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As far as we’re concerned, there are only two contenders for song of the year thus far: one being a certain Canadian MC’s spiel about where he started from and J. Cole‘s “Power Trip.” The latter surprised the Interents with a vlog, in which he shows fans how he created the hypnotic beat piece by piece.

In a room full of friends, Light-Skinned Jermaine discusses how he built the song around a chorus that he initially sang, and was hell bent on keeping. In past interviews, he’s credited recommendations from friends and King Hov himself to seek out Miguel instead. Thank God.

The Roc Nation MC knew the record was a winner after flying to Los Angeles to personally play No I.D. the track.

“I played this sh-t from No I.D. This n—a stood up and clapped,” recalled J. Cole. Based on his and friends’ descriptions, a head nod of approval is typically the Chicago producer’s highest level of praise for any given song. In other words, “Power Trip” was preordained to be great.

Watch J. Cole move through his creative process below, and be sure to what until the very last second. There may be a big surprise!

Photo: YouTube