J. Cole gave Kanye West credit for inspiring his music. He talked about it in his new audio series Inevitable, released yesterday.
J. Cole on how Kanye’s music changed his life & helped influence his rapping 👀
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) November 19, 2024
“My life was hella regular… It was nothing like my favorite rappers, I didn’t know how to talk about MY life. And then, f***ing Kanye West happened.”
“The ‘Through The Wire’ video dropped and that… pic.twitter.com/ptFyZzUKyy
"I was an aggressive battle rapper that had bars, and I was a storyteller of fantasy, like 'The Storm,' completely made up scenarios. I had that, but my life was actually hella regular," Cole explained. "I didn’t sell no drugs ... It was nothing like Jay-Z's life, it was nothing like what 'Pac's life appeared to be. There was nothing gangster about it. I didn’t know how to talk about my life in a way that people could connect with and then f*cking Kanye West happened."
He continued. "In the summer of 2003 before I went to college, the 'Through the Wire' video dropped, and that sh*t changed my life ... Kanye was the first time that I saw myself in somebody. He just made it possible to talk about your life or your regular-ass perspective in a way that’s appealing ... This n*gga became my favorite artist at that point. He kinda cracked my mind open."
There's a chance that Cole doesn't like who Kanye is now, though. He dissed him in his 2016 song "False Prophets." He also called him out for sharing a private text exchange with the public.
Ye has gotten at Cole, too. He demanded an apology for all of the sneak disses as well.