It’s amazing what you can do with 5 mins, a flip cam and a tape recorder.
I had the opportunity to meet and interview J Cole last week and I can’t tell you how appreciative I am to be able to chat with artists just as they are on the cusp of really blowing up. It’s something about being a part of that journey to the top that’s gratifying.  He was so humble and you could tell that he was still #Hungry.
Before the interview, I wasn’t that familiar with him but he was the most requested artist on my site. Prior to the interview, I told him that my audience had emailed, facebook’d, tweeted and commented about how I should cover him on the site more and so we eventually answered their requests and began posting on him. He was so appreciative.
I was given just a few minutes to ask him a few questions, so I kept it cute (no gossip or rumors) and asked about his collaboration with Missy Elliot (which he says happened over Skype), his single ‘Lost Ones’ which deals with the topic of abortions and I asked him to share what the period was like between him graduating from St. Johns University and waiting for someone to give him a deal.  He told me his landlord didn’t pressure him to pay the rent because he knew he was going to ‘be somebody’ and he ended up stacking a rent tab that could rival a student loan.  He eventually paid it off and included a little extra when he signed his deal and received his advance check from his label. I was touched by this as I had a similar story when I worked in radio. [Read it here]. One lesson I’ve learned through my journey is that it only takes one believer but even if there is no one that supports your vision at first, as long as you believe in yourself and you see the overall vision, no one can stop you.
He also shared with us what he felt it means for an artist to sell out as well as what he would like his legacy to be. ’10 years from now, when you are naming the best rappers, put me on your list’.
When I returned home, I watched the footage and the first thing I thought was ‘oh no, the audio is crap’. Good thing I had the handy recorder. We ultimately had to use the audio from the recorder and match it up to the footage from the flip cam …but it didn’t come out to bad. Thanks Patrick Neree for saving the day!

After the interview, someone presented him with a custom Lakers Jersey with Kobe Bryant’s number.  He once said that Roc Nation is the Lakers of the industry and he is a huge Lakers fan.

I must add that his sold out show at Nokia Live was high energy and full of inspirational moments as he talked to the audience about his journey in between songs. He recently injured his foot while playing basketball in Orlando which resulted in him having to wear a boot on his foot throughout the performance.  It was still hot though.
I am a new fan..
 

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