J. Cole admits that he doesn’t really feel like he’s the best rapper alive. He only feels that way when he’s in the recording booth.

In an interview with 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, which premiered on Friday (March 27), J. Cole admitted to hosts Carmelo Anthony, Monica McNutt and Kazeem Famuyide, that he be lying in his songs when he brags about being the best rapper alive. The North Carolina rhymer said he doesn’t walk around thinking he’s the best rapper, especially when there are other elite lyricists who could bodied him on a song.

“Bro, it’s a ni**a named Black Thought that exists. It’s a ni**a named Lupe Fiasco that exists,” he explained. “It’s ni**as that on any given day, even my peers, a Drake or a Kendrick [Lamar] where it’s like, yo, I know on any given day I can show up to the studio and give these ni**as 80, I know they can show up on any day in the studio and give me 80, and I might only have 30.”

“If I’m taking on a rap persona, like when I’m rapping, that’s how I like to rap. And guess what? Sometimes I hit the mark and I say s**t and I spit a verse that really might have you believe in that s**t,” he continued. “But if you ask me in real life, do I walk around like I’m the best rapper alive? No, ni**a. Like I’m the best ever? No. But when I put on that muthaf***in’ cape, that’s how I try to attack s**t.”

“And have there been things and moments and verses where I’m writing this s**t and I’m like, I know ni**a not f**king with this. Absolutely. But in reality, do I walk around this earth like there’s no ni**a better than me in real life? Like I can’t get in the studio with Black Thought and he just give me 90, you know what I mean? And I’m sitting there like I got 25 for you, you know what I mean? Or any one of these amazing rappers,” he concluded.

J. Cole feels that he brags so much about being the best rapper on his songs, that fans believe it’s the truth and don’t realize he’s just being boastful. But outside of the studio, he doesn’t walk around with that persona.

See J. Cole Explain Why He Doesn’t Really Feel Like He’s the Best Rapper Alive

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