J. Cole doesn't need a dime to hop on your favorite artist's song.
On Thursday, the Dreamville Records co-founder visited Lil Yachty and Mitch's A Safe Place podcast to spill the tea on his process. Cole shared that he refuses to charge artists to collaborate with them.
"Yo, bro, it's just a bar, bro," Cole began. "Like, a lot of my bars be really on point but that's just a flex. I'm not gonna charge a n***a $2,000 a word. I don't even charge n***a for the verse, I'm doing this shit because I'm inspired to do it."
He continued, "I'm not charging n***as because, you know, I want to be on the song. I wouldn't do that."
The 38-year-old has hopped on a slew of features this year alone, pairing up with Gucci Mane ("There I Go"), Lil Durk ("All My Life"), J-Hope ("On the Street"), and Drake ("First Person Shooter"). As for the latter song, Cole admitted that he'd feel better if his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, also his first No. 1 hit, didn't have an assist from Drake.
“But if it would have went No. 2, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Cole said. “I wouldn’t have felt no way.”
Cole elaborated on "First Person Shooter" nabbing the top spot over Drake and Yeat's For All the Dogs collaboration "IDGAF" that week.
"If the other song would have went No. 1, it’s like, bruh, I’m cool," Cole said. "I’d almost feel better not having my first No. 1 be off a Drake alley-oop, you know what I mean?"
He continued, "Like, I love Drake and I love that I’m a part of that moment with him with Michael Jackson. But it’s like, bruh, I’m grateful I’m a part of it. But if the other song would have went No. 1, n***a, I’m still grateful I’m a part of it. I wasn’t at home like, 'Come on, y’all! Pick up the streams, man! We gotta beat this motherfucker Yeat! Come on now!' I wasn’t doing that."
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