Team Live
On June 1, J. Cole kicks off his “4 Your Eyez Only Tour” in Columbia, South Carolina. It wraps Dec. 9 in Perth, Australia.
Look for Cole in Las Vegas, L.A., Chicago, and Boston, among numerous other cities. He also has concerts planned for Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
He’s hitting the road to promote his fourth studio album, 4 Your Eyez Only. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
The album doesn’t contain any collaborations, a trend he’s carried over from his previous release, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Yet, throughout his career Cole’s worked with a number of big-name artists, both as a performer and producer.
In honor of his new album and tour, we decided to look at ten great artists he’s collaborated with in the past.
Jay Z
This collaboration makes sense since Jay-Z is J. Cole’s mentor. Also, J. Cole is signed to the Jay-Z’s Roc Nation imprint.
Cole appeared on the track “A Star Is Born” from Jazzy’s The Blueprint 3. At the time, J. Cole was still two years away from the release of his first studio offering, Cole World: The Sideline Story. Hova appears on that record, rapping in the song “Mr. Nice Watch.”
Cole was one of the opening acts during S-Dot’s 2009 tour. Lucky Lefty also appears in J. Cole’s concert film, Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming.
Drake
Drake is featured in the song “In the Morning.” You can find that tune on J. Cole’s mixtape, Friday Night Lights, and his debut album. In 2012, J. Cole opened for Drake during the second leg of his North American trek.
Eminem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyMI3qqdFG0
Cole hasn’t recorded any tracks with Eminem but in 2014 he opened for Slim Shady for eight dates in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and England. Eminem is one of J. Cole’s favorite rappers.
Janet Jackson
Cole rapped on Janet Jackson’s “No Sleep.” The song was the lead single from her 2015 album, Unbreakable. J. Cole is only featured on the album. He’s not featured on the single although his version was eventually released for airplay.
TLC
TLC is the bestselling girl group in America and the bestselling girl group in the world behind The Spice Girls. In 2013, J. Cole tapped their immense popularity for his single “Crooked Smile.” The song peaked at #27.
Rihanna
Cole has toured and worked with Rihanna. In January of 2011, J. Cole was featured in a remix of her single “S&M.” Later in 2011, J. Cole opened for Rihanna during her “Loud Tour.” Rihanna also appeared in J. Cole’s documentary series, J. Cole: Road to Homecoming.
Kendrick Lamar
Cole has collaborated several times with Kendrick Lamar including the songs “Forbidden Fruit” and “HiiiPoWeR.” They performed together in the remix of Trae the Truth’s “I’m On” called “I’m On 2.0” and DJ Khaled’s “They Ready.” Like Rihanna, Lamar appeared in Road to Homecoming.
Maroon 5
It was only a remix, but it still counts. In September of 2014, J. Cole released a remix of Maroon 5’s “Animals.”
Lil Wayne
Cole is the featured artist on Lil Wayne’s track “Green Ranger.” The ditty is found on Tunechi’s 2012 mixtape, Dedication 4.
Missy Elliott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pt0RHz_tno
Missy Elliott is featured on the fifth and final single from Cole World: The Sideline Story. The song, “Nobody’s Perfect,” was produced by J. Cole and interpolates Curtis Mayfield’s version of “Think.”
