Earlier this week, The BoomBox shared J. Cole's sharp freestyle that aired during Funkmaster Flex's radio show and now comes the news that his debut could drop as soon as August. Cole has been rising in the same class as Kid Cudi, Wale, B.o.B. and Drake. Cudi and Wale released debuts last fall, B.o.B.'s 'Bobby Ray' topped charts this week and Drake's hyped first effort is on the way June 15. "They ain't gave me no date yet, but I'll just say August myself, because that's what feels right and that's what it looks like, trajectory-wise," Cole told MTV News when asked about his Roc Nation debut. The emerging rapper was initially catapulted onto the hip-hop scene after a feature on his Roc Nation CEO Jay-Z's 'Blueprint 3' track 'A Star Is Born.'
While the record doesn't have a name yet, Cole is already setting things up with 'Who Dat,' his first official street single, and the news that he has worked with big-time producers such as Jim Jonsin, Pharrell and Salaam Remi. But for Cole, Jonsin -- a hitmaker who has scored smashes with Beyonce, Lil Wayne and T.I. -- presented the most interesting and fruitful collaboration during the recording process.
"When you think Jim Jonsin, he has #1's. His #1's include [Lil Wayne's] 'Lollipop' and Beyoncé and huge pop records. So when I went in there, of course I'm not going in there with an attitude," Cole said of working with Jonsin. "The first beat he played me was like, 'Whoa.' And he hadn't heard my stuff really, but the first beat he played me was custom-fit for me."
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