Between popping bottles for the success of his sophomore effort Born Sinner and shuffling state-to-state for his ‘Dollar and a Dream’ tour, J. Cole still hustles like he’s hungry.
His latest lyrical contribution came as a surprise when Drake dropped four new tracks last weekend, including the Cole-assisted “Jodeci Freestyle.” The Fayetteville rep admits that the collaboration was a last-minute project.
“The story of how I got that verse done was so wild … Drake came down for the Irving Plaza show then we went to Best Buy after, got them CDs then we went to the club and he told me he was gonna drop those four songs Friday night,” Cole tells VIBE. “I’m just like ‘Oh, that’s gonna be amazing. We gotta do something’ and he’s like ‘Yo hop on this Jodeci joint that I got.’
This would mark the tandem’s second collaboration, following the smooth, rise-and-grind track “In The Morning,” which was (ironically) offered on Cole’s 2010 Friday Night Lights mix tape.
In this instance, time was still of the essence for Jermaine. “I’m tellin’ him that I’m gonna do it but I’m thinkin’ about my schedule and how I have no time,” he admits. “Everyday, my day is filled – wake up, go do three radio stations, meet and greet, interviews, then go do an in-store signing, the ‘Dollar and a Dream’ show, the after party then go to the next city.”
During his pit stop in Philly, the 28-year-old completed the task right before Drizzy’s loaded release. “In D.C., I went from the club, straight from the after-party to the studio, wrote the verse then we hit around 5:30, 6 a.m.,” he recalls about the partial all-nighter. “I was so tired and was like I gotta finish the rest tomorrow [then] drove to Philly and only got four hours of sleep on the bus, woke up, went straight to the studio, knocked the rest of the verse out and then did a meet and greet. I was really nervous but I got it done.”
Despite the packed itinerary, the young rap gunner—known for making Nas proud—didn’t let Drake down, either. “That was a big moment and [Drake] killed all of them joints too by the way,” he said. “It was a great night.” —Adelle Platon (@adelleplaton)