"I Never Felt White. I Don't Know What That Feels Like"

Roc Nation's J. Cole opens up about having bi-racial parents and how despite being half White, he has never fully felt a part of Caucasian descent in the new XXL Magazine.

Based on an excerpt from his October feature, Cole speaks on his genetic makeup.

"I can identify with White people, because I know my mother, her side of the family, who I love. I've had White friends. I know people from high school that I might not have hung out with outside of high school, but I think I got to know them pretty well, so I know they sense of humor. But at the end of the day, I never felt White. I don't know what that feels like. I can identify. But never have I felt like I'm one of them. Not that I wanted to, or tried to, but it just was what it was. I identify more with what I look like, because that's how I got treated. Not necessarily in a negative way. But when you get pulled over by the police, I can't pull out my half-White card. Or if I just meet you on the street, you're not gonna be like, This guy seems half-White." (XXL Mag)

J. Cole's "In The Morning" collaborator Drake is also the son of bi-racial parents.

Drake was born to an African-American father and a Jewish mother, who divorced when he was five. Raised by his mother in Forest Hill, a heavily Jewish neighborhood of Toronto, he attended a Jewish day school, and was even Bar Mitzvah'd (the song of the night was Backstreet Boys's "I Want It That Way"). All of which is to say that, whatever else happens, Drake is already the first-ever black Jewish rap star. (Heeb Magazine)

Last year, Shady Records' Yelawolf talked about facing racial barriers as a white rapper.

"I still face it at every show, dog. There's always somebody. It never fails, never. Until I'm selling out my own shows and I'm going to be demo-ing for somebody. And somebody is not going to like me because I'm a white boy on stage rapping and I look different. That's something I will experience until everybody that came through the door came to see just me. I'm used to it though, when you're traveling with groups, you just have to be prepared to deal with it. Do your best to snap and walk off the stage holding your nuts. Always! That's how you got to be. I grew up in Alabama so I've heard and seen it all. Knowing your talent is probably one of the keys to be successful." (VIBE)

Outside of racial talk, Cole recently got surprised by seeing a premature released copy of his Roc Nation debut during a concert.

After all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into making his album, imagine J. Cole's surprise when a fan handed him a copy of the physical CD before he had even seen it. The Roc Nation rapper was performing in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday night when someone in the audience held up a copy of his debut Cole World: The Sideline Story, nearly a week before its release. Apparently some Target stores had prematurely put the album on shelves. (Rap-Up)