Black Hippy star, Kendrick Lamar and Roc Nation rapper, J. Cole have a mutual respect and admiration for each other. The two have started plans to drop a collaborative project, though it hasn’t fully materialized into an actual release. Nonetheless, Cole and Lamar’s “friendly competition” and respect for each other is evident. The featured guest on Elliott Wilson’s CRWN interview series, Cole spoke up about he and Lamar’s kinship and revisited the first time he ever encountered the Compton native.
“That’s my man first and foremost and I just feel proud because I’ve seen it. You know what I mean?” Cole said.
“Like I tried to tell people early and I never really even stamped nobody before,” he continued. “And before my album was even out, before he even had a deal, I was making sure to stamp him. It’s a long story but just to even get into how we met, it was so organic.”
“His version of how he met me is gonna be different,” Cole shared. “But my first recollection was there was a group who’s now disbanded called U-N-I from L.A. who I was real cool with. Still am cool with. So, they had an album release party in L.A. at this little lounge. They rockin’ the mic and they call up this kid.”
“I didn’t even hear the name,” Cole revealed. “I just was looking and somebody started rapping. As soon as he started rapping I’m like ‘What the f–k? This n—a’s hungry. Hungry.’ You know what I mean? So, as soon as it’s over, I’m the type of person if I’m feeling something. If I feel a certain way. I’m gonna let you know immediately.”
Lamar also recently spoke up about Cole’s talent.
“Everybody can rap but only a few get in these positions where they can really speak to a generation of people and have them follow it,” Kendrick Lamar said in an interview for Cole’s “Born Sinner” series. “When I listen to people like Cole, it’s that gift. Entertaining can only go so far.”
