J. Cole

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Lore & Background

The origins of "In the Morning" trace back to 2007, well before J. Cole signed his first record deal. He initially recorded the track for his mixtape sampler titled "The Warm Up to the Warm Up," which was released prior to his full project "The Warm Up." The collaboration's genesis occurred when Cole met Drake in Los Angeles through producer Chase N. Cashe during what Cole described as "the No I.D. sessions, my first time working on the album, like two years ago." Two years later, Drake reached out with a message: "Yo, man.

In Their Own Story

The journey of "In the Morning" took a significant turn during a listening session in New York City where J. Cole previewed tracks from his upcoming debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, for a select group including Insanul Ahmed of Complex. It was here that Cole revealed he had decided to include "In the Morning" featuring Drake, a song originally from his 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights. When questioned about bringing an older track onto a new studio album, Cole defended the decision by explaining his belief that the original version never received the push it deserved. He felt the song needed to reach a wider audience beyond the mixtape circuit. This advocacy led to the official release of the track on his debut studio album in 2011, produced once again by L&X Music.

Reader's Guide

For fans tracking the evolution of J. Cole and Drake's relationship, "In the Morning" serves as the foundational text. The song first appeared on the Friday Night Lights mixtape in 2010 before being re-released on the debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story in 2011. A music video was released on February 15, 2011, depicting both artists in Paris, France; as of January 2024, this visual has accumulated over 30 million views. On the charts, the song entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart the week of March 12, 2011, debuting at number 97 before eventually peaking at number 57. The production is credited to L&X Music, and the track remains a key example of how Cole leveraged his early connections to elevate his debut album's narrative.

Did You Know?

• J. Cole originally recorded "In the Morning" in 2007, before he had a record deal.
• Drake requested a feature on the song via text message after hearing the 2007 demo, calling it "retarded."
• The music video for the track was filmed in Paris, France and released on February 15, 2011.
• Cole included the mixtape version of the song on his debut studio album because he felt it never got the push it deserved.
• The song peaked at number 57 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart after debuting at number 97.