On this week’s Joe Budden Podcast, Joe Budden mentioned that something felt different about J. Cole’s last two guest verses for Jeezy and Royce Da 5’9. To be specific, Budden noted that Cole wasn’t going to be playing around this time around. He may be on to something. Today, ESPN premiered a new NBA Playoff commercial that features an unreleased J. Cole verse. While the verse seemed to clearly be for the commercial, he did seem to be talking about more than the playoffs.
This #NBAPlayoffs preview featuring J.Cole is ???pic.twitter.com/bRtqo1Tiua
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 14, 2018
In the verse, Cole raps, “Sleep on a man that’s expected to lose/With a chip on his shoulder and something left to prove/The bottom is full wolves and they’re thirsty for blood/The mission is to catch someone slipping above/Numbers lie I’ve heard them say it at times/The cream rises to the top is a favorite of mine/The cream of this crop you’ll admit is impressive/But like the boy Hov said, ‘You’ve got to finish your breakfast’.” This verse could very well be for the NBA Playoffs, but it could also be a look into the mindset of Cole as he continues to push for his next album.
For the time being, be sure to check out Cole’s appearances on Jeezy’s “American Dream” and Royce’s “Boblo Boat“. Cole also has been putting in work behind the boards as a co-producer for Bas’s new single, “Pinball 2” Be on the lookout for a solo effort from Cole in 2018.
