He was fresh off the CEBL court with the Scarborough Shooting Stars when J. Cole took to the Governors Ball festival stage in New York City. The Dreamville mogul even joked about checking up on his rap skill following his brief stint with the Canadian basketball team, and backstage, Jazzy’s WorldTV was able to grab a few moments with the hitmaker prior to his performance. The young reporter is known for her wholesome interviews with our favorite stars, and Cole broke his stride to make sure he gave some time to the young star.

“Persistence is important because…let’s say you want something really bad and you keep trying, and you keep trying, and you keep trying, and on the tenth try you don’t get it still,” said Cole. “And you say, ‘Ah, okay, it must be a sign that I need to stop doing what I need to do.’”

J. Cole
Provided By HNHH

“What if you didn’t know that on your eleventh try you would have made it?” the rapper questioned. “You would have made it happen and got what you wanted to get.” Cole added that “if you really, truly love something and you truly believe you should just do it for the love,” even if you don’t reach the massive goal you set for yourself, you were still able to execute it well because “you were still doing something you love.”

“Getting out of your comfort zone is the fastest way for growth. It’s hard to grow when you’re comfortable. You’re not stretching yourself. You’re not stretching your limits you’re just in your comfort zone.”

Jazzy recalled that Cole stood outside Jay-Z’s office trying to get Hov’s attention, and she said that she did something similar for the Rap mogul. Check out Jazzy’s interview with J. Cole below.