Your Hot Morning Crew, Nancy B & DJ Buck stopped by J. Cole’s tour bus at Hot Jam 2012, to talk about his pick for this year’s NBA Finals, working out on tour and performing on a major tour for the first time in his career.

It seems like a “long time coming” for J. Cole but after four long, hard years of putting in work, getting signed by Jay-Z and multiple shows, he’s finally made it.

Cole has long said he never stops working on music, and sure enough he was in the back working as Buck and Nancy got on the bus!  He has a studio on board to make beats, work on future songs, and just to have fun. It also helps because inspiration can strike at any moment.  “sometimes you find inspiration from different things you see,” he said “you might have your best ideas in the club, on the road or sometimes on stage.”  It’s a lesson Cole learned from his tour with Jay Z, and it’s stuck with him since.

Being on the road with Drake and the rest of the Club Paradise tour has been fun for Cole– he has been on the road now for almost three years, so it’s becoming a second nature to him. “I feel like I’m at home when I’m on the road.”

Waka Flocka said he’s gained some weight on this tour, so how does Cole keep in shape?  He’s balling on tour as much as possible!  During tour breaks, he and the rest of the Club Paradise crew have been setting up a hoop in front of their tour buses and shooting around Play 21 stuff like that.  You’d imagine someone as big as Waka Flocka would be slow on the court, but Cole admits the Southern rapper’s size is his best asset– it’s hard to get to the hoop with him around!

Cole is riding with the Thunder in the NBA Playoffs this year, he’s been talking basketball on the whole tour, with his crew (some of whom have rolled with him since Middle School!) and even with Waka, who’s OKC all the way!

Last time Cole came to CT was his Listening Party at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, and since the record dropped he’s had a number of hits, including his latest single, “Nobody’s Perfect” featuring Missy Elliot.  How did this moving song (Nancy’s favorite) come to be?  “I just made it, there was no real inspiration,” he admitted. “I started making a beat, I had a little bit of verse… and Missy Elliot popped into my head. I tried to visualize it for her.”

Spending so much time on the road, Cole doesn’t have plans for a new album right now, but more mixtapes are most likely on the horizon, and he’s certainly not slacking when it comes to making music… he just needs a home for it.  “I’ve got an album list and I’ve got another list,” he said of his strategy for keeping his tracks sorted.

Of course, possible collabs are one of the best things that can come out of a tour as big as Club Paradise, and J. Cole is ready for anything.  “You wanna try to make as much happen as possible.”  So far the best thing Cole’s been a part of was a time Meek, French and Wale were recording and Cole came in to lay down a verse.  He’s hoping to team up with Drake on a project while they’re on the road, as he stated “It [would be] a crime to be on this tour so long and we don’t do anything.”

Cole never thought he’d play overseas and he loved the experience.  With recent stints in South Africa and Europe, he was shocked that everyone knew his songs and sang along at his shows abroad.  It spoke to the rapper, making him believe there were bigger things waiting for him as his career continues to grow, and for him it’s all part of the plan… he just wants to reach people with his music.

“Different songs have different intentions,” he said. “I remember writing ‘Lose My Balance’ and [thinking] maybe this is going to make a girl see her life differently. That was the intention. And some songs like ‘Work Out’ I just wanted people to have a good time.”

Check out the rest of the interview with J. Cole and the Hot Morning Crew below!