Vibe.com recently caught up with budding Roc Nation star J. Cole to discuss his highly anticipated debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story. During the interview, Cole spoke on some of his contemporary artists’ tendencies to split their time rapping and singing. According to Cole, he’s all for the likes of Drake and Chris Brown balancing their rapping and singing skills. He added that he feels like some artists who rap on the side simply do it for fun.
“I think it’s dope [that some rappers sing and some singers rap]. Why not?,” he said. “Who says Drake can’t sing if he wants to sing? Who said Chris Brown can’t rap if he wants to rap? It’s just adding another facet to your style. It’s just evolution man. The sad truth is, is some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring. You’ve just got to find a balance.”
He added, “I don’t even think they take themselves seriously – they just want to come on. If I could sing, I would sing just like Chris Brown. Someone like Trey Songz, I feel like he genuinely loves rapping and that’s fine. Some singers may not be your favorite rapper, but maybe they don’t give a fuck and their rapping helps them express something they can’t by singing.”
Cole also spoke about Internet commenters both celebrating and critiquing his career goals and musical decisions. He said that he usually doesn’t pay attention to too many outsiders’ comments on his work. At the same time, however, he says that he finds himself engaging in the same kind of commentary of others, and that it’s strange to find himself on both sides of the industry.
“I take things for what they are. If someone is saying something and they sound dumb as shit, then they’re opinion is not valid,” he said. “But if you sound like you’re making some sense… a lot of times it’s people assuming, acting like they know what’s going on. So you have to understand that these people’s opinions are misguided. There’s so many critics, but they don’t actually participate in the creation or consumption of music. It’s easy to look from the outside. It’s natural, I talk about other artists too… who’s better, who’s fucking up… but you really don’t know. I just happen to have a foot on both sides. But when I can tell it’s coming from a genuine place of concern it’s both flattering and annoying…it’s flattering because it’s like ‘Yeah, thank you. I want to see me win too,’ but annoying when you think about how people don’t really know what’s going on. “
The full three-part interview with J. Cole can be found here.
RELATED: J. Cole On Jay-Z Collaboration: “Your Guess Is As Good As Mine”
Ya know, I’m really hoping after Cole album comes out and Jay’s solo album comes out, they come out with collab album, master and protege. End YMCMB shit career.
right…. cause there’s only room for 2 rappers in the game. you’re a hater. i hate the word… but you are a hater straight up.
Jay won’t even give him 16 bars for his album after two years on the bench. At that rate, a collabo album would come out when Jay turns 60.
“The sad truth is, is some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring.”
IF…. not IS. Jesus christ.
so out of the whole article you were just worried about a grammer error? who gives a fuck go to spellingb.com or some shit you want a fucking medal, log off faggot
Deezy should get trampled and pooped on by an elephant
OMG sean ryon! “I take things for what they are. If someone is saying something and they sound dumb as shit, then THEY’RE opinion is not valid” its THEIR not they’re..how can one even mix up the two?
you do realize it’s a quote from Vibe, right?
^ you do realize that sites re-write articles, right?
another fucking tard looking for grammer. holy fuck log off
funny thing is..sean ryon actually used “they are” like half a statement back..proof read if u want to be taken seriously, too much slacking
he’s just saying all that coz he sings on a couple of joints too…
speaking of j cole i found this remix of who dat Fayetteville 910 stand up
Sounds like the work out video comments got to him…That video was weird as shit.
“It’s just adding another facet to your style. It’s just evolution man. The sad truth is, is some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring. You’ve just got to find a balance.”
So true
“It’s just adding another facet to your style. It’s just evolution man. The sad truth is, is some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring. You’ve just got to find a balance.”
What does “legend” mean. It means that they are known for something.
If some of the so-called hip hop legends came out now – for example 2pac – they would not be seen as boring. Why? Because they would be bringing something NEW to the table.
J Cole can only make sense in this statement if their innovations already happened by somebody else, because people are bored with artists doing the same thing after a while. But you can’t talk about legends as if they don’t even have a reason for why they are legends. It’s not because they chose to ONLY rap or ONLY sing. It’s because they were original and brought something new and LASTING to the industry.
I think J Cole is good sometimes but he wouldn’t even exist if he didn’t bite a legend’s hook, verse, or style in almost all of his songs.
Know your place J Cole.
ur the dumb fuck hes talking about, log off nutsack
yeah you really are the person hes talking about. What he’s saying is if Jay Z dropped reasonable doubt RIGHT NOW it would not be a succeful album. Why? because it lacks the poppy sound of the modern hip hop culture. I know what this guy is saying too, that Jay would make something different for the different time but what J.Cole is saying is that musical prefrence is changing in general, people like a little more poppy sound. People can hate it and say how thats not what true hip hop is, but look at rock and roll do you find that shit anymore? no. Times change, things change. BAM
you could never talk in these terms cause nothing would be what it is without the stuff that came before, everything has a foundation that is built upon. nobody would be around if it wasnt for the guy before them right?
@Jo its not the modern “hip hop culture” its modern “pop” or “rap” culture. we still preserve th hip hop culture in basements anywhere we can find shelter. bruno mars is not and mc so help me god.
Fans are not that stupid. That’s why they don’t buy shit anymore. It’s the artists these days who don’t realize they’re playing themselves. Coming on blogs whining and making people turn against them by lashing out at fans, critics, etc.
If you want internet commenters to have a more informed opinion about you and really know what’s going on, then make sure you inform them more and let them know what’s really going on.
If you don’t do that, you have no right to complain.
people aren’t buying albums anymore because it’s too easy to download them for free. I’ll still buy albums of cats I want to support, but i have hundreds of CD’s in my collect that I wish i would have downloaded instead (pre-internet days).
plus ipod
no one does the rapper/ singer thing better than mos def.
No one.
Phonte of Littile Brother.
I gotta ride with MexicanBorder as well! Phonte has that combo on lock!
Drake
pharoahe monch
Chamillionaire
“asddsa:
Drake”
LOOOOOOOOOL nar not better than mos
yep iam cosigning monch
mos def has talent and no radio play drake no talent and way to much radio play… Whys is america dumb
Mos Def and Phonte are both pretty ill, but I’d also go with Monch.
Andre 3000 puts up a good fight
novel
JaRule
devin tha dude??
Guess what a honkey is the best rapper that ever lived.
I know somebody who is real close to Jermaine and he has already got 7 tracks recorded for his second album coming out next July, it’s gonna be called MiraCOLE. You heard it here first.
stop snitching the wolves will come after you soup lover. Dont think for a second i dont come on this site to see what people are saying about OFWGKTA. Fuck two dope boyz overweight vegans
God, I feel really sorry for you, get a life.
there used to b a time when singers actually had to have talent now u can b Drake and get away with it.. Music has really dumbed down
No ones better than Cee- Lo when it comes to this.
so badly written.
Andre 3000 or Mos Def
Who is J cole? Will he be a legend? Or is he like every other new rapper? Funny if you asked all these rappers who is the best, they would all be the best. What does that say.
And everybody wants to be this person or that, instead of themselves. All suckers.
agreed.
J Cole needs to talk to Jay-z about bringing out his own line of tissues. This dude does more whining/sobbing in interviews than he does actual music.
How was he crying. cause he said he dont care what people like you say. smh Hating comments and then get mad when the artist dont like it. Who want that.
can’t believe ya’ll forgot about Bone Thugs-n-Harmony…..they pretty muck invented the style..
J.cole u suck nigga. The future of rap, hahahaha.
People have different was of thinking and he doesnt give a fuck what people who wont listen or try too have to say. There Just adding “cole” to the fire.(see what I did there). We got Spelling Bee champs, people who cant Read, and the almight Hater. WEAK! Smh they jsut took what he said, and became the Commenters. internet people who dont have nothing to do but be negative.
Guess y’all niggas done forgot bout Lauryn Hill?!! Queen La?!!
WTF Is All Ya’ll Talking Bout He Crying. Hes Simply Being Real Bout The Subject He On. And As For Non-Listener You Have No Voice When It Comes To Speaking On J.Cole. You Cant Speak Till You Listen. And Yes J.Cole Is The New Rapper FinnaGo Platnium. Stop Hating And Wish A Nigga Success Cuz Im Tired Of This No Substance Wanye & Others And I Got All His Shit. What Ever Happen To Meaninful Rap Hip Hop.