Despite his super low-key, off-the-radar profile that might have you think Roc Nation rapper J. Cole is living under a rock, don’t be fooled: the Dreamville vanguard knows talent when he hears it.

Or, rather, when he sees it, which is exactly what he revealed led to his adamant support for Bronx breakout star Cardi B in their first meeting ever captured on video.

And real it was, as Cole dropped gems on Cardi regarding her career, stardom and simply how to keep her head above the industry water.

An unknown person filming the exchange via Snapchat caught the highlights of their conversation where Cole mentioned that he first became a fan even before “Bodak Yellow” made waves this summer. Thanks to his wife’s sisters tuning in on Cardi’s pre-fame Instagram virality, the 4 Your Eyez Only emcee had the pleasure of learning about her early on.

In another snippet, he reiterates his Twitter sentiments from late August when the summer was dwindling down and Cardi’s pressure to sustain the momentum from her reigning No. 1 record was high. Don’t worry about hitting No. 1 twice, he advised her. After all, even his own hip-hop mentor and label boss Jay-Z’s rap royalty wasn’t built over night.

“Jay-Z was popping since ’96,” he told her. “That n***a just got his first No. 1.”

Continuing his advice for her, he added that she can’t force magic, and her best decision for now is to remove the pressure from herself first. Cardi’s attentive composure suggests that she took in Cole’s words of wisdom accordingly. Not to mention the confirmation beneath their photo op via Instagram.

“I met [J. Cole] last night,” she wrote, “[so] dope and humble. I shall follow advice!”

Another nugget for Cardi to top off upon her golden year.

Listen to Cole’s guiding words for Cardi and see the flick from their special hip-hop counterpart moment below.