J. Cole Says He Was "Genuinely Nervous" About Hopping On Bia's "London"

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Rapper J. Cole performs onstage during day 2 of Rolling Loud Los Angeles at NOS Events Center on December 11, 2021 in San Bernardino, California. BIA poses backstage during her concert at Sony Hall on March 10, 2022 in New York City.
J. Cole shares the backstory behind how he got on Bia's new single, "London."

Bia's about to have the summer on smash, once again, thanks to her new collab with J. Cole. Following the release of Dreamville's D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, the rapper came through with another solid verse proving his versatility outside of his solo work. "London" takes evident inspiration from the UK scene, and Cole even flexes his British accent at various points in his verse.

 ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Despite being a seasoned MC with an undisputed legacy, the rapper explained that he was nervous to hop on the joint. The rapper shared a clip of Bia's verse, explaining that she played it for him the verse time they met and he was hypnotized. "She plays me this new song she had just did. Mannnnnnn [mind blown emojis] in that moment I was blown away," he wrote, explaining that the song was stuck in his head for a month. "It was my favorite song and I only heard it one time," he continued.

Cole explained that she later sent it to him before a conversation about him jumping on the song came up. "She hit me recently and sent me the song (she musta knew I wanted to hear it again!!!) and I was just grateful to have it in my possession," he said. "When the thought and conversation came up about me adding a verse, I was excited but genuinely nervous cuz I didn’t even see how the song could be better after what she did to it. I didn’t want to fuck nothing up! I’m grateful I Ended up catching the right wave."


Bia later responded in the comments, writing, "mannnn thank you soo much it’s a HONOR fr!!! [GOAT emoji] We gang now & we love n appreciate u more than u kno." 

J. Cole Says He Was "Genuinely Nervous" About Hopping On Bia's "London"

Check out their new collaboration below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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