Chilli and T-Boz of TLC dusted off their microphones for J. Cole's "Crooked Smile." It's the second track we've heard from J.'s upcoming sophomore effort, Born Sinner, and it's all about J. Cole's effed-up grill. Oh, and self-acceptance.
"I keep my twisted grill just to show the kids it's real / We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still / I got smart, I got rich and I got b-tches still / And they all look like my eyebrows, thick as hell." It's funny, thoughtful and totally danceable. Well done, sir.
J. Cole recently chatted with Fuse's Esteban Serrano about recruiting TLC for the track. After his management put him in touch with T-Boz and Chilli (thank God for connections), the two recorded their parts separately, and the result is exactly what J. Cole was hoping for.
"I wanted to go get my favorite [artists] and have them do the things that I love them for doing... [On 'Crooked Smile'] TLC is doing what I loved them for [in the '90s]."
Watch Fuse's interview with J. Cole below. Born Sinner drops June 18.