More than a decade ago, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Roc Nation inked a deal with J. Cole. With the exception of Rihanna, the North Carolina native is arguably the label’s most significant signing of the 21st century. While J. Cole and Jay-Z have only released one joint record, the chart-topping artist has never shied away from offering thanks to his mentor.
“Hov asked me, are you ready for it? I looked around at all his nice things and told him, n*gga, you already know it,” J. Cole rapped in 2011.
More than a decade later, J. Cole has carried the torch onto his own label venture, Dreamville. Among the many talented artists Cole has partnered with, J.I.D. stands out as one of the most talented. Just last year, the Atlanta native released his debut studio album, The Forever Story. Interestingly enough, the album received praise from none other than J. Cole’s mentor, Jay-Z.
“I tweaked out when I met Jay-Z,” he said during a recent episode of Throwing Fits.
“He f*cks with me and I didn’t tweak out, but I just [didn’t know what to say]. I met him a couple of years ago. We said what’s up. That was calm. This time, he said, ‘Yo, congrats on the album. I really f*ck with it.’ In my mind, I’m asking myself questions. Oh, you heard it? Oh, you know I’m on tour right now? Oh, you know who I am? In the end, it came out as…thank you.”
A lot of people seem to have the same feeling as Jay-Z. The lead single for the album, “Surround Sound,” recently went platinum.
jay-z shell-shock ?
full pod with @JIDsv out now ? pic.twitter.com/G9MkDTDQ5h
— Throwing Fits (@ThrowingFits) March 18, 2023
