In a recent interview, J. Cole responds to the rumors that Jay-Z is mad at him.

J. Cole recently caught up with Hot 93.7’s On-Air Idiot Show following a performance at Central Connecticut State University. During the interview, the Roc Nation signee responded to rumors that Jay-Z is upset with him for taking as long as he has to release his debut album. Cole said that while he finds it funny that the rumor actually exists, it’s absolutely false.

“Y’all believe that?” he joked. “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’s just funny to see how rumors work, like, they don’t even have sources. But it’s the furtherest thing from the truth.”

J. Cole also discussed how signing with Jay has affected his work ethic. He said that while some artists may feel secure about joining forces with such an established artist, Cole says that it has only pushed him to work even harder on his debut project. 

“My attitude has actually been the opposite [of many of my peers],” he said. “Even though I’ve with Jay[-Z]…from the minute I signed, I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, I’m on now, I’m good. I’m with Jay.’ If anything, I’ve felt at a disadvantage because that’s a big shadow to live under…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. 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.”