J. Cole has disclosed that he targeted Kanye West on “Looking For Trouble” because he believed a disrespectful comment was made.
In his most recent episode of the Inevitable audio series, the Dreamville rapper discussed the creation of their 2010 G.O.O.D. Fridays collaboration and the possible one-sided tension before it.
Cole started off by remembering how Kanye hosted a UStream before the drop of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and was questioned by a viewer about his intentions to collaborate with the up-and-coming Roc Nation artist at the time.
Cole was initially thrilled to discover that Ye, one of his favorite artists at the time, recognized him. However, his excitement quickly faded after hearing Ye’s response.
He replied in a way that might go unnoticed by others, but to me it felt very dismissive,” he expressed.
He commented, ‘I was thinking we could possibly feature him on a G.O.O.D. Fridays track.’ It was similar to a “Yes, however.” He’s not someone I would consider featuring on my album… If he had said, ‘It would be amazing to have him on a G.O.O.D. Friday track,’ it would have felt different.
Not long after, Kanye West called J. Cole and requested him to contribute a verse for his famous G.O.O.D. Fridays series. However, Cole, who was touring in Michigan, initially said no because of a lack of time.
I really mean it when I say, ‘Wow, man, I’m grateful. However, hey, I’m currently on this tour. I cannot. “I’m in Michigan and I won’t be able to make it,” he recalled angrily. Keep in mind, it was supposed to be finished by Friday but it is already Wednesday afternoon.
“Kanye said, ‘I requested it from this person and they got it done.'” It was a courteous display of confidence, like saying, ‘I believe you are capable of achieving this.’ It caused me to think, ‘Okay, yes, how can I make this happen?’
Cole mentioned that he spent about two hours driving to a studio in Detroit to lay down his verse, crafting his rhymes during the journey.
“Let me make it clear, I didn’t have anyone’s lyrics.” The guy just sent me the music. He said he had no clue what the song was about.
The Off-Season MC explained his verse on “Looking For Trouble” and verified that he was taking a shot at Kanye for his dismissive UStream remarks.
“Cole World, step aside for the selected one / The sound you’re hearing now is creating fear in the older generation / They belittled me to diminish me as if they don’t see him / Are your shoes too big to fill?” “I can hardly fit my toes in them,” he stated while starting his performance.
The world has always been unaware of that. The shots aimed at Kanye were very clear to me because I had heard him say he might feature Kanye on a song for G.O.O.D. Friday. These were definitely shots that only Kanye would understand.
Upon receiving Cole’s verse, Ye replied with excitement. Cole’s manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad recalled the moment when the Chicago rap icon messaged them saying, “Wow, you did great!” I had to add a few lines in order to create that special moment.
“What a feeling love was!” Cole confirmed, stating that Kanye initially had just four bars on “Looking For Trouble.”
After listening to the completed song, Cole’s bitterness towards his Hip Hop idol resurfaced. He believed that his poetry was intentionally disrupted while being mixed because his vocals were shifted off rhythm.
I thought it seemed a bit passive aggressive, but I may be misunderstanding it entirely. However, what certainly occurred was – and I was very angry – these guys tampered with my vocal recordings,” he elaborated. I did not change my mind because the verse was positively accepted. This line marked a brief period of time.”
He included: “It’s not extremely unusual, but when you make a small adjustment, it becomes noticeable.” It simply gives the impression that you are either punctual or tardy. It caused my flow to sound rigid. When I listen to this lyric, it sounds different from how I sang it. I initially kept my recording casual and unconstrained, but they altered it to make it sound overly polished and rigid.
Cole admitted that it could have been a producer or engineer, not specifically Kanye, however, at that moment he was already feeling like something strange was happening. I thought it was some form of sabotage.
J. Cole and Kanye West have not collaborated again since “Looking For Trouble” and their relationship is still intricate.
Cole gained attention for publicly criticizing Ye in the song “False Prophets” in 2016 and seemed to continue to take jabs at him in his popular 2019 track “Middle Child.”
Kanye later requested a “public apology” from the North Carolina native, referring to his verbal attacks.
The founder of G.O.O.D. Music later attacked Cole earlier this year on his remix of Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That,” criticizing him for pulling out of his battle with Kendrick.
