It’s very rare that we get to hear a lot from J. Cole. However, whenever he does speak, whether it’s through his writing or verbally, people definitely pay attention to what he has to say. Recently he published an open essay through The Players Tribune as he opened up about his career, he revealed that he and his wife’s second baby was indeed another boy, collaborating with his peers and more.
The essay, which is titled “The Audacity,” is split into two chapters as he reflects on his love for basketball and his rap career. J.Cole starts off by talking about growing up and having aspirations of playing professional basketball. However, down the line, he placed his focus on his rap career, and he eventually became the rapper that we all know and love. Nonetheless, as the years would go by, he would amount to a higher level of success. Once he finally had the opportunity to just sit back and relax, and enjoy life, the dream of playing professional ball would always creep back up.
He then opened up about the point in his career when he wanted to find the hunger that he once had for the rap game. He said, “When I started rapping it was the competition that drove me. I had a burning desire to be the best in the world and to prove it with every verse. In my younger days, that hunger showed itself in the bars. But now, at 31, I became an artist who barely cared for punchlines, wittiness, or for the standard measurements of what determines a rapper’s fitness. I was much more concerned with story, emotion, and message.”
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J. Cole would later challenge himself to get back to his roots so that he could complete his 2016 studio album “For Your Eyez Only.”
If there is one thing J.Cole is known for, it’s always having the ability to go platinum without any features. However, during his essay, he addressed what stopped him from collaborating with some of his peers.
He said, “The first thing that rushed to my mind was the missed opportunity of community. A combination of a competitive ego mixed with a deep fear of rejection had kept me from collaborating with peers that I respected all of these years and prevented me from building real friendships with them. I had spent my career closed off.”
Nonetheless, at the age of 35, and now a father of two boys, J. Cole says there are a few more things he has to check off his bucket list before he allows himself to enter the next chapter of his life. Last year, he revealed that he and his wife were expecting their second baby, and the conclusion of his essay revealed that baby No. 2 was another boy.
“The fire that was once dying out has returned, and for that I’m grateful. On my career bucket list, there remain a few more items to check off before I give myself permission to enter whatever the next chapter of my life may be. However, as I approach the summit of this mountain, I still find myself staring at that other one in the distance, wondering if I can climb,” said Cole.
Check out the full essay here.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
