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J. Cole Speaks On Joint Album With Kendrick Lamar: "At One Point, It Was A Real Thing"
During his Thursday (Nov. 2) interview with Lil Yachty’s “A Safe Place” podcast, J. Cole put to rest the rumors of a joint album with Kendrick Lamar.
Detailing the initial stages of the project, the North Carolina native revealed, “Kendrick had pulled up on me at No I.D.’s spot. We were already building this relationship. I had these beats at the time, and I was playing them for him.” At that juncture in their careers, the duo saw a collaborative effort as a realistic goal.
As revealed during the sit-down, Cole and Lamar’s initial conversation led to tangible work, including several beats and partial tracks created. However, as the former explained, “At one point, it was a real thing. But bro, time and life… We ain’t ever got the chance to go in and do it correctly because that would take time. At least a year.” He pointed out how the demands of their successful solo careers and personal lives left them unable to commit the time necessary for a project of that caliber.
Contrary to some fan theories, the “No Role Modelz” rapper also clarified that there isn’t an extensive cache of music from their studio sessions lying around. “It’s not like it’s a ton of songs. It’s not like it’s some album sitting on the shelf somewhere,” he said.
The podcast revelation followed years of sporadic collaboration between the two artists. Highlights include Cole’s production of “HiiiPoWeR” for Lamar’s Section.80, and their joint tracks “Forbidden Fruit” and “American Dream.”
This year, Cole made guest appearances on a number of projects from different artists. He teamed up with BTS’ j-hope for “on the street” in March, and in July, he joined forces with Bas for “Passport Bros.” Other notable features include Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” Gucci Mane’s “There I Go,” and Lil Yachty’s “The Secret Recipe.”