J. Cole has learned a lot during his short time in the music industry. As the first artist signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation label, the Fayetteville, N.C., native learned that a record deal doesn't guarantee success. Only a steady stream of quality music can do that, and that's exactly what he's provided. From his excellent trio of mixtapes—The Come Up, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights—to his gold-selling freshman and sophomore albums, Cole World: The Sideline Story and Born Sinner, J. Cole has proved that he has what it takes to hold his own in an industry where a new rapper is seemingly crowned the Next Big Thing every month.
As his star continued to grow, the St. John's University graduate also found that the age-old adage Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold was very real. While the gold chains and VIP sections are nice accouterments to have, they aren't what matter in the long run. What matters are his fans, the people who he considers family, doing good for those around him, and making sure he maintains a sense of home. That's why he's titled his third album 2014 Forest Hills Drive, after his childhood home in North Carolina. It's why he invited Senior Editor Damien Scott and photographer Justin Hogan there to photograph the house and the bedroom where he learned to rap and make beats. As he prepares to release his album, we spoke with him about what he wants to teach the youth, what he's learned about making hits, and why, despite all he's learned, he has no plans of becoming a businessman.
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