J. Cole is finally gearing up for the release of his debut album, promising fans that there will be "no more hold up." Speaking at a press conference for the 2011 BET Awards, Cole said he was preparing to get deep into the promotional cycle with the release of an as-yet-untitled new single.
"Now it's time," he said. "I always had the material for the album. The hold-up was always picking the right single. I think we knew that there was so much on the line and the potential that I had, so we were kind of hesitant.... [Now,] there's no more hold up."
Not one to chase the spotlight, the Roc Nation rapper explained why fans may have perceived him as laying low.
"I'm a private person," he said. "I was never really big on being on UStream everyday, all on Twitter, telling you the newest joke I heard, or, 'I hate this commercial,' or, 'I love it.' I just never thought those things were important. I like the mystique."
As for the rumors that Cole’s relationship with label boss Jay-Z had soured over the album delay, Cole brushed those aside in a recent interview.
"Y'all believe that?" he asked jokingly on Connecticut's Hot 93.7. "That's not true. That's so not true. It was a cool rumor, I guess. It didn't really get too big, but I've seen it. It's just funny to see how rumors work, like, they don't even have sources. But it's the furthest thing from the truth."
The North Carolina rapper stressed the importance of taking time to do things his own way.
"When you've got the type of goals that I've got and you want to be where I am, you've got to understand, there's going to be a long journey and no man can get you there," Cole said. "I just realized, Jay-Z's not going to be the one to get me there. It's gotta be me, it's got to come from me."
Cole's much-anticipated debut album is still without a title or release date.