In a brand new interview with Dee Lockett for Billboard, J. Cole voiced robust opinions about Nas and Hillary Clinton, two figures whom he’s supported publicly prior to now. Cole mentioned that it “hurt” to find out about allegations of “mental and physical abuse” leveled in opposition to Nas by his ex-wife Kelis. (Nas has since responded to the allegations, stating, “I do not beat women.”) He continued, “It feels weird because I fuck with Nas, but I just have to be honest. I came up seeing too much fucked-up shit for that to be acceptable. I don’t care who it is. I don’t fuck with people abusing women, and I don’t fuck with people not taking care of their kids.”
Lockett then requested Cole, “Do you see there eventually being more consequences for this type of behavior?” and, “Do you think cancel culture has any legitimacy?” He replied:
That’s powerful as a result of we’re speaking about black ladies. If it was a white girl concerned with these allegations, then sadly—I’m realizing as I’m speaking to you—perhaps folks wouldn’t cancel them simply as fast, however labels could be pressured to cancel, as a result of white outrage is far more highly effective than black outrage, sadly. When white folks begin getting outraged about the sort of shit, then perhaps one thing will occur.
J. Cole famously launched the music “Let Nas Down” after studying that Nas hated his single “Work Out.” He has additionally called Nas one of his favorite rappers of all time and tweeted his appreciation numerous times.
Despite his stance on abuse in opposition to ladies, Cole tweeted his reward for XXXTentacion following the death of the Florida rapper, who was facing numerous legal charges—together with aggravated battery of a pregnant girl, home battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness-tampering—on the time of his homicide.
Cole elaborated to Lockett:
When I came upon [about the abuse allegations against him], my first response was, “Man, I hope maybe one day I’ll get a chance to talk to this kid and figure out if there’s any place that I can help.” Because anyone who would do the shit that he did…. Hurt folks damage folks. I’ve walked by prisons and talked to those dudes who obtained life. They took somebody’s life at 16 or 17 years outdated. You haven’t had the possibility to course of your trauma at that age. I’ma be sympathetic to a child who has clearly been by a lot fucked-up shit that he inflicted this on another person.
Elsewhere within the interview, Cole distanced himself from Hillary Clinton, for whom he performed a Get Out the Vote concert simply days earlier than the 2016 election; he additionally participated in a since-deleted Tidal video supporting Clinton. Cole informed Lockett that he didn’t vote in 2016 “[b]ecause Hillary Clinton wasn’t somebody that was motivating me to go vote.” He added, “If it was Bernie Sanders, I would’ve showed up and voted,” however that he didn’t marketing campaign for Sanders “[b]ecause [he doesn’t] care to lend [his] voice for a politician at the end of the day.”
Speaking in regards to the election outcomes, J. Cole mentioned:
Trust me, I hate to be an individual who’s even selling that I didn’t vote. Actually, with Trump in workplace, I really like that America will get to see the reality. If Hillary Clinton was in workplace, it might be essentially the most fucking disingenuous shit as a result of all people could be pondering that the whole lot’s cool as a result of we obtained an extremely certified feminine president. Which would’ve been superb on so many ranges. But all of the shit we see proper now would’ve nonetheless existed; it might’ve simply been quiet. And I want this shit to be out loud. I want an sincere America. I want the world seeing that, sure, we’re a rustic that’s dumb sufficient—no disrespect—[that] we obtained duped into electing Donald Trump.
Regarding new music, it’s said within the interview that Cole plans to work on a mission known as The Off Season subsequent yr; it should probably develop into an EP or a mixtape. He can be planning to work on his subsequent album, The Fall Off (as teased on KOD’s closing monitor “1985 (Intro to ‘The Fall Off’)”), and a facet mission for his alter ego kiLL edward.
Read the total interview at Billboard. Pitchfork has contacted J. Cole’s representatives for additional remark.
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