J. Cole, born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, is a successful rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He’s been nominated for five Grammy’s, and he won the Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Album for 2014 Forest Hills Drive. In the last five years, this multidimensional entertainer has blown up and become one of the biggest names in music.
Cole often reflects on his upbringing, racial issues, ambition, and hip-hop. The magna cum laude from St. John’s University is well-known throughout the music industry for his poignant social commentary and thought-provoking lyrics. Not only is he willing to speak his mind, but unlike most superstars of today, he actually has interesting things to say.
In this article, I’ll break down some of the most memorable J. Cole quotes, both from his song lyrics and his interviews. These quotes range from insightful to risqué.
Best J. Cole Lyrics Quotes
The first section consists of some of Cole’s catchiest lines from his best songs.
From “No Role Modelz”
I want a real love, dark skinned Aunt Viv love,That Jada and that Will loveThat leave a toothbrush at your crib loveAnd you ain’t gotta wonder whether that’s your kid love
In “No Role Modelz,” J. Cole vents about the vapid, materialistic women of today. Here, he’s discussing how he longs for a deeper relationship instead of a casual fling.
Aunt Viv was the matriarch on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The original Aunt Viv was replaced by an actress with lighter skin. Aunt Viv was a strong, smart woman who offered unconditional support to her family.
And “Jada and Will love” refers to Hollywood power couple Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith.
My only regret was too young for Lisa BonetMy only regret was too young for Nia LongNow all I’m left with is ho’s from reality showsHand her a script the bitch probably couldn’t read along
J Cole is professing his view that the women of his age lack depth and education, especially when compared to older women whom he greatly admires.
Lisa Bonet is an actress who is best known for playing Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Nia Long is an actress who has been in a number of movies and tv shows, including Friday, Soul Food, and Love Jones.
Both Bonet and Long are in their 40s, and they’re two of my celebrity crushes. J. Cole has good taste.
Then hang the phone up, and proceed to lay the woodI came fast like 9-1-1 in white neighborhoods.
In this verse, J. Cole is discussing an extremely seductive woman who’s so tempting that she’ll get you to call your girlfriend and break up. And as soon as he’s off with phone, he has sex with the new, oh-so-tempting woman. “Laying the wood” refers to fornicating.
The second line is saying that he had an orgasm as quickly as the police respond to emergencies in white neighborhoods. The implication is that that’s really fast.
From “Power Trip”
The same clubs that I used to get tossed outLife got Kriss Krossed, totally Krossed outCause now I’m in this bitch and I’m totally bossed outOld chicks crying cause they know that they lost out
J. Cole is referring to his journey from the bottom to the top, from getting kicked out of clubs to being the man. Kriss Kross was a popular hip hop group in the early ‘90s.
From “I’m Coming Home”
To appreciate the sun you gotta know what the rain is
J. Cole wrote this song for Diddy, and it’s supposed to be from Diddy’s point of view. This quote means that in order to appreciate prosperity, you have to go through adversity.
From “How High”
Life is a movie, pick your own roleClimb your own ladder or dig your own hole
In this song about achievement and success, J. Cole is stressing the importance of self-reliance. If you want to reach the pinnacle of success, you have to create your own path.
From “January 28th”
If you ain’t aim too highThen you aim too low
January 28th is J. Cole’s birthday. This is from the hook in the song. J. Cole often talks about being extremely ambitious. If you’re not striving to be the best, then you need to have loftier goals. J. Cole is inspirational.
What’s the price for a black man life?I check the toe tag, not one zero in sightI turn the TV on, not one hero in sightUnless he dribble or he fiddle with mics
These bars also come from “January 28th,” and they reflect his beliefs on how black men are viewed in society.
In the last line, he’s referencing the stereotype that black men can only be successful if they’re basketball players or rappers. J. Cole wants to be a role model for black men and teach them that they don’t need to rap or play basketball to have a positive impact.
From “Feel Love”
Beside every king is a badass queenSo girl let’s make this chess move
J. Cole is not above a cheesy pick-up line, and he drops this one in “Feel Love.”
From “Crunch Time”
Only thing worse than death is a regret filled coffin
Repeatedly, J.Cole preaches that we should all reach for the stars. Not chasing your dreams will inevitably lead to regret, and living with those regrets is worse than death. Powerful sentiment, J. Cole.
From “Can’t Get Enough”
I love it when you give me head, I hate it when you give meHeadaches
This isn’t the most profound of the J. Cole quotes, and I don’t think it requires much interpretation or explanation. It’s catchy, though!
From “Cost Me A Lot”
Now I don’t love no material thingsBut I’m in love with the feelings they bring
Mr. Cole references money and the quest for riches often in his lyrics. Here, he’s letting you know that his pursuit of objects isn’t about the things themselves, but about how being able to obtain them makes him feel. That’s deep, yo.
From “Premeditated Murder”
Like keep grinding boy, your life can change in one yearAnd even when it’s dark out, the sun is shining somewhere
More inspiration from J. Cole. He wants you to keep working hard; you never know when you’ll reach your goals. Even when things are seemingly bad, you can always find some positive.
Best J. Cole Quotes From Interviews
Below, I’ve collected the most interesting J. Cole quotes on social issues, music, and his personal life. Check them out to learn about this talented artist’s perspective on the world.
On Race
Barack Obama would not be president if he were dark skin. You know what I mean? That’s just the truth. I might not be as successful as I am now if I was dark skin.
Cole made this statement in a 2013 interview with BET. He was talking about how lighter skin is subconsciously viewed as better in our society, so there’s an inherent privilege associated with being a light-skinned black man as opposed to a dark-skinned one.
The question referenced how J. Cole makes sure to put dark-skinned women in his videos, not only light-skinned women. He was asked whether skin tone affects men in hip hop.
I’m half-black, half-white, so I can basically put it like this: I can fit in anywhere. That’s why I write so many stories from so many different perspectives, because I’ve seen so many.
In this portion of a 2011 NPR interview, Cole is discussing his childhood and upbringing and his perspective on being mixed-race.
I want people to follow their dreams, yes…but I’m not interested in telling young black kids how to be rappers…I want to show them that there’s so many other paths you can take, besides a rapper or basketball player.
J. Cole has made multiple statements about how he wants black people to be seen as successful in fields other than rap and basketball. Even though J. Cole is a successful rapper, he was also an exceptional student who graduated college magna cum laude. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of this rapper.
I fast forward 20, 30 years from now, I see hip-hop being completely white.
He made this statement in a 2014 interview on the radio station Power 105. He was discussing his verse in “Fire Squad” in which he references Eminem, Iggy Azalea, and Macklemore.
He said he noticed that jazz, which “is a black form of music in its origins” has become dominated by white artists. He claims that the same thing will happen, and is starting to happen, with hip-hop because white artists are easier to sell.
On Music
I feel like the reason people feel like they know me is because I’m giving you myself in the music. There’s where the connection comes from, you can’t Twitter that.
Mr. Cole is a passionate man who reveals himself in his music. He exposes himself much more in his songs than Twitterers do in 140 characters.
It’s not cool anymore to rap about being a drug dealer.
J. Cole is well-versed on the history and evolution of rap music. While glorifying criminality was once popular in rap, times have changed.
Excitement is the anticipation of knowing people are about to hear my music. That other shit is an honor and I appreciate it because it (shows that) the work has spread so far that it’s making it on these brands’ radar. But it’s not exciting.
This is from an interview with Complex. J. Cole was referring to business opportunities that he’s received, and while he appreciates them and tries to take advantage of them, he gets his greatest joy from making music.
I always wanted to be fucking Berry Gordy. I wanted to have a production platform. But now I realize that, even if I never produce a record for someone who’s signed to me, the real pleasure of having a label is watching somebody start from ground zero and get to level one, two, and three. These dudes are trying to get to 100. It’s mad rewarding for me to see.
J. Cole made these comments in the same Complex interview at the end of 2014. Berry Gordy was the founder of the Motown record label and a music icon. Like Berry Gordy, J. Cole wants to help put talented artists on the map and watch them develop into superstars.
One day, I’ll be listening to a bunch of Ray Charles, the next day it’s nothing but Red Hot Chili Peppers. The next day it might be Tupac all day. TLC, Eric Clapton, it’s all in there.
This was J. Cole’s response when he was asked what’s on his playlist when he’s traveling.
Rhyme patterns are nothing without meanings to the words. A lot of rappers can do those flows, but the raps aren’t really about anything – which is cool sometimes, but to have the flow and the message is one of my favorite things.
In this 2011 NPR interview, J. Cole talks about how a lot of rappers sound good and have flow, but there’s no meaning in what they’re saying. He believes that that the words should have a point, and ideally, there should be a message behind each song.
You can let em in, late night Letterman…
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On Schooling and Childhood
I actually started off majoring in computer science, but I knew right away I wasn’t going to stay with it. It was because I had this one professor who was the loneliest, saddest man I’ve ever known. He was a programmer, and I knew that I didn’t want to do whatever he did.
This quote came from an article in Interview magazine in 2013 when J. Cole was about to put out his second album. Here, he was talking about his college experience. Imagine if J. Cole had a super cool, inspirational computer science professor instead of this sad, lonely guy.
I was a class clown. At 12, I was definitely clowning. I was making all the jokes. But I was smart, so the teachers didn’t know what to do with me.
In this interview, J. Cole was specifically asked what he was like in school when he was 12. So I guess he can rap, he’s smart, and he’s funny. Dang.
College isn’t in everyone’s hearts. I am living proof, though, that school doesn’t mess up your plans. It gives you more experiences to write about.
You can’t argue with his point. You don’t have to go to college to become a successful rapper, but, as evidenced by J. Cole, you can graduate from college and still become one.
I had a rat-tail when I was younger. I had this nice Bobby Brown fade, with a rat-tail that was long enough to wrap around my face. I used to chew on the end and bite it.
Rat tails are hilarious and ridiculous, and it’s a fun fact that J. Cole used to have one. He confessed to sporting this unfortunate hairstyle in a GQ interview.
On Ambition
I put a lot of pressure on myself. I think something’s not good enough, and I won’t stop until like I feel like I’ve made it. I’m never satisfied.
J. Cole talks a great deal about his perfectionism, about striving for greatness. One thing that’s for certain is that he isn’t willing to settle for mediocrity.
I’m not gonna be bad at anything, and I want to actually be the best at anything I’m doing. So if I’m playing basketball, if I’m taking the SATs, like, there’s a competitive spirit behind it. With production, it’s the same thing.
He said this in a 2013 NPR interview. He’s driven to be the best in any activity he tries. Unlike most of us, he’s usually successful.
Work Out is Platinum. Always follow your heart. Much Love
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On Material Wealth
There was the time I bought three cars in the span of three or four weeks. It was crazy; it wasn’t greedy. It was mine, my girl’s, my mom’s. I got Benzes for my ladies. But I felt crazy. You have to understand I come from a world where we’re very modest. But that’s not greedy. That’s nice, right?
It was nice of him to buy Benzes for his mom and girlfriend. But he could have bought himself a Honda Civic. That’s what I drive.
My real dream is to have a whole, like, buy a whole piece of land. Imagine, like, a long driveway. Like, a cul de sac-type street, with maybe, like, seven houses. Me be right here. Have my mom be able to be right here. My brother over here. My girl’s grandmother and family right here. Friends over there. That’s my real dream.
Even though J. Cole talks about getting money and material possessions, he wants to use his wealth to help his loved ones. If I were a multi-millionaire, I probably wouldn’t want to buy homes for everyone in my family, and I wouldn’t want everyone to live on the same street. I tend to think a little distance is good.
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My Personal Favorite
Sometimes I try a Mai Tai. It’s so fruity. It’s a little embarrassing, but I like it.
J. Cole made this shocking revelation in a 2013 article in the Daily Intelligencer when he was asked about his favorite drink. In full disclosure, before he mentioned liking Mai Tais, he said his favorite drink is Hennessy and Coke. There’s nothing wrong with Mai Tais, though. I like fruity drinks.