After seeing J. Cole perform on the B.E.T. Music Matters Tour last November, I realized that J. Cole has earned his spot as an up-and-coming star in music. Having grown up in North Carolina and gotten a scholarship to St. John’s University in New York, Cole balanced school with basketball and rapping. Jay-Z heard his first mixtape The Come Up, and shortly after signed him as the first artist on his new label/management/distribution platform, Roc Nation. Since, J. Cole has been on Jay’s Blueprint 3, collaborated extensively with Drake, and guested on one of Kanye’s “G.O.O.D. Friday” tracks. His latest mixtapes The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights have reached wide acclaim and earned him respect in the mixtape game, with everyone anticipating his debut album Cole World. Without further ado, my interview with J. Cole…

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Cedar: So right now you’re on the B.E.T. Music Matters tour, right? How’s tour going? I saw your LA show, and I gotta say, the crowds at the Key Club have gone the craziest for you and Jay Electronica, and neither of you have albums out yet!

J. Cole: Especially from the crowd, it’s been a very incredible experience, you know, kind of gauging my fan base. I don’t have an album out, and I’m in different parts of the country trying to figure out where I’m really strong at or where I could use some help. It’s been a real good experience so far.

Cedar: Definitely, and for those who are kind of just getting to know J. Cole, even if you’ve probably told this story 100 times, what’s the real story behind how you became the first signee to Roc Nation? Is it true that Jay heard “Lights Please,” and that was all he needed to hear? Also, did you have any hesitation signing with him?

J. Cole: I got signed through my manager. About “Lights Please,” it’s kind of true, but it’s not like that was all he needed to hear to sign me, but that’s all he needed to hear to set up the meeting. He heard one song and was interested in meeting me. From there of course I had to play him all the other songs I had and just talk with him for a few hours. As far as hesitation, I might have had, like, some hesitation – only a small bit. It’s really silly in retrospect. It just came from the fact that I want to be as big, if not bigger [than Jay], as crazy as that sounds. I was just like, “Man, is that possible? If I’m under the best, can I be the best?” But I realized that it didn’t make sense, because everybody is in charge of their own destiny. It was just a quick thought, nothing big.

Cedar: So about your mixtape, so far we’ve been blessed with The Come Up, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights. How do you feel that you’ve grown in the mixtape game and will Cole’s World continue what you’ve put out so far or can we expect something totally different for the album?

J. Cole: Not totally different but definitely next level. It’s still gonna sound like me; I’m not gonna go all the way left-field and experiment with a new type of singing or anything. I’m not gonna go through an “808s and Heartbreak” or anything at this point. It’s definitely gonna sound like growth and evolution, and really just bigger and better songs. I keep getting better with each release, so it’s going to be a continuation of that.

Cedar: Along the same lines, lyrically you talk a lot about college in your mixtapes and in your interviews. You also did a college tour this year. I’m curious what influenced your personal decision to get a degree and how you empathize with kids in school.

J. Cole: Yeah, I really feel a connection to the college kids. I was one of them; I still feel like one of them in my heart, and I still live my life kind of like a college kid. As far as my decision to go to school, I was always just a real intelligent kid. I knew I was going to college from Kindergarten. My mother always put that importance on it, so I always knew I was going to school. It was just a natural thing.

Cedar Yeah, and you went to school playing basketball, right? At what point did you choose rapping over basketball in terms of a career choice?

J. Cole: Around age 14 or 15 I realized that I was better than everybody at rapping. but I wasn’t better than everybody at basketball. With rap, it was like I didn’t see anybody in my vicinity…nobody was better than me, and I could feel that.

Cedar: So since Kanye’s album just dropped, can you tell us about what it was like to work with him on “Looking For Trouble” and any personal thoughts on the album?

J. Cole: That was an honor for me to be on that song. I didn’t actually physically get to work with him in the studio for that, because that’s the way he does his stuff. The fact that I got a phone call from him personally and would even consider me for that song was just a big deal for me. I appreciate him for that. Everybody knows or should know that I’m a huge Kanye West fan, so that was just a big moment in my life. Hopefully one day we’ll collaborate properly and do it the right way.

Cedar: So wrapping it up, what’s next after The Music Matters tour? Does your album have a release date, are you hopping on any other tours?

J. Cole: As soon as [the Music Matters Tour] is over I’m going to Atlanta for a couple weeks to try to finish the album. Come January, I’m out in Europe with Drake trying to build my international fan base even more, and then I’ll come back and prep for the release of the album. Hopefully it’ll be released around March or April. I’m really not concerned, because I know it’s gonna come when it’s supposed to. I got real good advice recently, Dr. Dre was just like, “Man whatever you do, do not rush the album.”

Cedar: Yeah, he’ll tell you, “Don’t rush it, maybe wait a few years – ten years, twenty years…”

J. Cole: Haha exactly, coming from the man who takes ten years to put out his next album, but you know, I still felt it when he said it. I still catch myself getting really impatient, which is not a characteristic that I like. I like to think that everything happens for a reason and at the right time.

Cedar: Definitely and I guess, last question for real this time – you mentioned Drake. I feel like people are starting to categorize hip-hop into generations or waves, with newcomers like you, Drake, Cudi, etc. Where do you see yourself in that group and who do you respect amongst your peers?

J. Cole: I respect and admire all of them – everybody that’s actually doing something. I admire the new generation whether it’s Drake or Wiz Khalifa or Big Sean or whoever. I have a high respect for these people, because they’re all individuals that are bringing their own style to the game. The game was really begging for something new, and now it’s like there are options. There’s somewhat more than they can handle of us who are that good.