J. Cole has revealed that he hoped to sign Kendrick Lamar to his label in the MC's early days. During a recent interview with Rap-Up.com, Cole says that he met Kendrick before anyone had heard his name and was positive of his star power.
"I met Kendrick at a time when all I had out was The Warm Up, nobody knew who he was, he didn't have a deal," he said.
"He was signed to Top [Dawg]—I didn't know he was signed to Top."
"I actually wanted to sign him, but I didn't have my business right. I didn't know he was with Top [Dawg]," explained Cole. "But in my mind, he was the first person I ever found. . . . I remember tellin' everybody like, 'Yo, I'm tryna sign this kid. Like yo, this n***a's nasty!'"
He added, "I'm lookin at this short, dark-skinned kid like, 'Yo, who is this kid?' and then he gets on the mic and murders. I'm a rapper's rapper and I'm not easily impressed, and when I heard him I was instantly [impressed]."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Entertainment News
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.