j cole yachty interview

Lil Yachty on His Rock Album ‘Let’s Start Here,’ Rapping With J. Cole, and What’s Next

By Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

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Nowhere in the rap star manual does it say that a guaranteed formula for success is to “make psychedelic rock album with almost no rapping.” Yet that is exactly what Lil Yachty did with “Let’s Start Here,” his fifth full album but first rock project, after years as a top rapper with hits like “One Night,” “Minnesota,” “Oprah’s Bank Account” and guest spots on Kyle’s smash “iSpy,” Dram’s “Broccoli,” Calvin Harris’ “Faking It” and others.

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Are these the first dates you’re playing behind this new album?

At the album listening session, people did not seem to know what to think.

No! I didn’t know what people would expect, but I knew they wouldn’t expect that. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never been more confident with a body of work, so my chest was out. I didn’t think anyone would be like, “Oh, this sucks.” I genuinely felt like even if you didn’t like it, if you’re a music head, you’d have some kind of respect for the body of work itself, and for an artist to pivot and make something in such a complete, utter, opposite direction from what came before.

You said the people you played the album for included Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator — all of whom have made moves something like that in the past.

I’ll tell you, Tyler was a big reason for this album. He’ll call me at like eight o’clock in the morning — for no reason — and we’ll talk for hours. I was such a fan of [Tyler’s Grammy-winning 2019 album] “Igor,” his character and his way of creating a world — the color palettes, the videos, the billboards, the fonts. It’s all together. And I was like “How do you do that?” Because I was trying to figure out how to make a pop-funk-psychedelic-rock album cohesive, without it sounding like someone’s playlist. Then I started working on the visuals, and what I wanted to do was extremely expensive. To be quite honest, I don’t think my label believed in it enough to give me the budget that I truly needed for the visuals to bring this album to life, so I just made two videos.

Tyler and Drake both called me before my first show — I didn’t even tell them the show was happening but they both called me. That means something to me, because those people are my idols. I remember the day Kanye tweeted [Tyler’s 2011 single] “Yonkers,” I was in eighth grade. So them checking on me means a lot.

Is it a lonely feeling, sticking your neck out creatively like that?

Yeah, at first it was, but another thing Tyler taught me was not to be afraid of that. I was so scared before those first shows, like, “What if they don’t wanna hear it?” Tyler would always say, “Fuck it, make them feel you.”

Like, on the first show of this tour, I told the [sound crew], “Play psychedelic music before I go on, don’t play hip-hop” — but right before I went on they played a Playboi Carti song and I heard the crowd turning up and I was like, “Oh no, they’re gonna hate me!” And when I came out, I have in-ears [onstage monitors] and I have them set so you can’t really hear the crowd, it’s like dead silence. But I just kept going, and then my rap set comes and they go fucking crazy and that gives me confidence, and when I did the big rock outro on “Black Seminole,” they all started clapping. And for me it was the biggest “Oh, thank God,” because I couldn’t tell if they were fucking with it.

Is it exciting being in such a risky place creatively?

You were a teenager.

Exactly, But I still wanted respect, you know? I cared! My career was never solidified, I felt like folks were writing me off, so when I was making “Let’s Start Here,” I was at a point in my career where I did not have a hit rap record — it was like, “Man, this could really go left!” But I didn’t start thinking about that till I got deep into it. When I started, I was just like, “Man, I really love this stuff. Why don’t I hear anything like this now? No one makes psychedelic songs anymore.” I do psychedelics and I knew I wanted to make a psychedelic album. I love long songs, I love to just get deep into them — that’s why I love [Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic] “Dark Side of the Moon.”

I was on psychedelics when I first heard it and I would listen and just be like maaan. Like, bro, how can music make me feel like this? How can music make my brain just go to a new dimension? And how did you do that in 1973? I was like, can I do this? And obviously my answer was no. I mean, no offense, but how many rappers successfully made a rock album?

Almost none.

That’s what I’m saying. I think one of them was Kid Cudi’s rock album — I love it but a lot of people hated it. It’s not a full rock album, but it has a strong rock element to it.

Where did the rock influences come from, your parents?

My dad played a lot of Coldplay, a lot of Radiohead, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, a lot of John Coltrane, and I’m named after Miles Davis. My family loved James Brown, my dad loved Pharrell. He actually didn’t play Pink Floyd to me, but I’m glad I heard it as an adult.

I tried to make “Let’s Start Here” five years ago — “Lil Boat 2” was supposed to be “Let’s Start Here” with teenage emotions, but I was too young. I got too nervous to experiment on my rap record, and I didn’t have much experience or knowledge in alternative music. I met [“Let’s Start Again” collaborator] Jeremiah Raisan and tried again with the next album, but I chickened out and made another rap album. But when I had that conversation with Tyler, I was like “I’ve gotta do this, let me get that guy back.”

You had a hit with “Poland” — why isn’t it on the album?

That’s what I battled with, but at some point, you have to trust yourself. In the middle of making the album, “Poland” was a huge Internet hit and people were like, “You gotta put it on the album.” But I was like, it doesn’t fit! Just because it’s a hit record doesn’t mean it makes sense anywhere on this record. I was so focused on making my Black “Dark Side of the Moon.” And there is a small rap verse on the album, at the end of “Drive Me Crazy.”

You’ve said you recorded a hip-hop album after you finished “Let’s Start Here,” what’s it like?

What do you want to do next?

I get off tour around Christmas, and in January I’m starting a new album. I don’t know what it is yet, I don’t want to say “alternative.” I have rap album, but I just decided I’m gonna keep dropping songs [from it] until my next [non-rap] album is done.

Do you know who you want to work with on the next album?

So many people, obviously I want to do it on mostly with the band I made the record with, [writers/producers] Justin and Jeremiah Raisen, Jake Portrait and Patrick Wimberly. But I want to work with Donald Glover, I really want to work with Florence from Florence and the Machine. Sampha, Frank [Ocean], Buddy Ross, who worked with Frank. Chris Martin, Bon Iver, Solange, Mike Dean.

I’ve just been exploring, doing things that people wouldn’t expect. Even if I’m not the best at something, let’s just try, let’s explore, let’s create new things.

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Lil Yachty and J. Cole Share Video for New Song “The Secret Recipe”: Watch

Lil Yachty and J. Cole have come together for the new song and music video “ The Secret Recipe .” Check out the new video, directed by Lil Yachty and AMD Visuals , below.

While “The Secret Recipe” is J. Cole and Lil Yachty’s first collaborative song, the rappers share a bit of a history. In 2011 and 2012, when he was 14 years old, Lil Yachty tweeted a number of anti-Cole remarks , such as, “ i just dont like j.cole.... never said he wasnt good ,” and, “ FUCKJCOLE. ”

Years later, in 2016, Lil Yachty discussed the tweets in an interview , “I honestly can’t explain it. I don’t know why. Back in the day, I was heavy on saying, ‘Fuck J. Cole.’ I don’t know why. His music is so lyrical—let me clear this up.”

He continued, “I fuck with J. Cole as a person. I don’t listen to J. Cole. But I have nothing against J. Cole. I was young, and I was just talking shit, trolling. I never thought I was gonna be a rapper.”

Yachty concluded, “I have no issues with J. Cole or his music, and if we ever bump into each other, I don’t wanna any problems.”

Later, in December 2016, J. Cole released the song “ Everybody Dies ,” featuring the following lyrics:

Clap at the fake deep rappers The OG gatekeep rappers The would-you-take-a-break-please rappers Bunch of words and ain’t sayin’ shit, I hate these rappers ’Specially the amateur eight-week rappers Lil’ whatever, just another short-bus rapper Fake drug dealers turn tour bus trappers

The “Lil’ whatever” lyric, in particular, led many to believe that J. Cole was dissing Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert. After hearing the song, Lil Yachty said , “Honestly, I don’t give a fuck. I fuck with J. Cole, bro! I don’t listen to J. Cole, but I fuck with J. Cole.” He also brought up his teenage tweets and said, “I hope that he doesn’t feel any type of way.”

Lil Uzi Vert also responded to “Everybody Dies,” tweeting , “Heard some beautiful shit today @JColeNC 🔥💯. 😈®.” J. Cole, incidentally, recently collaborated with Lil Uzi Vert, co-producing the “ Blood Moon .”

“The Secret Recipe” follows Lil Yachty’s latest studio album, Let’s Start Here. , and J. Cole’s 2021 album, The Off-Season .

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Lil Yachty, J. Cole Cook Up ‘The Secret Recipe’ on New Collab

By Charisma Madarang

Charisma Madarang

Lil Yachty , who dropped his psychedelic relaunch Let’s Start Here in January, rolled out his new single “The Secret Recipe” featuring J. Cole on Thursday.

The offering pairs a jazz-infused beat against hard-hitting bars that see Yachty deliver the verse: “I don’t smoke weed, already blunt, all of my cars, I had to hunt/My doggy young as hell but still will step, we call him runt/Like window shoppers, I see through every front.”

The rapper echoed a sentiment he shared during an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, when asked about the role psychedelics played in the recording process. “None. Zero. I can’t record music on drugs. I have to be fully sober,” he said at the time. “But I’ve done it enough times to know what I want. I don’t have to be high to make it sound high.”

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Last month, Yachty continued his hot streak with spacey new song “ Tesla ,” which led a four-song single pack/EP of the same name.

In January, J. Cole reunited with Cordae and Anderson .Paak for “T wo Tens ,” nearly four years after they formed their musical trifecta for the first time on “RNP.”

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Lil Yachty and J. Cole Unite on New Single and Video "The Secret Recipe"

Hopping on Yachty's latest—which is more 'Let's Start Here' than "Poland"—Cole takes a moment to point out that once he’s “on your song, your streams going up,” even if it’s “not quite the Drake effect.”

Lil Yachty ’s looking to continue a damn near flawless run with an unexpected J. Cole collaboration filled with live instrumentation and introspective bars.

The new Yachty/AMD Visuals co-directed video for “The Secret Recipe” sees the Let’s Start Here creator lock in comfortably with the 16-time Grammy-nominated Cole, who we last heard in August alongside Gucci Mane on Mike Will Made-It’s “There I Go.” In addition to the exciting deviation that was Yachty’s latest album, the 26-year-old has powered through the year with singles like “Strike (Holster)” and, just a month ago, “Tesla.”

But circling back to that word for a second, "unexpected." Talking to Complex’s Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo this week , Lil Boat—who just embarked on his 39-date Field Trip Tour—reminded fans, “I’m just an artist, and you should never expect anything because I will always do something unexpected. Just don't expect it. … You know, I hate to disappoint, but I'm here to disappoint if you start expecting shit.”

“I Just Care a Lot”: Lil Yachty Opens up About His Tour and Friendship With Drake

Lil Yachty Looks Back on ‘Let’s Start Here’ Leak: ‘The Saddest I’ve Ever Been’

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On "The Secret Recipe," Cole, 38, takes a moment to flex about the attention he brings other artists when he turns in a guest verse, rapping, “I’m on your song, your streams going up/Not quite the Drake Effect , but don’t complain bitch, take what you get and cut the label check.”

A press release fittingly proclaims that the track "embodies hip-hop’s competitive essence as both Yachty and Cole unpack their frustrations with the rap game while addressing the undeniable influence they’ve had on the culture throughout their careers."

While Cole’s been quiet on the album front since May 2021, this year he helped propel Lil Durk’s Almost Healed single “All My Life” to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s been on the chart for 19 weeks and currently sits at a strong No. 16. Durk wasted no time admitting Cole "smoked my ass on that."

See Lil Yachty and J. Cole connect on “The Secret Recipe”—which is definitely more Let's Start Here than "Poland"—above via YouTube, and catch the song on Spotify and Apple Music soon.

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Lil Yachty & J. Cole Join Forces On First Collaboration 'The Secret Recipe'

By Tony M. Centeno

September 29, 2023

J. Cole and Lil Yachty stunned the world with their impressive collaboration. On Thursday night, September 28, Lil Boat dropped the music video for his new single "The Secret Recipe" featuring J. Cole. The video begins with the Atlanta native rapping his verse over the jazzy instrumental, which is produced by Rawbone and Yachty himself, as he sits on a stage in front of drum set. Once he finishes, the camera pans over to Cole who's the only one seated in the audience. "Cole and Yachty, comin' for they respect, come and pay your debt/Just like a travel pillow, we at your neck for the way you slept," Cole raps.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by CONCRETE BOY BOAT^ (@lilyachty)

"This nuance but I see hella influence in the way you dress," he continues. "The way you sound, the way you try to move/You try to stay abreast on all the latest flows and the latest tones from generation next." This is the first time Yachty and Cole have ever connected on wax. Shortly after the song dropped, Cole took to Instagram to offer his thoughts on the record. He acknowledged Yachty's sonic evolution over the past few years and even requested to join him on his podcast. "Boat going crazy, waking the whole world up this year @lilyachty Lemme do the podcast 🙏🏾🙏🏾" Cole wrote.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cole World (@realcoleworld)

Lil Yachty has been on a roll since he kicked off the year with his experimental album Let's Start Here . Since then, the "Poland" rapper has come through with several notable bangers like "Strike (Holster)," "Slide" and his most recent track "Tesla." His latest single comes just a week after Yachty kicked off his "Field Trip Tour" featuring his all-female band. Watch the video for Lil Yachty and J. Cole's new song below. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

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J. Cole Said Drake Chose The ‘Song Over Competition’ On ‘First Person Shooter,’ But He Expects Revenge

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop discussions proved how competitive the genre has been throughout the decades. Each emcee is vying for their chance to snatch the attention of the listening audience for the coveted yet ever-elusive crown of the best rapper. The ability to be ranked at the top of any profession is an accolade most would be willing to fight for, including “ Passport Bros ” rapper J. Cole .

Dreamville’s head honcho has made a habit of calling his peers — hell, even newcomers — out for a light, lyrical sparring match. Fans fueled his inner spark by deeming him the conqueror in a few big-name collaborations. His first career No. 1 record, the Drake collaboration “ First Person Shooter ,” is one example. According to J. Cole, although Drake ultimately chose the “song over the competition,” he expects revenge from the recording artist soon.

During an appearance on “ The Secret Recipe ” collaborator Lil Yachty’s podcast A Safe Place , he spoke about the public’s (including Joe Budden) favorable response to his verse.

J Cole & Lil Yachty react to Joe Budden saying Drake got washed on First Person Shooter pic.twitter.com/sJYk1VF5pg — SOUND (@itsavibe) November 2, 2023

“At that moment, [Drake] chose the song over the competition and what the public is going to say [about his performance],” Cole said. “Drake ain’t looking at it like, ‘I’m going to take Cole’s f*cking head off at some point.’ Don’t think he ain’t’ looking at it like, ‘Nah, we just gonna make the best song.’ No, he comes from that cloth. So… at some point in time, he going to want his lick back.”

Drake, under pressure, has created bangers in the past (i.e., “Back To Back”). Cole better keep his head on a swivel.

Watch the full episode of A Safe Place podcast above.

Earlier today (Nov. 2), Lil Yachty shared a snippet from his interview with J. Cole, who sat down with his “ The Secret Recip e ” counterpart for “A Safe Place Podcast.” In the short clip, Cole gave his honest reaction to scoring the first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 of his career, which happened thanks to his appearance on Drake’s For All The Dogs standout “First Person Shooter.” Notably, the hard-hitting track was competing for the top spot with another album cut, the Yeat-assisted “IDGAF.”

“It went No. 1, but if it went No. 2, I wouldn’t have felt no way. If the other song would’ve went No. 1, it’s like, ‘Bruh, I’m cool. I almost feel better not having my first No. 1 be off a Drake alley-oop,’” the North Carolina talent said. “I love Drake and I love that I’m a part of that moment with him, with Michael Jackson.” As REVOLT previously reported, the Canadian star is now tied with the King of Pop for the most No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Dreamville emcee continued, “I’m grateful to be a part of it, but if the other song would’ve went No. 1, n**ga, I’m still grateful I’m a part of it. I wasn’t at home like, ‘Come on, y’all! Pick up the streams, man! We gotta beat this motherf**ker Yeat!’ I wasn’t doing that.”

Cole also provided reasoning as to why the Coleman, Vinylz, Tay Keith , Boi-1da, FNZ, and OZ-produced offering did so well in the first place. “What got ‘First Person Shooter’ to No. 1 was: Me and Drake’s fans still buy iTunes, still buy singles. So the physical sale — not physical, but the digital actual sales of the song — I don’t know who’s still buying them b**ches, but, you know, [I] appreciate y’all.”

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J. cole admits first no. 1 coming via drake’s “first person shooter” is bittersweet.

The track was part of The 6 God's October album, 'For All The Dogs.'

By Armon Sadler

Armon Sadler

Hip-Hop Reporter

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J. Cole achieved a major career feat last month when he reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time thanks to being featured on “ First Person Shooter ” with Drake . The 38-year-old revealed why it is a bittersweet experience during a recent interview.

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by CONCRETE BOY BOAT^ (@lilyachty)

“First Person Shooter” competed with another track on Drake’s For All The Dogs , “IDGAF” featuring Yeat, for the number one spot. J. Cole clarified that he didn’t care to beat the Yeat record, nor was he telling fans to run up the streams, though the fans ended up being the reason that his track claimed the throne on the Billboard Hot 100.

“If that other song would’ve went No. 1, ni**a, I’m still grateful I’m a part of it,” he said. “I wasn’t at home like, ‘Come on y’all! Pick up the streams, man! We gotta beat this motherf**kin’ Yeat! Come on!’ […] What got ‘First Person Shooter’ to No. 1 was me and [Drake’s] fans still buy iTunes singles […] the digital actual sales of the song. I don’t know who’s still buying them bi**hes but, you know, appreciate y’all.”

Luminate , a website that documents trends, behaviors, and insights into entertainment mediums, reported that “First Person Shooter” sold 4,000 digital copies in its first week plus 42.2 million streams and 4.3 million radio airplay audience impressions.

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J. Cole Reveals He Does Not Charge for Features

“yo, bro, it’s just a bar, bro.”.

In a recent podcast of Lil Yachty ‘s A Safe Place podcast, J. Cole stopped by to discuss his collaborative process. At one point in the interview Yachty asked J. Cole how much he charges for a features.

To much of his fans’ surprise, Cole confirmed that he does features for free, “Yo, bro, it’s just a bar, bro. Like, a lot of my bars be really on point but that’s just a flex. I’m not gonna charge a ni**a $2,000 a word. I don’t even charge ni**a for the verse, I’m doing this shit because I’m inspired to do it.” Cole’s comments come shortly before Soulja Boy revealed that he charges $1 million USD for a feature. In a livestream Soulja Boy said, “If you want a verse, it’s gon’ cost you a M. You want a show, it’s gon’ cost you $100k.”

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J. Cole and Lil Yachty join forces on new song “The Secret Recipe”

The one-time foes team up on a brand new collaboration..

J. Cole and Lil Yachty have come together for the new song and music video "The Secret Recipe." Watch the new video below.

The collaboration comes from two rappers who have not always appeared to be on the same page . However, they use the track to air similar views about feeling undervalued in the rap world and to flex their own levels of influence. Yachty produced the beat and raps about how "standards have collapsed" and fires shots at those who "refuse to act like I ain't shift the sound, like I ain't push the culture."

Read Next: Drake announces 2024 tour dates with J. Cole

Cole, meanwhile, nods to the one rapper who can claim to be bigger than him in a moment of self-awareness. "I'm on your song, your streams goin' up, not quite the Drake effect," he raps. "But don't complain, bitch, take what you get and cut the label check."

Lil Yachty is currently on tour in support of his latest album, the psychedelic left-turn Let's Start Here . Since that album dropped he has shared the loosies "Strike (Holster)" and "TESLA."

J. Cole’s most recent album is 2021's The Off-Season . Earlier this week he urged NFL teams to give Colin Kaepernick a shot at returning to the game after the exiled quarterback underlined his availability in an open letter.

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J. Cole Teams Up with Lil Yachty for New Song “The Secret Recipe”

Thomas Galindo

Updated: 

Lil Yachty ‘s 2023 just keeps getting better and better. Out of nowhere on Thursday night (September 28), the Atlanta-bred MC released a new song exclusively on YouTube titled “The Secret Recipe.” Including a feature from J. Cole, making for their first-ever collaboration, Yachty’s new offering consists of solely two verses, where both artists attack the beat with ferocity.

Videos by American Songwriter

Yachty opens the first half of the track with a glistening, massive chip on his shoulder, calling out unnamed skeptics for never giving him the credit he deserves.

The standards have collapsed, they wrote me in with lames They treat me like I’m them, they hate I overcame Refuse to pat my back, refuse to shake my hand Refuse to give me props when I am not around Refuse to act like I ain’t shift the sound, like I ain’t push the culture

Next, over the saxophone-infused production, Cole steps onto the recording with the justifiable confidence of a seasoned veteran, which he certainly is at this stage of the game. Including his patented basketball allusions and accusations of rappers that are “fake gangsters,” Cole meets his high standards with perceived ease.

These bitches out here lookin’ like Steph on the late contest Wide open, shootin’ they shot, don’t even waste your breath I been stop fuckin’ you thots, ain’t got no patience left Save that shit for one of them niggas that rock the fake Pateks My paper stretched just like a Laker before he break a sweat Signed, the greatest yet

[RELATED: Lil Yachty Offers Insight on Drake’s ‘For All The Dogs’]

But, while much of the hip-hop community was blissfully pleased with the arrival of “The Secret Recipe,” some fans felt that one of Cole’s lyrics was meant to be a diss towards fellow rapper NBA YoungBoy. Rapping Incomin’ call, press the button, the one that say accept / He FaceTime to ask for a feature and saw the face of death , J. Cole is thought to have been sending a shot at YoungBoy, responding to a diss YB aimed at him earlier this year.

On his song “ Fuck The Industry Pt. 2 ,” released in April, YB appeared to be angry with J. Cole about the fact that he chose to do a song with Lil Durk instead of him. Considering Durk and YB have been in a years-long beef, YB likely took Cole’s decision as a firm stance on who he supports in the dispute.

J a ho, that n***a played it cold, like he was gon’ do a feature So I texted his line a muscle sign, I swear it’s gon’ be nice to meet you

However, Cole’s manager and president of his Dreamville label Ib Hamad did not see it this way. Taking to Twitter on Friday (September 29), hours after the song was added to digital streaming platforms, Hamad called Fans’ theory far-fetched.

“I’m pretty sure this is [cap emoji],” he tweeted, as “cap” is a slang term for a “lie.” “Not sure how y’all heard that cole verse and put that together, impressive.”

I’m pretty sure this is 🧢. Not sure how y’all heard that cole verse and put that together, impressive 😂. https://t.co/VxBY8B3OX5 — Ibrahim H. (@KingOfQueenz) September 29, 2023

Regardless of the mild drama, “The Secret Recipe” is the latest addition to a special run from Yachty so far this year. Including an experimental, psychedelic rock album and multiple fan-favorite songs like “ Strike (Holster) ” and “ Half Doin Dope ” with J.I.D., 2023 has seen Yachty elevate to new heights, thanks to a newfound multi-faceted sound and stellar collaborations.

Check out “The Secret Recipe” below.

Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic

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J. Cole Reveals He Doesn’t Charge For Features: ‘I’m Inspired To Do It'

J. Cole has revealed how much he charges artists to get him featured on their songs — and, as it turns out, he does it for free.

On Thursday (November 2), the North Carolina native stopped by Lil Yachty ‘s A Safe Place podcast where he explained that his feature verse on 2019’s “The London” — “ I left a flock of rappers dead and buried  A verse from me is like eleven birds/ Just did the math, that’s like two thousand dollars every word ” — was little more than typical Hip Hop braggadocio.

“It’s just a bar, bro,” he said. “A lot of my bars be really on point, but man that’s just a flex. I’m not gonna charge [artists] $2000 a word. I don’t even charge [artists] for the verse. I’m doing this shit because I’m inspired to do it.”

Check out the interview below:

Despite being good to his fellow artists, some of J. Cole’s fans called him out for another part of his interview with Yachty after he shared some kind words about the new generation of rappers — which came while the pair were discussing the prior narrative of Cole hating on new rappers.

The chatter was at its peak in 2016 when he dropped the song “Everybody Dies,” where he took aim at rappers using “Lil” in their stage names on the track, specifically with the following bars: “ Especially the amateur eight-week rappers, Lil’ whatever/ Just another short bus rapper .”

It was then fueled further by his 2018  KOD  album cut  “1985,”  where he seemingly dissed  Lil Pump  (which  led to a brief spat between the two ).

However, Cole has since changed his tune and embraced the new generation, and further spoke to that in his conversation with Lil Yachty. He first explained that “Everybody Dies” wasn’t just a shot at the new generation but instead, all of the rappers in every generation.

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November 3, 2023

“That wasn’t [just] the new generation,” he said. “That was everybody. My generation, that generation, the older generation. There’s a, ‘ Will you take a break please? ’ [line in there.] Like, ‘N-gga, how long you been doing that shit for?’ At that time it was that, but I understand how it was perceived that way and how that added to the narrative.”

He went on to explain how he once had to check himself back in the late 2000s when snap music was at its peak, noting how he was trying to hate on  Soulja Boy  before realizing not only did he enjoy the music, but those types of artists clearly know how to be successful.

“[I told myself], ‘What you’d be better off doing is you need to look at a Soulja Boy, you need to look at a such-and-such, whoever was out at that time – might have been snap music at that time,” he said. “What you need to do is you’d be better off realizing that these dudes is talented and they understand something that you don’t understand and they figured something out.’ And bruh I swear to God I switched my mindset and I just turned from a hater as a youngin to just an appreciator.

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Soulja Boy Calls Out J. Cole After Appearance On Lil Yachty Podcast

S aturday morning (Nov. 4), Soulja Boy sent a direct warning to J. Cole after he mentioned how he discovered his music during a podcast episode with Lil Yachty’s “ A Safe Space Podcast .”

In the viral clip, Cole mentioned, “When Soulja Boy was first coming out, my favorite rappers were 2Pac, Nas, JAY-Z, Andre 3000, you know, people with the highest skill level. So when I heard ‘Soulja Boy Tell Em,’ it sounds crazy because it’s a classic to me now, but I was resistant to it at first.”

He continued to say, “I had to have the realization that I am a hater. Like, bro, you are a hater.” Ending the statement, “You would be better off realizing that you would be better off trying to learn from then. After that, I turned from a hater to an appreciator, making me a better artist.”

After seeing the positive clip, Soulja Boy oddly warned J. Cole, telling him, “ Aye bruh don’t speak on me , I’m not Lil Pump, Drake , or none of these rapper ni**as. On God.” Before that post, he exclaimed, “Ni**as always hated on me nothing new. Him and Big Sean was on some hating s**t. But f**k them, I’m still lit.”

The “Kiss Me Through The Phone” emcee also posted a screenshot alluding to him being old. Many of his fans commented on the post condemning the action. One fan shared, “Yeah, he was hating back then, but since then, he’s giving you your props as someone who excels artistically in a way he can’t. How many other artists of his caliber are honest like that and will say they were wrong about you or wrong in general.”

During the most recent interview, Cole also discussed his first Billboard Hot 100 #1, his relationship with Drake, how he met Lil Yachty, his forthcoming album The Fall Off , and even shed light on the alleged album between him and Kendrick Lamar .  Watch the full J. Cole interview with Lil Yachty via YouTube below!