We tackled the engine first to make sure it was running smoothly. That kept the company going and gave us the time we needed to hunt down those J codes and rare finds, making sure everything had the right A&R.
Now, about the whole Jay-Z and J. Cole situation: you bought your masters back from Jay-Z and then sold them to Cole. When did all this go down, and how is it affecting things now? I still think you’re doing great, but I’ve noticed fewer collaborations between Cole and Hove, which makes sense if you bought the masters back.
I really respect Cole and Kendrick, who are my main competitors. They’ve stayed true to their roots, and that’s something I really admire.
So, Drake recently took a jab at J. Cole by bringing up an old tweet about Jay-Z not respecting Cole. This has got fans talking about why Drake is revisiting this old drama and what the current relationship between J. Cole and Jay-Z is like.
Cole and Jay-Z were never exactly best buds, even though Cole was the first artist Jay-Z signed to Roc Nation. After spending over a decade with Jay’s label, you’d think they’d have a closer relationship, right? But it seems like things were always a bit off. There was never any major public drama between them, but there’s a theory floating around that Jay-Z might have felt some kind of way about Cole’s close friendship with Nas.
We all know about the epic feud between Jay-Z and Nas. So when Nas gave Cole his seal of approval, it probably didn’t sit well with Jay-Z. There are rumors that Jay made Cole pay a hefty price for his masters when he wanted to leave Roc Nation, maybe as a way to get back at him for getting too close to Nas. And then there’s Drake, who’s had his own ups and downs with both Jay-Z and Cole.
With Drake stirring things up, it makes you wonder what really went on between Jay and Cole. Was it all about Nas? Did Drake play a part in the tension? Or is there something else we don’t know about? Let’s dig in and see if we can figure it out.
On a different note, Cole’s experience with A&R development seems to have worked out well for him. The album he put out was one he felt ready to share, and looking at where he is now, he’s definitely made his mark and will likely be around for a long time.
If you’re wondering, Drake is still holding onto that grudge against J. Cole for not backing him up during his beef with Kendrick Lamar. Recently, Drake got a little petty on his secret Finsta account at Plot Twist, throwing shade at Cole over some old Jay-Z drama from years ago.
Earlier this month, Drake’s hidden Instagram account was exposed after he leaked a massive 100-gigabyte stash of content online. This dump included unreleased music, behind-the-scenes clips, and, of course, a bunch of shady posts. One standout was a screenshot of a 2019 tweet that called out J. Cole for his rocky relationship with Jay-Z. It’s clear that Drake’s still feeling some type of way about Cole’s past loyalty issues.
The post read: “Remember when J. Cole had his phone stolen by a fan, and they tried calling Jay-Z from it? When Jay-Z didn’t pick up, they called from their own phone, and he answered?”
Tensions between Drake and Cole have been high since Cole chose not to side with Drake during his feud with Kendrick. Things got even messier when Cole appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s album, We Still Don’t Trust You, which had tracks that seemed to throw shade at Drake.
Some fans think Cole started the whole drama with Kendrick and Drake with his “Big Three” line on the track “First Person Shooter.” They argue that Cole stirred the pot to get Drake riled up, only to back down and apologize when Kendrick fired back, leaving Drake to face Kendrick on his own.
Let’s break this down, because if you’ve been following the Kendrick and Drake drama, you know it’s not just about Cole’s verse. You really can’t put all the blame on Cole for making Kendrick go off on Drake—this tension has been building for almost a decade. Remember Kendrick’s game-changing verse on Big Sean’s 2013 track “Control”? He called out everyone, including Drake. Even though Kendrick wasn’t directly dissing Drake, it definitely struck a nerve.
Honestly, Drake has been subtly taking shots at Kendrick for years. So, if there’s anyone to blame for this feud blowing up, it’s Drake. He’s been poking at Kendrick, and now that Kendrick has fired back, Drake’s looking for backup that just isn’t coming.
On top of that shady Fap post, Drake took shots at Cole in his diss tracks “Push Up” and “Family Matters,” with lines like, “I don’t care what Cole thinks, that dude was weak AF,” and “Cole losing sleep on this, it ain’t me.”
As for Kendrick, he didn’t directly respond to Cole’s apology but did call out Drake on “Not Like Us,” accusing him of treating Cole badly. And what’s up with Drake suddenly bringing up Cole’s old drama with Jay-Z? Why is he dredging up this ancient beef, and what really happened between Cole and Jay-Z to make this such a touchy subject? The timing seems off—it makes you wonder what Drake’s actually up to.
J. Cole and Jay-Z had a pretty interesting relationship. On the surface, it might look like they were tight, especially since Drake signed with Jay’s Roc Nation in February 2009, becoming the label’s first artist. But in reality, Cole and Jay-Z didn’t have that kind of close bond. Their relationship seemed more like a business arrangement than a personal one. In the entire decade Cole spent with Roc Nation, they only made two songs together.
It’s kind of odd that Jay-Z never really gave J. Cole his due. Sure, he’s mentioned Cole a few times, but it’s always been pretty lukewarm. Jay-Z’s first artist at Roc Nation was someone many considered a top three rapper, yet Jay-Z rarely talks about Cole, barely gives him shout-outs, and often seems to forget about him in interviews. It even became a joke online how Cole couldn’t even get a picture with Jay.
And let’s not forget Jay-Z’s lines on Drake’s “Pound Cake” and “Paris Morton Music 2,” where he boasts about making more millionaires than the lottery. It’s worth mentioning that Dame Dash, who played a huge role in Roc Nation’s success, was among those who made millions during that time.
Bigs made millions. Yay made millions. Just made millions. Liar made millions. C made millions. Beans would probably tell you if he wasn’t so wrapped up in his own stuff. And don’t forget Cole, who also made millions with Roc Nation. So, why did Jay-Z seem to overlook him? He even mentioned Dame Dash, who’s been publicly calling out Jay for years, but there’s nothing about Cole. It’s puzzling.
Here’s where it gets messy, thanks to Jay-Z’s longtime rival, Nas. Remember Cole’s track “Let Nas Down” from his 2013 album Born Sinner? In that song, Cole spills the beans about how Jay-Z was pushing him for a hit record after signing him. He also talks about how Nas’s 1994 album Illmatic was like a Bible to him and how Nas was a huge influence on him growing up.
Cole raps, “Hope asking where’s the record that the radio could play, and I was striking out for months. Ninth inning, feeling fear, Jeter under pressure made the biggest hit of my career. But at first, that wasn’t clear. People had no idea. Dion called me when it dropped, sounding sad but sincere. Told me, ‘Now I heard your single and I hate that it said you’re the one, yo. Why you make that? I can’t believe I let Nas down.’ Damn, my heart sank. I got defensive on the phone. Resentment was in my tone. Eff it.”
So, to give some context, Jay-Z actually held off on dropping Cole’s debut album Cole World until he had a guaranteed hit. Under pressure, Cole finally came through with “Workout,” a track featuring a Kanye sample. While Jay-Z might have been satisfied enough to give Cole a release date, Nas seemed disappointed, thinking Cole had compromised his craft just to hit mainstream success.
Nas later jumped on the remix of “Let Nas Down,” rebranding it as “Made Nas Proud” to make it clear he wasn’t actually upset with Cole. On the remix, Nas raps, “I am mad at you, young king. This unsung song is haunting. Along comes one son called an offspring. At least you got Jay, he’s already one of the greats, and it’s hard for the greats to tell somebody how to be great.”
This line was pretty significant, especially given Nas’s history with Jay-Z. Even though Nas acknowledged Jay-Z as one of the greats, some fans saw Nas’s line as a subtle jab at Jay’s business practices. They thought Nas was hinting that Cole should have had more creative freedom rather than bending to label pressures. Considering Jay-Z’s competitive nature, it’s likely he picked up on this subtle shade.
On top of that, when Cole bought back his masters from Roc Nation, he mentioned it in the track “M. Delete Later.” He rapped, “Y’all ask Jiger how much did the kid gross for that label? Paid dues, had to pay dude for my masters, but I’m grateful. Business is business.” While Cole thanked Jay-Z for allowing him to buy back his masters, he also seemed to express frustration over the high cost, despite how much he’d contributed to the label.
The exact amount Cole paid for his masters hasn’t been made public, but word is he paid quite a bit. Given that Cole was Roc Nation’s first signee and surpassed expectations, you might think Jay-Z would have cut him some slack. But, honestly, is anyone surprised? Jay-Z has always been about the money first and foremost.
But wait, there’s more. That same year, while Nas and J. Cole were dropping the remix of “Let Nas Down,” Jay-Z decided to feature on tracks with Drake’s Nothing Was the Same and Kendrick’s “Don’t Kill My Vibe” remix. It’s funny because there’s this running theory that Jay-Z always releases music around the same time as Nas just to mess with him. But what’s even stranger is that Jay-Z chose to work with Drake and Kendrick and not J. Cole.
Now, let’s talk about Drake. There’s a wild theory that Jay-Z and Cole might have had some behind-the-scenes talks about shading Drake during their back-and-forth. This theory got some traction after Kendrick went after Drake on “The Heart Part 4” and name-dropped Jay-Z, basically saying Drake wasn’t on Jay’s level. Meanwhile, J. Cole talked about people wanting to diss Drake on “Middle Child” but chose to stay neutral and show love instead. After Cole apologized to Kendrick and backed out of the beef, Drake decided to dig up old drama between him and Cole. Honestly, I’m scratching my head over that shady post—was pulling up an old tweet about Jay-Z not picking up Cole’s calls the best Drake could come up with? It almost seems like he’s trying to distract from the fact that people are vibing to a song where he’s called a PDF file.
As for the relationship between Cole and Jay-Z, maybe we’re overthinking it. They were never super close, and their different personalities and social circles might just be causing them to drift apart naturally. What do you think? Are these theories worth considering, or are they just a bunch of conspiracy theories? Could Nas or Drake have had a hand in their falling out? Drop your thoughts in the comments