S. Samuel
On the brink of release for his long-awaited Roc Nation debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, rapper J. Cole opens up about what he hopes people take away from the new LP.
For the North Carolina-bred emcee, he hopes fans can notice the maturity in his music.
“I want them to see the growth. You’ll see that you get flashes of the mixtapes–The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights. But then you also got spots where you’re like, “Oh, my God. What the f*ck is this?” I didn’t plan on being a mixtape artist my entire life. Of course, I want them to soak up the stories and the songs, but if there’s one thing I want them to get from it, it’s that, “Yo, this n*gga’s not f*ckin’ around. He’s not settling for that status.” (XXL Mag)
Last week, Cole was shocked when a fan showed him a premature released copy of his debut during a concert.
“I don’t know how the f*ck they got this sh*t, but this sh*t is real my n*gga,” Cole told a crowd of fans during a Scottsdale, Arizona show. “This sh*t is incredible for me to see right now. This a n*gga album. I don’t even have this, n*gga. I don’t know how you got this.” (Miss Dimplez)
According to reports, the album was accidentally released ahead of schedule to some retail outlets.
After all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into making his album, imagine J. Cole’s surprise when a fan handed him a copy of the physical CD before he had even seen it. The Roc Nation rapper was performing in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday night when someone in the audience held up a copy of his debut Cole World: The Sideline Story, nearly a week before its release. Apparently some Target stores had prematurely put the album on shelves. (Rap-Up)
The LP also leaked across the Internet earlier in the week.
Like all rap albums not titled Watch the Throne, J. Cole saw his Cole World: The Sideline Story leak before its release date. Not that he minds much. “I understand it’s a part of the game.” Nevertheless, Grown Simba’s LP is dropping September 27 and there some key songs on it. (RapFix)
J. Cole’s Cole World: The Sideline Story hits stores Tuesday, September 27th.
Check out J. Cole speaking on his new album down below:
