J. Cole Reflects On Artists Who Have Impacted His Career

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2022 Lollapalooza - Day 3
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 30: J. Cole performs during day 3 of Lollapalooza at Grant Park on July 30, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic)
J. Cole recently discussed which artists have inspired him while speaking with Kevin Hart.

J. Cole recently discussed which rappers have had the biggest impact on his artistry during an appearance on Hart to Heart with Kevin Hart. The Dreamville rapper listed off several legends of the genre while reflecting on his career.

“I got a whole list of people who are the reason why I’m here — my north stars that I look up to. Obviously, Pac. Jay, Nas, Eminem, André 3000, Lil Wayne. And these are obviously the big bullets,” Cole said.

J. Cole On Stage With JAY-Z

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Rappers J. Cole and Jay Z perform in concert at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

He continued: “I had Royce the 5’9 moments. I had Canibus moments. I had Boom Boom moments. But like in terms of the people that fueled my ambition. That showed me what was really possible. Like the first names I named, those are the highest ones. So those were the people where I was like, ‘Yo, I’m tryna get up there.’ In terms of skill, in terms of success, all of that they fueled it.”

Cole also shared praise for the current generation of rappers in hip-hop, although he directed his comments at the women of the game specifically. “It’s a whole different ball game, like a whole different crop of young superstars and styles,” he added. “I’ve been feeling this for like maybe a year or two — I hate to say it ’cause it almost sounds like pandering — but I really do think like, man, it’s a lot of fire female rappers." He added that they're "doing some of the most exciting [stuff], commercially." Check out a clip from the interview below.

J. Cole His Hip Hop Heroes

Cole is currently in the process of finishing his next studio album, The Fall Off, which follows his 2021 project, The Off-Season. Cole teamed up with his fellow Dreamville rapper, Bas, last month for the single, "Passport Bros."

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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