“I now possess the tools as a producer and a songwriter to really just ...” — J. Cole Quote

“I now possess the tools as a producer and a songwriter to really just go out and make smashes all day long. I could make an album full of smash records that got pop appeal. But my heart is in hip-hop. My heart is in telling stories. And it's like therapy for me.”

“I had a lot of resistance, and not just to fame. I was always conscious of not changing.”

“I had a rat-tail when I was younger. I had this nice Bobby Brown fade, with a rat-tail that was long enough to wrap around my face. I used to chew on the end and bite it.”

“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 actually started off majoring in computer science, but I knew right away I wasn't going to stay with it. It was because I had this one professor who was the loneliest, saddest man I've ever known. He was a programmer, and I knew that I didn't want to do whatever he did.”

“The thing about being an artist today is you get to develop right in front of people's eyes before you even put out an album.”

“We wanna be on the frontlines of everything new and exciting. The old world order of putting out four singles before you release an album is so boring to us.”

“The first five years I lived in New York I was going out every night, to restaurants and album releases and parties.”

“For me, 'Atmosphere' was more about looking inwards and reaching out to people close to me. To emphasize the fact that I'm singing on the first single, this album is really more about me and songs that I've written instead of collaborating with people.”

“When you do a pop album, the canvas is completely yours. There is no story situation forced on to your songs - you have the freedom to develop it right from the concept.”

“I don't wanna get into that space where a lot of guys now, their solo album is like eight or 10 songs with other people, you don't get an idea of who this guy is. I just wasn't interested in that.”

“I have always been a fan of the Guillemots. Fyfe Dangerfield, the lead singer, has recently produced a debut solo album called 'Fly Yellow Moon'; he has the most amazing voice ever.”