J. Cole doesn't need a dime to hop on your favorite artist's song.
On Thursday, the Dreamville Records co-founder visited Lil Yachty and Mitch's A Safe Place podcast to spill the tea on his process. Cole shared that he refuses to charge artists to collaborate with them.
"Yo, bro, it's just a bar, bro," Cole began. "Like, a lot of my bars be really on point but that's just a flex. I'm not gonna charge a n***a $2,000 a word. I don't even charge n***a for the verse, I'm doing this shit because I'm inspired to do it."
He continued, "I'm not charging n***as because, you know, I want to be on the song. I wouldn't do that."
The 38-year-old has hopped on a slew of features this year alone, pairing up with Gucci Mane ("There I Go"), Lil Durk ("All My Life"), J-Hope ("On the Street"), and Drake ("First Person Shooter"). As for the latter song, Cole admitted that he'd feel better if his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, also his first No. 1 hit, didn't have an assist from Drake.
âBut if it would have went No. 2, it wouldnât have mattered,â Cole said. âI wouldnât have felt no way.â
Cole elaborated on "First Person Shooter" nabbing the top spot over Drake and Yeat's For All the Dogs collaboration "IDGAF" that week.
"If the other song would have went No. 1, itâs like, bruh, Iâm cool," Cole said. "Iâd almost feel better not having my first No. 1 be off a Drake alley-oop, you know what I mean?"
He continued, "Like, I love Drake and I love that Iâm a part of that moment with him with Michael Jackson. But itâs like, bruh, Iâm grateful Iâm a part of it. But if the other song would have went No. 1, n***a, Iâm still grateful Iâm a part of it. I wasnât at home like, 'Come on, yâall! Pick up the streams, man! We gotta beat this motherfucker Yeat! Come on now!' I wasnât doing that."