J. Cole talks about the difficult recording process of his new single Disc 2, Track 2.
On Tuesday (January 20), music journalist Timmhotep Aku shared part of a recent interview he conducted with the Dreamville frontman. In the video, Cole reveals how challenging it was to put the song together, which made him tell his life story in reverse.
“I spent a lot of time in my crib downstairs in the studio while the kids were in school,” explains Cole. “Sitting in one position and putting the puzzle together. It was so much fun. It took a lot of time. I don’t mean that as work. It was like challenging myself by putting the puzzle together.”
When the songs started coming together, things started to get real.
“At that moment, I was scared. I was excited and scared at the same time,” Kerr continued. “I’m excited because I’m like, ‘What if? What if you could write your life story backwards, but you have to keep…’ I’m making up the rules. ‘You have to keep… at least four syllables. What if?’ And then I’m excited because I’m like, that would be awesome. But then the fear sets in, almost a voice like, ‘Don’t try, n**a. Why? You know that’s impossible.'”
Cole said he finally got over his worries and “embraced the mission of making this unconventional song” similar to Nas’ 2001 song “Rewind.”
On January 14, Cole announced the release date for his long-awaited album The Fall-Off and dropped Disc 2, Track 2 (not the official song title), raising anticipation. The Fall-Off is scheduled to be released on February 6th. There are reports that Cole may release a mixtape titled It’s a Boy ahead of the album’s release.
