When the Let Nas Down (Remix) droppped over the weekend, it came as a pleasant surprise to many, but it was unclear how much knowledge J. Cole had of it's existenece before it appeared on Twitter. In a recent radio intrerview with 97.9 The Box in Houston, Cole revealed that the remix has been in the works for some time, predating even the release date of Born Sinner.
On whether he knew the track was coming, Cole repsonded "I knew, but it still didn't matter. It was still a major moment". The NC rapper revealed that the two had been keeping Nas' verse since before Born Sinner's release. "We've been working on this for the past two weeks" he said, "I was waiting for days for that moment."
The NC emcee spoke of how the song meant a lot to him, but signified something bigger as well. "It's a moment for me, but in turn it's a big moment for hip hop," adding, “That’s a moment everyone can look at and be like 'damn' because they know my story, they know my journey. Everyone knows what it feels like to look up to Nas and how he deserves to be looked at, and for that to happen is a huge moment.”
Cole also further detailed the time he played the original track for Nas, indicating he had made the song only 3 days prior. "I was so grateful that I had made the song, because it was a lot of stuff off my chest. It was therapeutic." he said of his feelings at the time. As previously reported, the encounter happened at a Houston airport. "It's like 630 in the morning, the first flight out," he said, "My homeboy's like can I hear that song you just did?". Just after hearing "Let Nas Down" Cole's friend then spotted the legendary rapper, "he's handing me the laptop back and he says 'Yo is that Nas right there?'".
"I never run into this dude, I had only met him like one other time" said Cole of the freak occurrence. "I ran on the plane. He was in the seat directly behind me" Cole then played him the song, "He went nuts!" the rapper exclaimed.
Listen to the full interview below.