Earlier this year, Drake even openly stated J. Cole was the next Nas. In response to those statements, Cole said people need to chill with all of the comparisons. He said there is no doubt in him, and Drake, becoming great artists. But, J. Cole wants it to happen in their own rights.
Recently, J. Cole addressed the Nas comparisons again. He said Nas is like Michael Jordan, in a way. After Jordan retired in 1998, the sports media began a search for the next Michael Jordan. Any player in the NBA drafted to a bad team that was between 6'4 and 6'8 was pegged as the next Michael Jordan.
With Nas no longer being a focal point in the hip hop game the way he was, ten years ago, J. Cole feels Nas is going to go through the same thing Jordan went through. J. Cole said right now, people are thinking of him as the next Nas, but this could change in the next few years. Once he has established himself in his own right, some other rapper may end up being compared to Nas. He said this is a cycle and the fans cannot help but get caught up in this.