J Cole Claims That Jay-Z Once Told Drake To Give Cole A Hit Single

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.6K Views
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Tidal Launch Event NYC #TIDALforALL
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: (L-R) Deadmau5, Kanye West, JAY Z and J. Cole onstage at the Tidal launch event #TIDALforALL at Skylight at Moynihan Station on March 30, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
This must've been awkward...

J Cole and his manager and Dreamville cofounder Ibrahim Hamad continue to bring fans a compelling experience via their Inevitable audio series chronicling the former's career. They brought fans a lot of interesting reflections and revelations so far, with one alleged interaction in particular driving a lot of fan interest. Moreover, the North Carolina rapper and Ib claimed that Jay-Z once told Drake to give Cole a hit single. This was at Hov and LeBron James' Two Kings dinner during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2011, and Cole wanted to find a hit single before the release of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.

"We having a conversation. Me, Cole, Drake, Future [The Prince]," Ibrahim Hamad said of Jay-Z and J. Cole. "I don’t know who else but there were a couple more people. So then Jay walks in and he sees all of us together. He goes 'Yo!' and he looks at Drake and he says 'Yo, give the boy one,' points at Cole like basically 'give him a hit.' We’re all like 'what?' I even remember Future’s face being like, that’s embarrassing."

J Cole & Jay-Z Performing In 2014

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’s looking at Drake and pointing at me and going, ‘Give him a hit, give my boy a hit,’ basically," J. Cole remarked during the new episode. "What I do remember is being at the dinner after that and I’m just looking at Cole and he looks pissed," Ib added. How they spoke on the meaning behind all this is that the two MCs were at a highly competitive point and had just collaborated on the song "In The Morning." Not only that, but Cole had allegedly failed to put out a hit single before this album cycle despite previous attempts like "Blow Up" and "Higher."

Apparently, J. Cole actually confronted Jay-Z about this situation later into the night, claiming hypocrisy over this demand for a hit single when Reasonable Doubt didn't have that expectation. What's funny is that not only did Cole World: The Sideline Story become his biggest album at that time, but "Work Out" proved to be a massive hit. So it all worked out in the end...

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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