J. Cole Admits Smoking Cigarettes at Six Years Old

Before J. Cole was smoking his rap competition, he was regularly smoking cigarettes in elementary school -- but he credits his mother for setting him straight!!!

Cole made the shocking confession on Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers' "Lead By Example" podcast and admitted to taking his first tobacco puffs at just six ... attempting to impress the older kids in his Fayetteville, N.C. neighborhood.

Cole says he didn't have a strict upbringing but when his older brother, Zach, got wind of his shenanigans, he told their mom ... and she immediately smelled the cigs on his breath and proceeded to give him a "life-changing" ass whooping!!!

The Dreamville rapper recalls immediately growing remorseful for initially lying to his mother about smoking and changed his ways, which brought him to his true love for making music. Obviously, that panned out for him.

After five platinum albums, he's been hinting at retirement but still oversees his stable of Dreamville artists, who all just combined forces for the "Creed III" soundtrack last month.