North Carolina native J. Cole has always been motivated by Chicago Bulls and UNC Tar Heels icon Michael Jordan’s life. Previously, in numerous songs, the rapper has mentioned His Airness. Furthermore, Cole was part of the ownership group that bought the majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets from the 6x NBA champion last year. Once again, the duo garnered attention as Cole referenced Jordan in his latest album, Might Delete Later.
The first song of the album is Pricey, which focuses on one’s journey to fame as well as the hurdles and sacrifices one may encounter along the way. He might have found the inspiration in MJ’s career as he mentioned the Chicago Bulls legend. In the song, he compared his rap verses to being as rare and valuable as MJ’s rookie card. His rap verses read, “N****s know a verse from Cole be like a signed Michael Jordan rookie card in mint condition. The farthest thing from harbor sh*t, be honest with me, listen. You know if I want it, I be John Gotti with the henchmen.”
And as suggested by the first song, it has more than one surprise. Last time, fans didn’t miss Kendrick Lamar’s part in “Like That” with Metro Boomin and Future, which took a direct shot at J. Cole and Drake. While the latter is yet to respond, Cole decided to clap back at Kendrick with his latest album.
He fired back with his response in his last song 7 Minute Drill, roasted and fueling the beef between the two. “He averaging one hard verse like every 30 months or sumn, if he wasn’t dissin we wouldn’t be discussin em,” J Cole raps in the song. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old rapper has a history of name-dropping some of the biggest names in sports.
Cole stirred fans’ hearts with Michael Jordan and Disney-inspired song
In his song, Return of Simba, the rapper connected his favorite Disney character’s power with the basketball great Jordan. The song begins with a young Simba. Following that, J. Cole drew parallels between Simba’s journey and the achievements of past and present sports heroes. The verse read, “Being good is good, that’ll get you Drew Gooden / But me, I want Jordan numbers, LeBron footin.”
Other rap stars have also referenced the Bulls legend in their songs. Drake’s “Barry Bonds Freestyle” (2008), Fabulous’ “Throwback” (2003), Phife Dawg’ “Lyrics to Go (1993), and more have featured MJ’s name. However, J. Cole must feel a special connection with the 6x NBA champion.
Hailing from North Carolina, just like MJ, Cole has often displayed his affection for his hometown. That was evident as he was part of the group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Shnalles that bought majority ownership of the Hornets from His Airness for around $3 billion in 2023. Whether one likes J. Cole or not, there is no denying he is one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
