Cordae's last work, The crossroadsit marks what he might describe as the most refined version of himself as an artist. In an exclusive interview with Billboard News, Cordae explores why this album — out Friday — is his strongest work yet.
Cordae is clear why now is the right time to drop this album. “I think it's ready. I think I'm better than ever as an artist,” he says.
He spent time focusing on his art and drawing inspiration from life to make sure he was doing his best. “I feel like I needed this time to live life, to evaluate life,” she says. “Especially this album, I had to get better.”
For Cordae, development involved everything from beat selection to songwriting. “I wanted to be better, as a songwriter, as a rapper. I wanted my lyrics to be better. I wanted my storytelling to be better. I wanted my beat selection and my taste in beat selection to get better, and that takes work and time, so I feel like this is my best step forward so far.”
The album title, The crossroadshe talks about a turning point he felt he had reached. “I felt like I was at a crossroads in my life,” she says, describing a time when every decision was high risk. “It was like life or death. … If I go right, everything will be perfect and yes, life is wonderful, and if I go left, all of life is horrible.” Over time, he learned that life is rarely shaped by a single choice. “I've realized that a decision doesn't carry that much weight. It is the culmination of decisions.”
Cordae also reflects on his journey with J. Cole, a major influence. After rapping over J. Cole's “1985” beat and calling it “Old N—as,” the track went viral when WorldStarHipHop called it a response to J. Cole's original. This music video caught Cole's attention, eventually leading to their collaboration. “That's when he made the beats for me and we locked in,” he says.
Cordae credits the recent Drake and Kendrick Lamar rivalry for fueling hip-hop's competitive edge. “It was great for hip-hop,” he says. “The competitive nature is kind of the fundamentals of hip-hop, like, 'Nah, I'm cooler than you, son.' Competition, he adds, energized the culture. “It was just putting a battery in everybody's back, like, no, we can just say how we feel — even if it's like, 'F— this guy.'
Watch the full interview with Cordae in the video above.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/cordae-video-interview-the-crossroads-album-kendrick-drake-feud-1235827306/
