J Cole and Moneybagg Yo have a couple of collaborations together, namely their solo track "Say Na" and their YG link-up "Scared Money." With this collaborative experience in mind, it's no wonder that the Memphis MC would have some fond memories of his time with the Dreamville boss in the studio. Moreover, he recalled a particularly impressive session with the North Carolina spitter during a recent HipHopDX interview at the 2024 BET Awards' red carpet in Los Angeles last Sunday (June 30). Specifically, Moneybagg expressed shock and awe at how Cole was able to work so quickly, and how it's very hard to create these "lightning in a bottle" moments even when you have one of the best rappers of this generation in the booth.
""J. Cole gave me eight bars ASAP," Moneybagg Yo remarked concerning their time in the studio. "I’m talking about, like, probably in 15 minutes. We was in there, he done it ASAP. Boom, boom, boom. It was God because he was stopping by, he ain’t know I was at the studio, I ain’t know he was pulling up. And it kind of just happened organically. You can’t ask for those, you can’t pay for those things."
Moneybagg Yo Speaks On J Cole's Record-Time Verse-Writing
Previously, Moneybagg Yo had spoken on how Lil Durk also gave him a "classic" verse in record time. "Dat N***a @lildurk Sent Me A Verse Back In Less Than 20 mins Of Me Sending It To Em Da Night Before I Had To Turn My Project In And Its 1 of Dem Classic Day 1 Smurk Verses," he wrote on Instagram earlier in the year. "Just Got A Crazyyyyy Feature In I Couldn’t Drop This Project Without. Now Everything Locked In Fasho sho Its Worth Da Wait."
Of course, the project in question is Moneybagg Yo's new album SPEAK NOW. Hopefully these fruitful and impressive interactions with both J Cole and Lil Durk continue to inspire him to put in more work with the pen and keep making great music. As fans, we often talk a lot about how our favorite artists captivate, inspire, and enlighten us in their own unique ways. But it's always all the more special when that passion and craft inspires MCs' peers above all else.