Let’s return to the rise of J. Cole. TheMotto No. 70 recalls the fall of 2011, a year after I interviewed Cole (it was our first formal convo) for RESPECT. The North Carolina-raised, Queens-bred MC/producer finally got his debut released and Cole World: The Sideline Story altered the music world. These were piracy times, the pre-legal-streaming era — and Jermaine’s fans were buying physical CDs. To say Cole exceeded expectations is an understatement.
The final first-week tally for Cole World was 218K, and it was Cole’s first No. 1 album. We at RESPECT were elated to immediately place Cole on the cover — it marked a shift in cultural history (thank you again, Jana Fleishman, for partnering with us to make it happen; thank you again, Noah Kalina, for shooting the feature). The music industry was on notice: it was no longer completely about big radio singles. You could win another way. Cole’s rabid fanbase — who connected to him via his mixtape discography — showed up and showed out for their favorite artist. Cole’s direct connection to consumers success helped open the door for Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 good kid, m.A.A.d city triumph. Interviewing Cole for the second time, I was impressed by how he was already super focused on shaping his second album. By the end of our NYC steak dinner I knew Jermaine Cole was determined to be a career artist. And I was a believer.
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Danyel Smith + Elliott Wilson