In a new interview, the singer revealed that he began smoking at the age of six.

In a recent interview, J.Cole disclosed that he began smoking at the age of six.

The ‘No Role Modelz’ singer opened up and explained that he regularly smoked cigarettes around the his neighbourhood in North Carolina.

Fans were surprised at the revelation as the rapper has dedicated a lot of his expansive discography to the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

The rapper, whose actual name is Jermaine Lamarr Cole, stated on the Lead By Example podcast that he smoked, “trying to be cool” in front of the older kids in the community.

“At six years old, I was smoking cigarettes, regularly around the neighborhood.”

He recalled that “The thing was, my brother’s almost four years older than me. I was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood that he was hanging around.”

About his smoking, J. Cole stated that he was “young and fearless, trying to be cool,”

He added that it was “funny” for the older children to observe the six-year-old smoking, but that this ended when his brother informed on him, which was a “life-changing moment.”

He recalled the moment his mother was informed of his behaviour and frankly revealed: “when she smelled cigarettes on my breath, her face was like… it was heartbroken.”

“It was disbelief, it was crushed. I remember the look on her face. She was like, ‘You have been smoking!’ It hit her, that her baby who’s six, a) is capable of smoking cigarettes. And b) capable of lying dead to her face about it.”

Following that, the rapper claims that his mother’s reaction was enough to get him back on track and that he “didn’t need much more correction.”

Since then, J.Cole has expressed his desire to pass on his knowledge to his own two children, whom he shares with wife Melissa Heholt.

Main Image: J.Cole| Andrew Chin/Getty Images