Cole: I might not be as successful as Im now if I was black

[fifflaren]

Tell us about your involvement in Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist video game, which was named best video game of Fall 2013 by XXL?
Basically, they reached out to me. They wanted to use the song “Miss America” for the trailer of the game, which I thought was really cool. When you watch the trailer, it fits perfectly. You get a lot of partnerships that get offered to you but a lot them don’t make sense. This one felt like it made sense because of the connection I had to the game — I actually had played the game — and the song fit so I thought it was dope.

Are there any Black folks in the game — I saw a preview and thought, “Where are the brown people?” [Laughs]
Yeah, trust me, I felt the same way but there is — one of the main characters, the other bad a** other than Sam Fisher, is a Black dude. I’m very conscious of that but this is a culturally diverse game — and the terrorists, they’re not all Middle Eastern, which is great. I hate those games where the bad guys are always Middle Eastern, it’s right into the stereotype, but this game isn’t like that.

You don't get this far without taking risks. What's been your biggest creative risk?
Producing all my own songs and refusing to go to the hot producer. That’s the biggest risk I’ve taken so far. Constantly taking that risk by not going to whoever is hot and still be as far as I am. It’s a blessing but it’s also been a huge risk because I’m not using the current hip hop sound. Whoever does the beats for people; I didn’t go run to them. Of course I will now because I want to now, I’m tired of having to make the beats from scratch. Up to this point, that’s been my biggest risk I’ve taken, deciding to do it all on my own, production wise.

You got some backlash for anti-gay lyrics and you gave a statement to the Huffington Post. Do you regret using the word “f*****”?
No, not at all. It’s much different than the autism thing, it wasn’t conscious; that was a slip-up, being offensive without intent. The line was to engage the conversation of homophobia in Black culture and in hip hop. I thought it was going to be a way more interesting conversation that came from it. Of course I made the statement, but I thought from that it would spawn better conversations like, “Why are we so homophobic?” Much more than I think any other culture, I don’t want to just compare it to white people, but in terms of jokes that you make — everything’s got to be “pause” or “no homo.” You cant even play basketball without someone saying, “pause.” I’m not innocent of it. I am part of that same culture – but why? That line was supposed to be offensive and confusing, but I was hoping to have more conversations about it.

There’s been a lot of conversation about the Trayvon Martin tragedy and what young Black men experience. Do you experience racism?
For sure, absolutely, I just got pulled over on 42nd street in Times Square for what I believe was nothing. They said it was for tints on my front window, which is barely tinted. I really believe it was because I had my hat low. I was driving through Times Square and I just didn’t want to be seen. So I had my hat low and I think I was looking “suspicious” just as a Black man with my brim low, when I was really just trying to cover my face. They came to my window, pulled me over. I feel like if I was a white man driving, they wouldn’t question me about my tints. They told me to roll down my back window; they look in my car as if they’re looking for something. I feel like that was the real thing, they were trying to catch somebody slipping. That just happened three days ago. I almost didn’t even name that because I am so used to that. That’s something that I feel like somebody my age that’s white doesn’t have to go through, especially in New York City. On the other hand, every time I’m on the plane in first class — this is a lesser evil but it still represents their mind state — I promise you, 60 percent of the time somebody asks me what basketball team do I play for or do I rap. [Laughs] I am a rapper, I wish I could tell them something better — that happens all the time and I hate it. I hate that we’re stereotyped and I hate that I’m fitting into the same stereotype.

You’ve talked about including dark-skinned women in your music videos versus all light-skinned women. The light-skinned, dark-skinned issue certainly affects women in hip hop; does it affect men in hip hop?
I can’t say it for sure but I just think we’re still in America. We’re still Black Americans. Those mental chains are still in us. That brainwashing that tells us that light skin is better, it’s subconsciously in us, whether we know it or not… still pursuing light skin women. There are some women out there that are like, “I don’t even like light skin men” and that’s fine. But Barack Obama would not be President if he were dark skin. You know what I mean? That’s just the truth. I might not be as successful as I am now if I was dark skin. I’m not saying that for sure, I’m still as talented as I am and Obama is still as smart as he is, but it’s just a sad truth… I don’t even know if this is going to translate well into text and people not hearing what I’m saying, but it’s a sad reality. So I can only naturally assume it’s probably easier for a light skin male rapper than it might be for a dark skin male rapper. It’s all subconscious s***, nobody’s aware — I think that s*** still subconsciously affects us.

In ten years, you’ll be doing what?
In ten years, I’ll be… chilling, hopefully. Not retired, just able to sit down and watch a movie, follow a TV series. I’ll just be chilling way more than I am now, but I’ll still be doing music. I’m still in the establishment phase. People think because I’ve got some success, I’ve made it but in my eyes it’s like, “How long has Jay Z been in the business? How many albums has he got? “ Not that I’m trying to be Jay Z, but I am trying to be around for a long time.

http://hiphop-n-more.com/2013/08/j-cole ... dark-skin/
http://www.bet.com/news/music/2013/08/2 ... -skin.html

[Shameek]

kendrick Lamar is black.
Lil Wayne is black
Jay-Z is black

/thread

[Francesco]

Cole would only be half successful.

That color card is ridiculous nowadays...

[Mathers]

kendrick Lamar is black.
Lil Wayne is black
Jay-Z is black

/thread

[JamaicanPattlez]

Drake is a lightskinned nigga, but he does big numbers. All comes down to you and your music and how well your label promotes it.

[EminemBase]

God... wtf is it with black American rappers. SHUT, THE FUCK UP. Yawn!!!

Idiot.

[JamaicanPattlez]

God... wtf is it with black American rappers. SHUT, THE FUCK UP. Yawn!!!

Idiot.

They just need one black rapper to reach Eminem-level fame, if that ever happens. Once that does, they'll shut up.

[slimshadylappin]

I like to pretend that rappers are socially retarded instead of stupid to justify the things they say ><

[EminemBase]

God... wtf is it with black American rappers. SHUT, THE FUCK UP. Yawn!!!

Idiot.

They just need one black rapper to reach Eminem-level fame, if that ever happens. Once that does, they'll shut up.

2Pac is the 2nd biggest selling rapper of all-time and not far off Em (if it was whiteness... why is Bubba Sparxx not 2nd or 3rd? lmao!), Jay-Z has had like what... 13 # 1 Albums? Lil Wayne sold more albums in his first week with his last album THAN Eminem did!

Kanye beat Em for best Rap Album Grammy...

There is no fucking imbalance - how many HUGE white rappers are there besides Em? Oh that's right - fucking NONE, despite there being a TON of white rappers.

Skin has fuck all to do with it, either way. It's catchiness and talent.

Nobody gives a fuck that J. Cole is black, except J. Cole, and nobody gives a fuck Eminem is white except for black rappers which keep pointing it out. Fucking chip on the shoulder and using it as an excuse any time they don't blow up like they think they should. Pathetic.

[CrashBand]

Lol @ thinking the demographic of black rapper's listeners being being predominately black and white rapper's listeners being predominately white is coincidence.

[EminemBase]

Lol @ thinking the demographic of black rapper's listeners being being predominately black and white rapper's listeners being predominately white is coincidence.

LOL @ you thinking any big rapper's primary demographic is black.

Do you think MOST of the people who listen to Jay-Z are black... ?

Go watch a video of any Jay-Z live tape, or any rapper, you'll see a sea of white hands.

I don't know anybody... and never have, who goes "he's black... I'm not gonna listen to that" or even cares that Eminem is white... the only factor is GOOD or BAD. Good or bad music.

You're seriously stupid / anybody is if you think people buy / listen to music based on race. Maybe you... maybe J.Cole does... maybe that's why he has a chip on his shoulder / always mentioning it, but I couldn't give two fucks, all I care about is the lyrics and the music and the concepts... and anybody I have ever known is exactly the fucking same.

You think it was 'predominantly black' people who bought 75 million 2Pac albums? Lol.

[JamaicanPattlez]

God... wtf is it with black American rappers. SHUT, THE FUCK UP. Yawn!!!

Idiot.

They just need one black rapper to reach Eminem-level fame, if that ever happens. Once that does, they'll shut up.

2Pac is the 2nd biggest selling rapper of all-time and not far off Em (if it was whiteness... why is Bubba Sparxx not 2nd or 3rd? lmao!), Jay-Z has had like what... 13 # 1 Albums? Lil Wayne sold more albums in his first week with his last album THAN Eminem did!

Kanye beat Em for best Rap Album Grammy...

There is no fucking imbalance - how many HUGE white rappers are there besides Em? Oh that's right - fucking NONE, despite there being a TON of white rappers.

Skin has fuck all to do with it, either way. It's catchiness and talent.

Nobody gives a fuck that J. Cole is black, except J. Cole, and nobody gives a fuck Eminem is white except for black rappers which keep pointing it out. Fucking chip on the shoulder and using it as an excuse any time they don't blow up like they think they should. Pathetic.

This is a very good point, I mean I don't go to a music store and go "Oh, he's black? I'mma cop that shit" so it'd be stupid to think whites would pull the same thing in 2013.

[CrashBand]

Sorry, my bad. I didn't word the correctly.

I was meaning black rappers have a much higher proportion of black listeners compared to white rappers, and white rappers have a higher proportion of white listeners.

And lol @ thinking that's a coincidence.

[CrashBand]

This is a very good point, I mean I don't go to a music store and go "Oh, he's black? I'mma cop that shit" so it'd be stupid to think whites would pull the same thing in 2013.

Most racism isn't people consciously thinking "oh, he's black, I'm not gonna do X with him".

lol.

[EminemBase]

^ Has there been any actual... like studies or surveys or something, or is that just a pure assumption?

Also... I dunno, maybe some people are more retarded then, I know people constantly have this "oh I need to relate man" issue going on, I just don't, I don't need to relate to what the rapper is saying at all, so race or culture makes absolutely zero difference to me.

But catchiness and talent are the biggest factors. Which is why there is only one huge white rapper and he's talented as fuck, and people who say he would be average or small if he was black are absolutely retarded if they seriously think that @ SSLP-MMLP-TES / his talent in general.

Lil Wayne is more popular than Asher Roth. Where's the explanation there?... I mean, there's a SHIT LOAD of white youths, especially college kids, who listen to rap... so why is Asher Roth not the biggest shit on planet Earth next to Em right now?... because his music isn't as catchy, he doesn't have as many melodies or cover as broad as themes as Lil Wayne does: those are the realities.

So when you have examples like that, it's clear race has very little to do with success in rap.

Especially when you then have rappers like Soulja Boy (also more famed / more hits than Asher and many actual talented white rappers) who are bigger and more known lmao, it's just a very retarded argument: whether you're talented or not - if you can make music, good or bad, which sticks in people's heads and appeals to senses of rhythm... on any level: you will make hits.