J. Cole, Eminem & & Paul Rosenberg Jeff Hahne/Getty Images; Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Paramount+
J. Cole has actually been extremely open about his grind to the top, however his brand-new audio series Unavoidable has actually exposed a lot more obstructions in his profession. He just recently assessed being turned down by Paul Rosenberg, supervisor to the famous Eminem.
In the late 2000s, he started taking label conferences together with his supervisor Ibrahim Hamad. One specific conference with G-Unit opened some larger doors for them. “After that conference [with G-Unit]we got a conference with 2 individuals: one was Chris Lighty and the other was– I believe Sha [Money XL] had something to do with this– he got us a conference with Paul Rosenberg who is Eminem’s supervisor permanently and runs Shady Records,” Cole stated.
“Just like being at 50’s home and conference Mark Pitts, it was, ‘Now we’re talking momentum.’ Simply a year prior, I was f ** king waiting outdoors on some Hail Mary sh * t for JAY-Z, and now I’m getting genuine momentum of individuals calling like, ‘They wish to come and see us, they desire us to bring up and play music.'”
(L-R) 50 Cent and J. Cole carry out onstage throughout the 50 Cent: The Final Lap Tour at Barclays Center on August 09, 2023 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Ibrahim Hamad chimed in with his evaluation of how Paul Rosenberg appeared to see the conference. “I keep in mind at the Paul Rosenberg conference, ’cause I was there for that, it actually seemed like he was doing somebody a favor,” he stated. Cole included: “Chris Lighty’s energy was more like, ‘Yo, I’m simply gon na offer y’ all some video game. Y’ all young ni ** as I found out about, boom boom.'”
When it comes to Rosenberg, Cole had a more blunt account of his state of mind in the conference compared to Hamad’s. “And Paul Rosenberg really seemed like he was indifferent and didn’t provide a f ** k. It actually seemed like it was a favor. There was no ambiance to that conference, he didn’t see it, he didn’t get it. Which is cool, he didn’t play us at all.”
Cole and Ib weren’t swayed by his disinterest since they seemed like remaining in such a space sufficed. “I didn’t provide a f ** k due to the fact that it was momentum,” Cole exclaimed. “The truth that I was right there with Eminem’s f ** king supervisor and in some way I made it to him and on his f ** king radar was simply more evidence of, ‘Yo, simply keep doing what you’re f ** king doing.'” Take a look at the complete episode and past releases here.
J. Cole’s profession worked out well as history programs. He went on to sign to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation imprint, protected numerous platinum records, get Grammy elections, and enter into “The Big 3.” Music-wise, he shared May Delete Later previously this year which is up for Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammys.