While hip-hop has a strong competitive spirit, Drake has no problem shelving his ego in the interest of creating good music. Just ask J. Cole.
During a recent appearance on Lil Yachty’s A Safe Place podcast, the Dreamville rapper was asked about the criticism surrounding “First Person Shooter,” a standout track from Drizzy’s newly released album, For All the Dogs. Although the collaborative record was a commercial success, it received mixed reactions from both fans and critics, including the outspoken podcaster Joe Budden.
The former Slaughterhouse member said the song exemplified his “overall issue with Drake,” and suggested Cole outshined the OVO boss when it came to bars. Yachty brought up Budden’s comments while discussing the role of music journalists and their impact on the hip-hop world — specifically when it came to pushing a “narrative” based on personal biases.
“Joe Budden, with ‘First Person Shooter,’ he aggressively came at the track with a — it felt like there was already a personal vendetta towards Drake, which made it a thing to where it was like, ‘Oh, Drake got washed. Oh, Drake may not be that guy. Oh, it’s clear who the better contender is,’” Yachty said during the November 2 episode. “Personally, I think what [Drake’s] verse contributed to that song made it the song that it is. It gave it the energy, it made it a club record, it made it a festival record.”
Cole, who handled the “First Person Shooter” intro, acknowledged that certain journalists and commentators have a lot of sway within the hip-hop ecosystem, but it’s the artists who are truly in control.
“The specific incident you’re talking about, that’s a whole different conversation,” Cole said. “But, in general, do I think the online media is a problem or do I think they’re a part of the problem? No, I don’t actually. I think music is the leader. The artists lead the conversation. [Journalists] can spin it a certain way, but ultimately we lead the conversation.”
Cole said criticism is simply part of the game, but artists should take steps to innoculate themselves from the negativity.
“The conversation can be toxic. If you’re not protective of your energy, you can get wrapped up in that shit and then be affected, mentally,” he continued. “You can be hurt, you can be distraught, you can be depressed, you can react in a certain way: ‘Oh, they think such and such...’ It can cause you, if you’re not protecting your energy, to move in a certain way.
“Imagine a music industry where nobody cared to talk about it and no one cared to spin a narrative. Although it sucks when a narrative is trash and it’s toxic, and it might be wack or it might be personal — like the incident you’re talkin’ about, where it might feel a little personal, it’s like, ‘Yo, bro. This is what we signed up for.’’
When it came to recording “First Person Shooter,” Cole suggested Drake had no interest in dominating the track or trying to dim Cole’s shine. Why? Because he was more concerned with creating a solid track.
“In that moment, [Drake] chose the song over the competition and what they (journalists and fans) gonna say,” he explained. “And that takes a level of egolessness that’s… you’re putting your ego to the side and like, ‘Yo, I wanna make the best song. For what we have available right now, I wanna make the best song.’ Maybe he knew the narrative might come out… Drake ain’t looking at it like, ‘I’ma take Cole’s fuckin’ head off at some point.’ Nah.”
You can listen to the full A Safe Place episode with co-host MitchGoneMad via YouTube above.
