J. Cole says he was smoking cigarettes ‘regularly around the neighborhood’ at the age of six

J. Cole says he was smoking cigarettes ‘regularly around the neighborhood’ at the age of six

J. Cole said he was caught smoking cigarettes when he was just six-years-old.

The rap artist, 38, appeared Tuesday on the Lead By Example podcast with Bob Myers, where he opened up about how the habit came to be at such a young age.

‘I was smoking cigarettes regularly around the neighborhood,’ said J. Cole, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

He added that he was ‘was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood’ who were friends with his older brother.

‘They were smoking,’ he said. ‘And I was young and fearless and trying to be cool. So, it was like, “Oh, y’all smoking – let me see that.”‘

The latest: J. Cole, 38, said he was caught smoking cigarettes when he was just six-years-old. He appeared Tuesday on the Lead By Example podcast with Bob Myers 

The Middle Child performer said that he and his peers all had ‘young parents’ and ‘long leashes,’ and that his mother was unaware at first what he was doing.

He said of the other children in the neighborhood, ‘To them, it’s funny, they’re 10 themselves, so, it’s funny for them. Nobody’s really worried about me … they’re 10 and smoking cigarettes!

‘This is going on for two, three weeks. One day, I’m down the street at a house where it was happening at and my brother comes up and I asked one of our homeboys in the neighborhood, I’m like, “Yo, You got any cigarettes?”‘

The My Life rapper said his older brother Zach was surprised and subsequently informed their mother what he had been up to.

He said that he initially denied to his mother that he’d been smoking, but she had smelled it on his breath, and he was punished.

J. Cole said that his mother was upset – and that he was upset he had hurt her.

‘The reason why I think that was a life-changing moment where after that I didn’t need much correction – I became a self-corrector – is because that was the first time I became aware that, “Oh, my actions can hurt someone else.”‘

J. Cole, who was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, said he was 'was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood'

J. Cole, who was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, said he was ‘was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood’

The My Life rapper said his older brother Zach was surprised and subsequently informed their mother what he had been up to

The My Life rapper said his older brother Zach was surprised and subsequently informed their mother what he had been up to 

The musical artist said that he initially denied to his mother that he'd been smoking, but she had smelled it on his breath, and he was punished

The musical artist said that he initially denied to his mother that he’d been smoking, but she had smelled it on his breath, and he was punished 

J. Cole said that his mother was upset - and that he was upset he had hurt her

J. Cole said that his mother was upset – and that he was upset he had hurt her

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