When J. Cole First Met: Will and Jada, Eminem, Nas & Beyonce
Believe it or not, celebrities can get nervous around other celebrities.
Cole knows this well. Peep a few of his most memorable first VIP encounters below.
When Cole Met... Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith
First time I ever saw them was backstage at Yankee Stadium. The people I was with saw them coming, but I didn't see them till it was too late and they were already walking towards us. Jada was on Will Smith's back, but she's the one who recognized me. She was like 'Oh my God, you're so talented! We love you!' That was dope, but I couldn't really talk to them because they were running to take a picture. I saw them later though and introduced myself properly.
When Cole Met... Eminem
That was wild. There's very few people left that I still feel weird around. I was in super fan mode. I was sitting there talking a lot, mad nervous, just trying to get it all out [laughs. I told him when I used to have his raps on my wall, this that and the third. I could've really talked his head off for an hour with questions and shit. He seemed really appreciative though. I could tell that he was genuine. I was like I'm not a fan just to say I'm fan.
When Cole First Met... Nas
Nas was pretty much the same thing as Em. I met Nas a couple times, but I just saw him in Toronto shopping and I ran to him. I feel lame as shit talking to him. When he bigs me up, it weirds me out even more. Like how can you give me props when you're Nas? But when I talk to him, I feel like I'm talking too much like a fan. And it's because I am a fan. So I'll just be spitting shit out and then I have to be like 'Yo just shut the fuck up.' I'd probably be the same way with Jay if I didn't interact with him so much.
When Cole First Met... Beyonce
The first time I met Beyonce was in the studio with Jay-Z. I had to do my "A Star Is Born" verse and as I just started she walked into the studio. It was her and Jay right there. It was too much for my mind while I was writing. I was only able to write faster when she left and then Jay twenty minutes later. But when she came back in, I was laying my verse and she was bopping her head crazy, smiling at me like 'Yeaaah!'
