J. Cole is setting the record straight on one of rap's most common claims, revealing that his boasts about being the best rapper alive don't always reflect how he actually sees himself.
During an appearance on 7 PM in Brooklyn, the rapper said the confidence heard in his music is more of a creative mindset than a constant real-life belief. He mentioned some people he thought may also be in competition for the “best rapper alive” title.
"Bro, it's a n***a named Black Thought that exists. It's a n***a named Lupe Fiasco that exists," Cole said. "It's n***as that on any given day, even my peers, a Drake or a Kendrick Lamar where I know on any given day I can show up to the studio and give these n***as 80, [but] I know they can show up on any day in the studio and give me 80, and I might only have 30."
Cole explained that the bold declarations in his lyrics come from stepping into a competitive persona when he records.
"If I'm taking on a rap persona, that's how I like to rap. And guess what? Sometimes I hit the mark and I say shit and I spit a verse that really might have you believing that shit," he continued. "But if you ask me in real life, do I walk around like I'm the best rapper alive? No, n***a. Like I'm the best ever? No. But when I put on that muthafucking cape, that's how I try to attack shit."
He also acknowledged that there are moments in the studio where he feels untouchable, but those moments don't define his overall mindset.
"Have there been things and moments and verses where I'm writing this shit and I'm like, ‘I know n***as not fucking with this’? Absolutely," Cole said. "But in reality, do I walk around this earth like there's no n***a better than me in real life? Like I can't get in the studio with Black Thought, and he just give me 90, and I'm sitting there like I got 25 for you? Or any one of these amazing rappers."
