J. Cole still appreciates Kanye West.
While headlining Dreamville Festival Sunday night, Cole reflected on sampling Ye’s classic track “The New Workout Plan” from his 2004 debut The College Dropout.
“I know n**as feel a way about him right now, but I got love for [Ye] and I really appreciate him. He cleared all these fucking samples for me,” Cole told the audience. He then shared how his perspective on Ye’s song changed one day.
“I ran back to the other room,” Cole explained. “It’s like it spoke to me.” He ended up sampling West’s track for his own hit “Work Out” from his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.
The song served as the lead single for his September 2011 project, eventually reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on US Hot Rap Songs, No. 10 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and No. 1 on US Rhythmic. Cole World: The Sideline Story debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 218,000 copies in its first week.
Cole took a trip down memory lane during his headline set this weekend. He also shared with the crowd about signing to Roc Nation in 2009 and Jay-Z asking him to jump on The Blueprint 3 track “A Star is Born.”
“We walk in the studio. I’m already nervous,” Cole recalled. “I see this n***a Jay-Z and who the fuck was right next to him? Beyoncé. Oh my God. My motherfucking heart damn near fell out my chest.”
He added, “‘Damn, I’m already feeling pressure and this n***a wants me on a song,” he continued. “He got fucking Beyoncé right next to him. Okay, no problem. I’m built for this.'”
