J. Cole took a trip back to his old apartment in Queens for MTV's Life & Rhymes 2.0. He calls it "Muhammad's Crib," naming it after the landlord who believed in Cole's music career even as the then-struggling rapper wasn't able to pay the bills month after month. After he signed his record deal, Cole made sure to settle his account with Muhammad, and thanked him for his gracious hospitality.
Cole also talks about how "Crooked Smile" came together, saying that he had the concept for awhile but was unable to fully complete the writing of the song until he traveled down to Atlanta. At the studio there he bumped into a random singer at the elevator, who shared with him some of her work. Cole brought the singer (presumably Meleni Smith) inside the studio and played her the song, so that she could come up with a hook, which was eventually sung by TLC.
[via MTV News]
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