XXL Presents... The 35 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013 – XXL". XXL. January 14, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013 . Retrieved May 26, 2013. But the first time I got interested in how to make something was listening to Timbaland productions, trying to figure out how he did those things. I couldn’t even fathom it, where you would get started, but I was interested. On Aaliyah’s third album [Aaliyah, 2001], the song More Than a Woman was so next-level to me. I just sat there trying to imagine how he made it. After that, I started trying things on the [Ensoniq] ASR-X Pro [Resampling Production Studio]... the red machine with just the drum pads." Cole:"Honestly, I use tools like panning to clear up space, especially now that I’ve grown as a producer, but in my early stages there was no such thing–just sounds piled on top of each other. Only now am I starting to take control of things that used to be done in the mix. Now I’m doing EQs, reverbs, delays, panning, etc. while making the beat. I didn’t have the mixing ear at first, just an ear for melody and drums and adjusting the volume of the sounds. This album [Born Sinner] was the beginning of my putting more motion in the sound design, and it’s only scratching the surface."

New Video: J.Cole x TLC "Crooked Smile" ". Rap Radar. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013 . Retrieved September 24, 2013. Video: J. Cole Performs New Verses Live In Hollywood – All City Chess Club". October 20, 2012. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013 . Retrieved May 26, 2013. Born Sinner – J. Cole | Credits". AllMusic. June 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013 . Retrieved August 25, 2013. a b Jeffries, David. "Born Sinner – J. Cole". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013 . Retrieved June 17, 2013. Alexis, Nadeska (April 11, 2013). "J. Cole's Born Sinner Tosses Old Basketball Theme Out of Bounds". MTV. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013 . Retrieved May 26, 2013.J. Cole Talks Moving Up Album Release To Compete With Kanye West: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013 . Retrieved May 26, 2013. Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/14/2013". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013 . Retrieved July 17, 2013.

Freedom or jail, clip's inserted, a baby's being born/same time, a man is murdered; the beginning and end/as far as rap goes, it's only natural I explain my plateau and, also what defines my name... So once you have all the parts together, where do you have to work the hardest to make it all sit comfortably? J. Cole Talks Producing "Born Sinner" And Having Limited Features". hotnewhiphop. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013 . Retrieved May 26, 2013. Villuminati" contains samples of " Juicy", written by Christopher Wallace, Sean Combs, Jean-Claude Olivier and James Mtume, as performed by The Notorious B.I.G.; " I Wish – Remix (To the Homies We Lost)", written and performed by R. Kelly; and " People Everyday", written by Sylvester Stewart and Todd Thomas, as performed by Arrested Development. Khari (December 30, 2013). "The Source Presents: The 25 Best Albums of 2013". The Source. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016 . Retrieved January 2, 2016.iTunes – Music – Born Sinner (Deluxe Version) by J Cole". iTunes. June 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013 . Retrieved June 20, 2013. J. Cole Originally Wanted Nas On "New York Times" – XXL". XXL. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013 . Retrieved June 18, 2013.