J. Cole Reveals Hip-Hop Nickname, 'Winning' for Jay-Z

When you are about to release one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of 2011, you can be forgiven for coming off a little anxious. Certainly you can hear it in the pressing tone of J. Cole's voice. Add on the fact that the North Carolina lyricist just so happens to be Jay-Z's first signing to his Roc Nation imprint, and you've got the makings of unmitigated show-and-prove pressure.

The 26-year-old MC has spent the last two years toiling in the recording studio, working on music that at times has been praised, dissected and criticized from a hardcore Internet-fueled contingent of fans that are as loyal as they are outspoken. Indeed, 'Cole World: The Sideline Story,' due out Sept. 27, will go a long way to giving credence to the talk that J. Cole is destined to be his generation's Nas. Cole is humbled by such talk, but he understands that releasing his first official musical statement is worlds away from the string of critically-acclaimed mixtapes that have garnered him respect. J. Cole wants to win.

From talk about his early childhood hip-hop nickname to sacrificing his personal life for his career, J. Cole opens up about it all.

'Cole World' has been close to two years in the making. Do you now have a sense of relief given that your first official single, 'Work Out,' has finally been released to radio?

I'm really excited. I'm ready. There are no nerves at all. It's just a feeling that I [want] to prove my fans right and make them proud. I know what the album is. The next step is just letting the fans hear it -- to let them know that everything they thought about me as an MC is true.

A lot of your fans were shocked at the overt commercial feel of 'Work Out,' which seems to be aimed squarely at the clubs. Were you worried about alienating more hardcore fans that were used to hearing J. Cole in a more lyrical setting?

I'm just going to be me. That's it. Of course I want to be commercially successful. That's not the label making me feel like that, that's what I want to do. I don't want to have music that goes under the radar for the rest of my life. I want to win at all levels of this career. I'm not afraid of success. Back in the days, I was worried about what becoming a star meant. I was afraid of becoming successful too fast. Now I want my music to be heard by everyone. I think 'Work Out' is a summertime, feel good record. It sounds like some [old school] West Coast, that Roger Troutman [voice box] feel. It just feels good. But I also want to show that I'm still that artist lyrically.