We were not expecting J. Cole to get his own cover of GQ but we love surprises.
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The multi platinum rapper is the star of April issue of the fashion magazine where he speaks on an array of topics including how fatherhood changed him, being an introvert, how he turned losing at the GRAMMYs into a blessing, collaborating with more artists these days, getting out of his comfort zone and more. Read the full story here.
On not winning a GRAMMY in his career:
“I’m not supposed to have a Grammy, you know what I mean? At least not right now, and maybe never. And if that happens, then that’s just how it was supposed to be,” Cole said. “It would’ve been disastrous for me, because subconsciously it would’ve been sending me a signal of like ‘Okay, I am supposed to be this guy.’ But I would’ve been the dude that had that one great album and then fizzled out,” he commented on losing the Best New Artist GRAMMY in 2012.
On Fatherhood:
“I changed my life in order to get ready to have a family and to have a son. I literally changed my life, where I was living, the things that I was doing… So because of that, when my son came, I was ready. I already made room.”
On starting to collaborate more these days:
“I’ve reached a point in my life… where I’m like, ‘How long am I gonna be doing this for?’ I’m starting to realize like, oh shit—let’s say I stopped this year. I would feel like I missed out on certain experiences, you know? Working with certain artists, being more collaborative, making more friends out of peers, making certain memories that I feel like if I don’t, I’m gonna regret it one day.”
On “J. Cole went platinum with no features” phrase:
“I was loving it. I was like, ‘Word up—this is funny as hell.’ But the second or third time, I was like, ‘All right, it’s almost embarrassing now.’ Like, ‘All right, man, y’all gonna make me put a feature on the album just so this shit can stop.’”