy them both first week sales.
Because Drake is a pop artist. His music still sucks.
Nicki outsold Kanye overall when MBDTF and Pink Friday came out. If your shit appeals more to the mainstream than of course you’re going outsell the other one.
No, no and no. How exactly does Born Sinner, as a collective item, have any mainstream appeal? Exactly, dumbass.
??? His main single featured Miguel and now he has a song with TLC…..Mainstream as F*ck if you ask me.
@Shatteredworld
Really, so the fact that he put out a single with a pretty big R&B singer doesn’t strike you as mainstream? Crooked Smile with TLC as the new single? You don’t think he could have picked a single with just himself in it? Dumbass. The fact that the day of it’s release, he released a video where he and Drake bought a shit ton of copies at a Best Buy in NY, or the fact that Drake put out the Jodeci freestyle with Cole a couple of days later? Get the fuck out of here, you fucking dumbass, I like Cole but he doing things that appeals to the mainstream for a reason. Drake is insanely popular, if his fans (who don’t know who Cole is) see him buying an assload of copies of a single album with the rapper who made it, they would want to check it out. Same with the freestyle, from a fan who doesn’t know who Cole is point of view, “Who is this guy rapping with Drake? He sounds pretty good, let me check him out”. You obviously don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about so do yourself a favor; shut the fuck up and stop acting like you know shit, when you don’t.
People are acting like it’s some big accomplishment that J Cole sold more. Kanye barely promoted his album until months after it dropped. No singles, no videos, no album cover, just his face being played on a couple of random buildings. Of course it sold less…Also, you can’t compare someones second album to an established artist on his 6th album. When J Cole comes out with his 6th, then we can compare those albums sales to Yeezus. I’m not impressed
North West born right before the album, all the hype over those “red octobers” that never dropped, performances on SNL and Governers Ball, New Slaves video on the side of buildings.. It’s all promotion just not the normal cookie cutter kind of promo. Marketing is marketing
There was never any hype over the Red Octobers, that was sneakerheads, it’s not like he was putting random Willy Wonka style tickets in the albums. The only thing he did to promote it was SNL and the buildings. He only played like 3 songs from Yeezus at Governor’s Ball. Also, how is North West’s birth, “marketing”? Even if it was, which it wasn’t, all it did was illicit hate because of her name.
Lets not forget the nigga kanye keeps wearing skirts and masks and blouses, named his baby after an air line, plus his babymomma been ran through repeatedly by Gay J, thats marketing right!??
Seriously, a new baby, sneakers, clothing, and some salty ex still wanting to claim he hit it first is marketing for a future album?
LOL, dudes need to log off for the rest of the year and come to the realization that that sh*t don’t matter at all.
I’ve been through by Gay J also, while he was wearing a mask, and I was wearing the skirt. What a good night.
Lil Wayne outsold both
Ye was trying to imitate El producto style on the beats, I guess enough people were up on El p and passed on Ye. Not that El p would sell better but that weird shit is basically his sound.
EL-P sounds more coherent, oirignal and innovative. Kanye is just random euro-trash
Man fuck you haters Kanye’s album is good, I bought both albums born sinner is overrated and I got bored of it.All you guys do is hop on whats popular or shoved in your faces Kanye did not promote this album and still sold barley less and besides this is the states where he got out sold, the same country where Lil waynes sell 3 million copies so shouldn’t be surprised, and before I get blasted for that comment J.cole only out sold Kanye in The States EVERYWHERE else in the world he out sold J.cole, so why doesn’t Hiphopdx mention that.
You a soul plane nigga.
DX gave yeezus a 4.5…
Co-signature
Born Sinner was 10x better than Yeezus.
Yah if you like plain beats and basic hip hop that you’ve heard before, if your not a new listener that is, then you would not be so easily impressed. J.cole’s album is nothing new to ppl who’ve have been listening to hip hop for more than 10 years. It’s not on the same Level as yeezus at all.
Born Sinner was good, but it wasn’t better than Yeezus.
Yeezus had 4 maybe 5 songs with replay value. New Slaves, BOTL, Bound 2, Send it Up MAYBE Black Republican.. Born Sinner always gets played from start to finish
*Skinhead
Your opinions, my opinion is, while Born Sinner is good, not every song has replay value.
this is an online warning certian groups such as acters rappers rockers are biohazerds please be careful
uptil I saw the paycheck which was of $7064, I accept …that…my cousin was realie making money in there spare time online.. there uncles cousin had bean doing this 4 only 17 months and at present repaid the mortgage on their cottage and purchased a great Chrysler. go now http://www.star48.com
realie?
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Universal will soon be the defendant in a class action lawsuit. J Cole is so boring that many people fall asleep while listening to him in the car. Many injured victims and families or deceased victims are joining together to sure Universal, the distributor of Cole’s music. Bottom line is…Cole is boring and he’s about to be dropped becuase no level of album sales can recover the size of the suit that Universal is about to get slammed with.
LMAO
Troll harder.
Don’t listen to dentaldamboy he’s a punk bitch troll butt hurt that J.cole out sold his lame ass boss lil wayne this year Born Sinner SHITTED ON I’M NOT A HUMAN BEING 2 IN QUALITY AND ALBUM SALES TOOK LIL WAYNE THREE TO FOUR MONTHS TO GO CERTIFIED GOLD WHILE J.COLE DID THAT IN A MONTH ONLY FIVE WEEKS TO BE EXACT AND HE IS ABOUT TO CROSS THE 600,000 SALES MARK NEXT WEEK WHILE 600K IS NOT PLATINUM THAT IS STILL DOPE NUMBERS SOILD GOLD SO I DON’T THINK JAY-Z IS GOING TO DROP J.COLE ANYTIME SOON SORRY TO ALL THE NONBELIEVERS AND BUTT HURT PUSSY ASS HATERS WHO BE FRONTING ON J.COLE ALL NEED A NEW SUBJECT CAUSE THE SAME SHIT Y’ALL SAY ABOUT J.COLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS THE SAME SHIT THE HATERS SAY ABOUT DRAKE LOL REALLY COME ON NOW YALL HOW OLD ARE WE PERHAPS IF YALL DIDN’T HATE ON J.COLE SO MUCH AND SET YOUR STANDARDS SO DAMN HIGH ON HOW HE SHOULD RAP, CARRY HIMSELF AS AN ARTIST, PRODUCE, AND MAKE MUSIC HE PROBABLY WOULD BE THE MOST ICONIC RAPPER OF THE NEW SCHOOL AND MAYBE THE LEADER TO BUT IM WASTING TIME TRYING TO CONVINCE Y’ALL CAUSE YOUR TO CAUGHT UP IN YOUR OWN SEAS OF OPINIONS AND CRITICIZING TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC Y’ALL ARE JUST NEVER SATISFIED AND PROBABLY WILL NEVER BE UNTIL U LEARN TO LISTEN AND ENJOY MUSIC CAUSE IT’S REFLECTION OF HEART AND SOUL REMEMBER THAT AND AS FOR THOSE WHO SUPPORT J.COLE AND FEEL HE IS DOING VERY WELL I THANK U FOR UNDERSTANDING AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HIM HE’S HAVING THE BIGGEST YEAR OF HIS CAREER THIS YEAR AND I THINK THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF WHAT’S NEXT TO COME THE COLE WORLD DYNASTY CONTINUES ALL Y’ALL HATERS DIE R.I.P HATERS SLEEP TIGHT CAUSE HATING ALL YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER LEAD U TO THE LIGHT LOL
he didnt really outsell kanye -_-. one bad week and kanye selling more than him again w
He needs to stop making beats. And to do something about his terrible voice.. Can’t stand his voice. At almost as bad as Lil’ Wayne’s girly bitching.
great / terrible thing about music is that everyone has an opinion. So while you don’t like his beats or voice, at least 599,000 people disagree with you. Everything is subjective
Anybody see the Crooked Smile video? Are his videos for his singles for this album going to have a recurring theme of him going to jail, and someone dieing?
I feel like I am in the minority. I don’t really connect with J Cole music like I do with say Kanye, Nas, Rakim etc or most other hip-hop artists for that matter. Lyrically he’s very good, J. Cole, but yes I do find his music boring.
YO, JESUS CHRIST! Why is it every time I read the comments all people can focus on who’s better, who sucks, who’s not doing it, ETC. Jump up in here for once and just appreciate what’s being said and shown to us. God damn. Both albums were great. J. Cole’s is speaking on humility and focus. I read that and think *damn right, stay humble my man you’re doing it well. And damn right man, you got that daily focus I strive for. I hope more people do.* Then I get to the comments and it’s like “FUCK RAP FUCK LIL WAYNE FUCK SALES”. Jeez man, yall get a grip.
because it’s filled with 12-17 year olds, you can’t notice the cafeteria talk and the bathroom wall scrawls in here?
Fuck these two soft ass rappers. Ja Rule just put out his new song that blows both those garbage ass albums out the water. All hail the Mighty Ja!
Nigga you gay.
^says the dude that writes that comment out EVERYTIME
One of the worst rappers I’d ever heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp0cg91rK2o
your mother still likes him
My mother has shit taste, like you two.
I guess that explains why she ended up with such a loser of son. She clearly didn’t have great taste in men. #genetics
“I get my dick wet, but I never let it soak there” “I’m artistic, you niggas are autistic” “I rap like it’s xmas eve..” “..wanna fuck my word, ride my nouns, suck my verbs.”
He sucks. Wake up, get the fuck over it. Stop supporting bad artists.
..and a fucking hashtag, really? Stay home bitch.
j cole could buy you as his personal slave. keep an eye on your mother leaving your home at night.
And the hashtag was just a quick, simple way of educating your idiotic ass because I knew you lacked the basic intellect to get the joke. Hopefully, you looked up “genetics” and learnt something. Anyways, don’t bother with responding coz i won’t read it. I’ll be busy doing something productive with my life
Your comebacks are pissweak and you’re a waste of oxygen. And the hashtag was just a quick, simple way of educating your idiotic ass because I knew you lacked the basic intellect to get the joke. Hopefully, you looked up ‘genetics’ and learnt something. Anyways, don’t bother with responding coz I won’t read it. I’ll be busy doing something productive with my life
You know from experience..?
Weak again and incredibly dimwitted. Doesn’t even warrant a comeback from me. Actually feeling bad now coz judging by the quality (or lack thereof) of your comebacks, you’re probably in middle school. I’m sorry for crushing your self-esteem over and over again. Goodbye and good luck for the future, kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W1tG-m4NSU
What they say in interviews, and I mean all rappers, doesn’t mean fuckin’ anything. If you’ve really been listening to hip hop for ten+ years, you’re not giving this or any other person’s opinion two cents, because it’s not worth it. You care about what you care about, then leave it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l1sBt1c9Tk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H28uibSLdfg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC-Nof2PqiY
top5 new rappers right now
1.j cole
2.nipsey
3.wale
4.cory gunz
5.kendrick
LOL
Top five in what?
None of them are new.. The fuck u been?
hahahaha
top 5 rap artists in order Kanye West, Joe Budden, Drake, J. Cole, Kid Cudi…Check and AC are better than all 5 but they’re not famous
hell nah nigga, Ja Rule would end all their careers.
that’s a terrible list
this nigga jcole educated as hell.
Your comebacks are pissweak and you’re a waste of oxygen. And the hashtag was just a quick, simple way of educating your idiotic ass because I knew you lacked the basic intellect to get the joke. Hopefully, you looked up “genetics” and learnt something. Anyways, don’t bother with responding coz i won’t read it. I’ll be busy doing something productive with my life
Pussy.
When ppl say they’re going to do something productive on the internet it usually means the opposite.
These new generation of rappers really need to grow up and realize that defeating somebody in sales who has already sold millions, isn’t a feat. Kanye has already done his thing, and now seems like he could care less about what he puts out. Cole has gone gold twice. While that’s great for him, that’s not enough to let your ego swell.
Cole so damn fine. I’d suck the brown off.
These guys were new when wayne was still good
I copped both albums and honestly only listened to born sinner once. I liked what I heard from it but I just never feel like going back to it like I did on his first album. I’ve gone back to Yeezus plenty of times though.
look what god did..
https://soundcloud.com/veromusic/sets/look-what-god-did-1
Well, good a thing i’m reading this post 3 yrs later… Cole has gone platinum off his third studio album “2014 Forest Hills Drive”. Cole as ur phone on zero percent. Lol! Reply to Anonymous