When JAY-Z Told Drake to Give J. Cole a Hit: Dreamville’s Ibrahim Hamad Dishes Untold Story

J. Cole has been sharing candid moments from his career through his new audio series “Inevitable,” alongside longtime manager and Dreamville co-founder Ibrahim Hamad.

Hamad recounted on a recent episode, an intriguing moment from 2011 when JAY-Z suggested that Drake should give J. Cole a hit record. That’s a wild idea but Drake was hot as fish grease so seems reasonable.

Now get this, it supposedly all went down at a gathering that included J. Cole, Drake, and Drake’s longtime manager, Future the Prince. “We’re having a conversation,” Hamad said. “Me, Cole, Drake, Future [the Prince], and a couple of others. Then JAY-Z walks in, sees us all, and goes, ‘Yo!’ He looks at Drake and says, ‘Yo, give the boy one.’”

The left comment seemed to suggest that JAY-Z believed Drake could help Cole elevate his status with a major hit. However, the request didn’t sit well with Cole. According to Hamad, the North Carolina rapper pushed back, referencing JAY-Z’s own debut album, Reasonable Doubt, which lacked traditional “hits” but became a classic over time.

For those who have short memories that don’t go past yesterday’s TikTok timeline, during their early careers, J. Cole and Drake were often compared. Both emerged around the same time, and interviews with either artist frequently referenced the other. While the competition between the two was palpable, it never devolved into public beef. Instead, the two supported each other, collaborating on tracks like the fan-favorite “Jodeci Freestyle” and appearing at each other’s shows.

What’s more, years later, the collaboration JAY-Z envisioned became a reality. J. Cole and Drake scored their first Billboard No. 1 with “First Person Shooter” from Drake’s album For All The Dogs. The track not only marked a milestone in their careers but also added fuel to the ongoing conversation about the “Big 3” — Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar.

We’ll just leave it at that. No need for overkill on the already overshared conversation about rap beef blah blah etc etc.

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