J. Cole evaluates Jay Z as his mentor before he was even signed to him. “Jay was mentor before I ever signed to him,” J.Cole mentioned in a video. “I studied his moves that much…I got to go on tour with him and steal a lot of gems. That’s how you supposed to do it. You’re supposed to learn and take pieces from the greatest. So, Jay was my mentor before I ever signed to him. And now that I signed to him it’s just a blessing to be able to hit him for advice and get that real 20 years of experience or however long he been in the game. It’s priceless.”