Rapper J. Cole, born Jermaine Lamarr Cole has revealed why he doesn’t want to ‘push’ himself in the league of Drake and Kendrick Lamar as opposed to how it was when he began his career.
The rapper said he has reached a point in his life where he now realizes friendship is more valuable than competition so he’s now done with unnecessary rivalry. The rapper paid a visit to “The ETCs” podcast with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez where he made this submission about the new him and his career.
“These are the guys that push you, and you gotta push them,” said Cole. “I was so competitive early on that, like, even though we were all friends, I’ve never been a reach out, I’ve never been that person, especially when it’s competition involved. It’s almost like working out together.”
I guess in the NBA in the past that was unheard of. Like, ‘Why would I work out with this ni**a? I’m trying to destroy this ni**a.’ That was kind of my mentality early on,” he said.
“But as I’ve gotten older, I realize that no one is truly my peer or can relate to what I’m going through in life more than these people right here–just in terms of whatever pressures there might be… Nobody can really relate to that like these dudes, and I really genuinely f**k with these dudes.”
I’ve been absolutely trying to make an effort as time goes on, to strip the competition from me,” he said. “I’m more interested in the relationship ’cause I also see a time when I’m not doing this. That seems very realistic to me.”
Cole added; “I’m more interested in the genuine relationship. Before I was interested in the competition.
Before I was just interested in putting pressure or responding to pressure… It’s just less competition in my mind ’cause ni**as is old, bro.” However, Cole says he has always had respect for his peers. “It was always a respect thing. Now it’s just more of a wisdom thing where it’s like, ‘Yo, you can never have it all.’”
“Michael Jordan will never be universally hailed as the greatest player of all time–and that’s insane. And LeBron James will never be universally hailed as the greatest player of all time–and that’s insane. You’ll never have it, so it comes with age to realize that like, ‘Yo, what are you even worried about?’ ‘Cause you’re just setting yourself up for suffering.”
SOURCE: www.Ghgossip.com