J. Cole was previously overlooked by Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s manager, before he reached his current level of fame.
Cole recently started a podcast called Inevitable, featuring discussions with his manager Ibrahim Hamad and filmmaker Scott Lazer.
During a recent episode, Ib and Cole looked back on the important meetings they began having in the late 2000s. Although most were not successful, Cole saw them as a sign that he had finally started gaining momentum.
Cole mentioned that following the meeting with G-Unit, they had a meeting with two individuals, one being Chris Lighty and the other, with assistance from Sha (Money XL), was Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s longtime manager and head of Shady Records. Being in Mark Pitts’ presence at a 50’s house felt like finally gaining momentum. A year ago, I was anxiously waiting outside hoping for a chance to meet JAY-Z, but now I am gaining momentum with people asking us to come perform music for them.
Ib remembered being at the Paul Rosenberg meeting and felt like he was doing a favor for someone.
Cole responded by saying that Chris Lighty’s vibe was more along the lines of, “Hey, I’m just gonna drop some knowledge on you guys.” I’ve heard about you young guys, boom boom boom. Paul Rosenberg truly believed he was indifferent and didn’t care at all. It truly seemed as if it was a kindness. The meeting lacked energy, he failed to perceive it, he didn’t understand it. That’s nice, he didn’t deceive us in any way.
When we arrived at the meeting, it felt as if we were thinking, “I have a meeting that I need to quickly get through.” “Let’s simply make it happen.” Ib was referred to.
Cole pointed out that he didn’t care once again because it was all about momentum. Being in close proximity to Eminem’s manager and catching his attention was further evidence that one should continue their current path.
You can listen to the full episodes here.
Certainly, J. Cole ended up signing with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation label and rose to stardom, garnering the admiration of even Eminem.
Em’s “Doomsday Pt.” is a track that has received a lot of attention. “2,” which came out earlier this year on the All Is Yellow compilation album by Lyrical Lemonade, features the Detroit rapper giving a shoutout to Cole World and Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett.
“He raps that’s the reason I returned to work with Cole Bennett/ and I have reached the same level as J. Cole.”
Ib was excited about the recommendation, commenting on X: “That’s lit.”
The recognition is significant as ten years ago, J. Cole made a slight criticism towards Eminem in the track “Fire Squad,” likening him to Elvis as a Caucasian individual who appropriated the sound of a Black music genre.
Cole stated at the conclusion of the track that he was just kidding, but emphasized that “all good jokes have an element of truth.”
