J. Cole Reflects on Kanye West’s Impact on His Life and Music

J. Cole has acknowledged Kanye West as a transformative figure in his life and a significant influence on his music, according to HipHopDX.

In his new audio series, Inevitable, the Dreamville artist discussed the substantial effect Kanye had on him during his formative years as an artist.

“I was an aggressive battle rapper that had bars and I was a storyteller of fantasy, like ‘The Storm’ — completely made-up scenarios. I had that, but my life was actually hella regular,” Cole shared.

“I didn’t sell no drugs, it was nothing like my favorite rappers. It was nothing like JAY-Z‘s life, it was nothing like what ‘Pac‘s life appeared to be. There was nothing gangster about it. I didn’t know how to talk about my life in a way that people could connect with. And then fucking Kanye West happened.”

Cole expressed gratitude to Ye for encouraging him to shed his pretenses and fully embrace his authentic self in his music.

“In the summer of 2003 before I went to college, the ‘Through the Wire’ video dropped — and that shit changed my life,” he continued. “I became a massive Kanye fan. Kanye was the first time that I saw myself in somebody. He just made it possible to talk about your life or your regular-ass perspective in a way that’s appealing.

“This n-gga became my favorite artist at that point. He kinda cracked my mind open.”

Despite his admiration for Kanye, J. Cole’s relationship with him has been complex since he gained fame.

His 2016 track “False Prophets” was often seen as a critique of his Hip Hop idol, featuring lines that hinted at this tension: “Justifying that half ass shit he dropped, we always buy it / When he tell us he a genius but it’s clearer lately / It’s been hard for him to look into the mirror lately / There was a time when this n-gga was my hero, maybe / That’s the reason why his fall from grace is hard to take.”

Additionally, Cole seemed to take another shot at the rap icon and fashion mogul in his 2019 song “Middle Child,” where he delivered pointed lyrics.

Kanye subsequently requested a “public apology” from the North Carolina rapper, referencing the perceived jabs in Cole’s verses.

Recently, Yeezy also directed a remark at J. Cole in his remix of Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar’s track “Like That,” rapping“Play J. Cole, get the pussy dry.”