J. Cole

“Usually I start with a beat, I start making a beat, and my producer side is making the beat. And on a good day, my rapper side will jump in and start the writing process - maybe come up with...”

“I was just a goofy little funny kid, who was always getting sent to the principal. It wasn't serious because I was smart. I wasn't like a true troublemaker, just rambunctious - like, talkati...”

“I'm the same kid who used to hop the trains with headphones and just go to downtown Manhattan, walk around and listen to music or walk through the city. The fame restricts that. It's a small...”

“College isn't in everyone's hearts. I am living proof, though, that school doesn't mess up your plans. It gives you more experiences to write about.”

“I was a huge Mike Tyson fan growing up; his fights were always on in my house.”

“I put a lot of pressure on myself. I think something's not good enough, and I won't stop until I feel like I've made it. I'm never satisfied.”

“I struggled with being a broke college graduate, and while all my friends were getting career jobs, I was working horrible part-time jobs. That's why now, even when I get tired, I think, 'Th...”

“Producing all my own songs and refusing to go to the hot producer. That's the biggest risk I've taken so far.”

“I think if I did something in the pop world right now, it would be for Rihanna. I'd love to do something production wise for her.”

“I'm a super-duper over-analyzer. You mix that with self-doubt and pressure, and that's never healthy.”

“I now possess the tools as a producer and a songwriter to really just go out and make smashes all day long. I could make an album full of smash records that got pop appeal. But my heart is i...”

“I started playing violin in the 5th grade. They had a program in school where you could get out of class to go play instruments. So I raised my hand, left out of class, me and a bunch of my...”