KELLEY: People know that you guys are partners in some ways and — do you have conversations about that message? Or conversations —
COLE: Actually, yeah. Actually we do. It's like this: we're artists and we have our own careers, or whatever the case is, but when we do get to link and converse — for instance probably the last ill conversation we had was on the flight back from Australia probably to L.A., or wherever we was going. We was in Australia basically on a flight. The convo was — everything I'm talking about right now that ended up on my album, I was telling him. Cause I was in the middle of making the album. And I had the direction and I knew a) what my life was about now and what I've understand as a man, you know what I mean? But I'm telling him, too like, "Yo. This is what I found out. I had to go through it, and I figured out this ain't important." So I'm telling him these things. And then we also having a deeper conversation — it's crazy you bring up "i." That artwork right there? I don't know for sure — I don't know what his album is on. I can't wait to hear it. But that artwork, I know for a fact — you can ask him. I haven't asked him yet. I would love to know what he says. That artwork has to be a direct result of the conversation we had.
KELLEY: What? The hands?
COLE: Not the hands. I just feel like — and I was telling him this on the plane — I feel like he is the one. First of all, I read, around that time — this how the conversation came up. I read a book, Monster. Monster Kody, which is, if you don't know, he's a notorious gang-banger from L.A. Huge, well-respected OG. His book is ridiculous. The story is crazy. It's almost — it's unbelievable. It's like the wild west out there when gangs got poppin'. And he was coming up in a different era of gang-banging. The book is unbelievable.
So I started telling him about the book. You know, obviously he knows the story. Everybody in L.A. know Monster Kody's story. But I'm just like — even Monster Kody acknowledges, in the book, how silly gang-banging is. But it's a trap. It's a cycle, you know what I mean? It's literally the dumbest thing you've ever — black people killing black people. For a street. Literally, for the street you grew up on and what color your brother was associated with or your uncle was associated with, your pops was associated with. I'm not from L.A. We got gang-bangers in Carolina but it's like, I almost laugh when I think about it cause I'm like, "How did this happen? How did it spread all the way over here?" Regardless, I'm telling him that yo, you are the one.
KELLEY: Oh, I know what part you're talking about.
COLE: You can be the one to end it. It's silly at this point. It's silly. You can't — we can't — first of all, no black man should be killing a black man, period. Anymore. Period. Point blank. And absolutely not for a color, not for a street, not for a neighborhood, not for — but it's a cycle. You know what I mean? It's like, your uncle killed my uncle. You uncle killed my brother. Your cousin killed my cousin. And it's — so it's a cycle that's hard to get out of.
But I was telling him, if it's anybody that can do it, it's him. You know what I mean? Because he's from Compton. He's from there. He has the power. And I think that goes to the point of, like — we in a time right now where people looking to celebrities for — to be that voice. And I'm not saying it's right or wrong, ccause I don't expect any man to do nothing that is –- his heart ain't in. But I feel like we are the only ones — not meaning me and Kendrick — but I'm saying, we, as people in the light that have the eyes and the ears of the young people, we have a responsibility. If it's in our heart, we have a responsibility to tell them and show them the way. And not make money off of playing into the stereotypes, you know what I mean? Obviously, Kendrick don't do that. I don't do that. Whatever. But it's like, there's so many rap — I don't want it. It's not cool no more to rap about being a drug dealer when you ain't sold drugs in ten years, 20 years. It's not cool no more. You don't do it. You don't make your money no more off the street, if you ever did in the first place. So why you still rapping about it? Why you still inspiring — it's just — I'm angry about it.
So, to get back to the point, when I saw the "i" artwork I got excited. Because just that little message is so strong. And I feel like Kendrick got the voice and he can do it. He can be the one to wake 'em up and be like, "Yo, man. This s—- stop. This s—-, we gotta stop this." Cause they respect him. People respect artists and poets. And he has the credibility cause he's from there. He ain't banging, but they know: "You represent us. You are us." So he can speak to them. Same way I can speak to somebody from where I'm from and let them know the same — or something similar if they going down the wrong path.
But I feel like it ain't enough of us trying. You know what I'm saying? It's frustrating. There's too much of us trying to make money and a career off of the same cycle. You know what I mean? Off of the victim. We celebrating being victims. And that was cool to me before. It ain't cool to me no more. I can't even — I can't even celebrate that no more.
MUHAMMAD: Well, I think someone has to be courageous — and just like the little bread crumbs. If it's just one and then two, you and Kendrick are talking — to know that that's the type of conversations you guys are having is inspiring. And to know that, through that conversation, you put out a record like you did. I find Forest Hills Drive to be fearless. And I was commenting to a friend asking me about, I said, "Yo. He just banging on people." He's like, "Who he banging on?" I'm like, "Yo, the system."
COLE: The system, dog. The system. Whew!
KELLEY: What is the system? Who is the system?
COLE: America is the system. Capitalism is the system. It's the system that tells us that we need more. There's billions of people in the world, hundreds of millions in America. You know how intelligent we are as human beings and how powerful we are as human beings? And every day, if I walk past you on the streets of New York I could 100% sure that your life — that you're passing me on the street and I could be 100% sure that you're living for you. Whatever you're doing. I don't know what your job is, but I know that your purpose is you, is for you to get more money and for you to be able to survive and eat, period. And your family, tops, if it comes to other people. And you could pass me and be sure that I'm doing the same thing. Right?
So someone makes something that's amazing for the world. Let's say it's a phone with a video camera on it. The world actually needs it. It does provide a great service to the world. Right? That person's a genius. Thank you for contributing that to the world. I know you contributed to make money, that was your goal, but you did it. Thank you.
Now, the hundreds of other million Americans — let's say there's a million in the phone industry — instead of trying to contribute something that also helps the world, their goal now, their intention, is to take the same idea that this person — their energy goes to taking the same idea that this person just made — and I used a dumb example, but this just gives you an example of how it works. This person made a cell phone with a video camera. Now so many other people who are smart and intelligent and have energy to provide for the world are using their energy to make a cheaper version of what this person just made, to capitalize on the money. They're not offering nothing to the world.
MUHAMMAD: What musically were you listening to to get you in the head space for that song?
COLE: I don't know, man. I don't know.
KELLEY: I want to know that for the album, actually.
COLE: Right. Well, thank you. Thank you. I couldn't tell you, specifically. Because I did that beat way before — I did that beat early in the year, like maybe February. I didn't know what to do with the beat. I sent it to Kendrick. Like, "Here man. Take this for your album." No, matter of fact, I sat on it for a while. That particular song, I sat on it for a while. Made the album in L.A. Came back to New York to just finish up the album, tweak the album. And while I was in New York I sent Kendrick the beat like, "Yo. I got something for your album here." He hit me back like, "Yo." He was loving it like, "Yo. It's perfect, classic. Thank you."
And then, a week later I'm on the plane — or in my hotel room, and I got shuffle on my Logic. I got a Logic folder, basically, a Logic playlist that plays all my beats, so I was just going through it randomly and that beat came up and that day I had melodies. "Roll up and smoke my sins away / I'd like to go St. Tropez / Maybe I go maybe I stay." I had that. So I record on my laptop. And I'm thinking to myself, "Oh, no." Cause I'm in love with it, but I just sent it –- mind you, I just sent it to Dot. I just sent him this joint. So I'm like, "Oh my god. I don't want to make that phone call." But I couldn't help it.
So when I got back to the studio maybe four days later, I just recorded it and I just called him, like, "Yo, please tell me you didn't record to that beat yet." Like, "Please tell me you don't have a classic song sitting on that beat. Cause I'm about to —" Cause if he had song I wouldn't even have took it — I wouldn't have took it back. So I was praying that he didn't cause I really loved it and I knew what it was on the album — I knew the scene that it was and I needed it to be. And he was like, "Nah, it's cool. I only got like a verse on it." I was like, "Are you in love with it?" And he was like, "Eh. I ain't in love with it. I'm just playing around." So
COLE: Actually, yeah. Actually we do. It's like this: we're artists and we have our own careers, or whatever the case is, but when we do get to link and converse — for instance probably the last ill conversation we had was on the flight back from Australia probably to L.A., or wherever we was going. We was in Australia basically on a flight. The convo was — everything I'm talking about right now that ended up on my album, I was telling him. Cause I was in the middle of making the album. And I had the direction and I knew a) what my life was about now and what I've understand as a man, you know what I mean? But I'm telling him, too like, "Yo. This is what I found out. I had to go through it, and I figured out this ain't important." So I'm telling him these things. And then we also having a deeper conversation — it's crazy you bring up "i." That artwork right there? I don't know for sure — I don't know what his album is on. I can't wait to hear it. But that artwork, I know for a fact — you can ask him. I haven't asked him yet. I would love to know what he says. That artwork has to be a direct result of the conversation we had.
KELLEY: What? The hands?
COLE: Not the hands. I just feel like — and I was telling him this on the plane — I feel like he is the one. First of all, I read, around that time — this how the conversation came up. I read a book, Monster. Monster Kody, which is, if you don't know, he's a notorious gang-banger from L.A. Huge, well-respected OG. His book is ridiculous. The story is crazy. It's almost — it's unbelievable. It's like the wild west out there when gangs got poppin'. And he was coming up in a different era of gang-banging. The book is unbelievable.
So I started telling him about the book. You know, obviously he knows the story. Everybody in L.A. know Monster Kody's story. But I'm just like — even Monster Kody acknowledges, in the book, how silly gang-banging is. But it's a trap. It's a cycle, you know what I mean? It's literally the dumbest thing you've ever — black people killing black people. For a street. Literally, for the street you grew up on and what color your brother was associated with or your uncle was associated with, your pops was associated with. I'm not from L.A. We got gang-bangers in Carolina but it's like, I almost laugh when I think about it cause I'm like, "How did this happen? How did it spread all the way over here?" Regardless, I'm telling him that yo, you are the one.
KELLEY: Oh, I know what part you're talking about.
COLE: You can be the one to end it. It's silly at this point. It's silly. You can't — we can't — first of all, no black man should be killing a black man, period. Anymore. Period. Point blank. And absolutely not for a color, not for a street, not for a neighborhood, not for — but it's a cycle. You know what I mean? It's like, your uncle killed my uncle. You uncle killed my brother. Your cousin killed my cousin. And it's — so it's a cycle that's hard to get out of.
But I was telling him, if it's anybody that can do it, it's him. You know what I mean? Because he's from Compton. He's from there. He has the power. And I think that goes to the point of, like — we in a time right now where people looking to celebrities for — to be that voice. And I'm not saying it's right or wrong, ccause I don't expect any man to do nothing that is –- his heart ain't in. But I feel like we are the only ones — not meaning me and Kendrick — but I'm saying, we, as people in the light that have the eyes and the ears of the young people, we have a responsibility. If it's in our heart, we have a responsibility to tell them and show them the way. And not make money off of playing into the stereotypes, you know what I mean? Obviously, Kendrick don't do that. I don't do that. Whatever. But it's like, there's so many rap — I don't want it. It's not cool no more to rap about being a drug dealer when you ain't sold drugs in ten years, 20 years. It's not cool no more. You don't do it. You don't make your money no more off the street, if you ever did in the first place. So why you still rapping about it? Why you still inspiring — it's just — I'm angry about it.
So, to get back to the point, when I saw the "i" artwork I got excited. Because just that little message is so strong. And I feel like Kendrick got the voice and he can do it. He can be the one to wake 'em up and be like, "Yo, man. This s—- stop. This s—-, we gotta stop this." Cause they respect him. People respect artists and poets. And he has the credibility cause he's from there. He ain't banging, but they know: "You represent us. You are us." So he can speak to them. Same way I can speak to somebody from where I'm from and let them know the same — or something similar if they going down the wrong path.
But I feel like it ain't enough of us trying. You know what I'm saying? It's frustrating. There's too much of us trying to make money and a career off of the same cycle. You know what I mean? Off of the victim. We celebrating being victims. And that was cool to me before. It ain't cool to me no more. I can't even — I can't even celebrate that no more.
MUHAMMAD: Well, I think someone has to be courageous — and just like the little bread crumbs. If it's just one and then two, you and Kendrick are talking — to know that that's the type of conversations you guys are having is inspiring. And to know that, through that conversation, you put out a record like you did. I find Forest Hills Drive to be fearless. And I was commenting to a friend asking me about, I said, "Yo. He just banging on people." He's like, "Who he banging on?" I'm like, "Yo, the system."
COLE: The system, dog. The system. Whew!
KELLEY: What is the system? Who is the system?
COLE: America is the system. Capitalism is the system. It's the system that tells us that we need more. There's billions of people in the world, hundreds of millions in America. You know how intelligent we are as human beings and how powerful we are as human beings? And every day, if I walk past you on the streets of New York I could 100% sure that your life — that you're passing me on the street and I could be 100% sure that you're living for you. Whatever you're doing. I don't know what your job is, but I know that your purpose is you, is for you to get more money and for you to be able to survive and eat, period. And your family, tops, if it comes to other people. And you could pass me and be sure that I'm doing the same thing. Right?
So someone makes something that's amazing for the world. Let's say it's a phone with a video camera on it. The world actually needs it. It does provide a great service to the world. Right? That person's a genius. Thank you for contributing that to the world. I know you contributed to make money, that was your goal, but you did it. Thank you.
Now, the hundreds of other million Americans — let's say there's a million in the phone industry — instead of trying to contribute something that also helps the world, their goal now, their intention, is to take the same idea that this person — their energy goes to taking the same idea that this person just made — and I used a dumb example, but this just gives you an example of how it works. This person made a cell phone with a video camera. Now so many other people who are smart and intelligent and have energy to provide for the world are using their energy to make a cheaper version of what this person just made, to capitalize on the money. They're not offering nothing to the world.
MUHAMMAD: What musically were you listening to to get you in the head space for that song?
COLE: I don't know, man. I don't know.
KELLEY: I want to know that for the album, actually.
COLE: Right. Well, thank you. Thank you. I couldn't tell you, specifically. Because I did that beat way before — I did that beat early in the year, like maybe February. I didn't know what to do with the beat. I sent it to Kendrick. Like, "Here man. Take this for your album." No, matter of fact, I sat on it for a while. That particular song, I sat on it for a while. Made the album in L.A. Came back to New York to just finish up the album, tweak the album. And while I was in New York I sent Kendrick the beat like, "Yo. I got something for your album here." He hit me back like, "Yo." He was loving it like, "Yo. It's perfect, classic. Thank you."
And then, a week later I'm on the plane — or in my hotel room, and I got shuffle on my Logic. I got a Logic folder, basically, a Logic playlist that plays all my beats, so I was just going through it randomly and that beat came up and that day I had melodies. "Roll up and smoke my sins away / I'd like to go St. Tropez / Maybe I go maybe I stay." I had that. So I record on my laptop. And I'm thinking to myself, "Oh, no." Cause I'm in love with it, but I just sent it –- mind you, I just sent it to Dot. I just sent him this joint. So I'm like, "Oh my god. I don't want to make that phone call." But I couldn't help it.
So when I got back to the studio maybe four days later, I just recorded it and I just called him, like, "Yo, please tell me you didn't record to that beat yet." Like, "Please tell me you don't have a classic song sitting on that beat. Cause I'm about to —" Cause if he had song I wouldn't even have took it — I wouldn't have took it back. So I was praying that he didn't cause I really loved it and I knew what it was on the album — I knew the scene that it was and I needed it to be. And he was like, "Nah, it's cool. I only got like a verse on it." I was like, "Are you in love with it?" And he was like, "Eh. I ain't in love with it. I'm just playing around." So
