J. Cole

Hip-hop artist

• Born: January 28, 1985
• Place of Birth: Frankfurt, West Germany

Contribution: J. Cole is an American hip-hop artist, writer, and producer. He was nominated for best new artist at the Grammy Awards in 2012 following the release of his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011), and won a Grammy for best rap song in 2020.

Background

J. Cole was born Jermaine Lamarr Cole on an American military base in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1985 to an African American father and German mother.

Following his parents' divorce, Cole and his mother moved to a trailer park in the North Carolina suburb of Fayetteville. Cole was a gifted student as a child, one whose active interest in academics began in elementary school. He was also a talented basketball player and initially dreamed of becoming a professional athlete until his interest in hip-hop began at around the age of twelve, at which point he began compiling rhymes in a collection of notebooks. When he was fifteen, Cole's mother purchased him a drum machine so he could create rhythms to rap over.

Cole attended Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School, where he excelled academically while posting his early rap songs online under the pseudonym Therapist. After high school, Cole enrolled in St. John's University in New York City while continuing to write music. He graduated in 2007 magna cum laude with a major in communication and a minor in business.

Cole remained in New York after graduation and worked as a part-time newspaper ad salesman. He continued to make home recordings of his rhymes in the evenings. Still struggling to make ends meet, Cole took on a second job as a bill collector.

The young rapper was so desperate to have his music heard by someone in the music business that he waited outside the New York City studio where rap mogul Jay-Z was recording to try to give him a copy of his recordings. After a three-hour wait, Cole tried to hand Jay-Z a tape but was flatly rejected by the superstar. Rather than feeling discouraged, the experience drove Cole to work harder, and a year later Jay-Z requested a meeting with Cole after hearing one of his songs through Jive Records executive Mark Pitts. Five weeks later, Cole was offered a record deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation and was the first artist to sign with the label. Several weeks after that, Jay-Z asked Cole to collaborate and perform on the single "A Star Is Born," which would appear on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 3 (2009).

Career

J. Cole's collaboration with Jay-Z opened the door to other opportunities, such as working with successful hip-hop artists Wale, Talib Kweli, and Hi-Tek. Cole also released two mixtapes, The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010), handling the majority of the production on the latter.

Cole's full-length major-label debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, was released in September 2011 and reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart. His status as a protégé of Jay-Z, one of the world's most popular and successful rap artists, increased advanced sales. Cole was joined on the album with notable hip-hop artists Drake, Missy Elliot, and Trey Songz, as well as his mentor, Jay-Z.

Cole World was favorably received by critics. Spin magazine hailed the release's shining production and credits the album with establishing J. Cole as a competent and engaging rapper despite being the maiden artist on the label of an industry heavyweight.

Cole received a Grammy nomination for best new artist in 2012. His second album, Born Sinner, was released in June 2013 to widespread critical praise. During its third week of release, it moved from the second to the first spot on the Billboard 200, surpassing albums by veteran rappers Kanye West and Wale.

With his next album, released in 2014, Cole changed tactics and moved away from trying to make commercial hits to focus on his roots. He did not incorporate any guest vocals into the tracks and insisted upon simple authenticity. While the album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, received mixed reviews from critics, it steadily climbed the charts after its initial release to become certified platinum in just a few months. Many praised him as the first rapper to reach this accomplishment with an album that did not have any features.

Cole did feature on other artists' work, for example on a track by DJ Khaled released in 2016. Later that year Cole released his fourth album, 4 Your Eyez Only. Preceded by a short documentary film, Eyez, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. By early 2017 the record was certified platinum, joining all of his previous albums.

In 2018 Cole released the album KOD, which was noted for its dark subject material, including depression and addiction. It received positive reviews and quickly proved popular with fans as well. It broke several records for online streaming and topped the charts on its debut, eventually earning platinum certification. The singles "KOD" and "ATM" also had chart success, appearing in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and setting or tying several chart records.

Cole's next project was Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019), an installment in a series of compilation albums featuring artists from Cole's Dreamville Records label. He recorded the track that served as the album's lead single, "Middle Child," titled in reference to his feeling in between generations of rap artists. The song would eventually reach number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The compilation album topped the Billboard 200, and a documentary film about the making of the record was also released in 2019.

Continuing to receive critical acclaim, Cole earned four nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards in early 2020. These included best rap performance for "Middle Child" as well as his collaboration on "Down Bad" (another track from Revenge of the Dreamers III), best rap/sung performance for "The London" with Young Thug and Travis Scott, and best rap song for "A Lot" with 21 Savage. "A Lot" brought Cole his first Grammy win, and the track also won several BET Hip Hop Awards.

Also in 2020, Cole released the single "Snow on tha Bluff" soon after the death of George Floyd. The controversial song led to disagreements with other rappers. During the same year, he released the EP Lewis Street, which contained two new singles. "The Climb Back" and "Lion King on Ice."

In 2021, he released The Off-Season. Featuring guest appearances from 21 Savage, Lil Baby, 6lack, and others, the album reached the top of US Billboard 200 and included five top-ten singles: "My Life," "Amari," "Pride Is the Devil," "95 South," and "Interlude." In 2022, the rapper released D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, which reached number eleven on the Billboard 200.

Cole released the mixtape Might Delete Later in 2024. In one song on the album, "7 Minute Drill," Cole criticized rapper Kendrick Lamar. However, Cole later apologized and removed the song from streaming platforms.

Impact

J. Cole's meteoric rise to the top of the hip-hop world differed extensively from the majority of his contemporaries. A product of his own relentless hard work and artistic passion, Cole's musical approach is founded in his extensive knowledge of the genre and an appreciation of its place in music history. His weighty narratives, clever puns, and in-depth lyrical introspection have earned him respect and admiration among contemporary and seasoned rappers.

Personal Life

J. Cole became known for frequently speaking on motivational topics at high schools and colleges. In 2013 he participated in a hip-hop symposium at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in order to speak to students about the rap music industry and about creative influences that affected him personally and professionally. He was also one of the few public figures to visit Ferguson, Missouri, following the controversial shooting of an African American teenager by a white police officer in 2014. He continued his social activism in 2015, when he announced that he would open his childhood home in Fayetteville for single mothers to live in without paying rent. That initiative was part of his Dreamville Foundation, a nonprofit he founded in 2011 to take on a variety of philanthropic activities.

Cole married Melissa Heholt, a fact that was only revealed to the public accidentally in a 2016 interview. The couple had a son together.

Bibliography

Cantor, Paul. "J. Cole Just Wants to Be Himself." Vulture, 25 Apr. 2018, www.vulture.com/2018/04/j-cole-profile.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

Caramanica, Jon. "J. Cole, the Platinum Rap Dissident, Steps Back from the Spotlight." The New York Times, 14 Apr. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/arts/music/j-cole-4-your-eyez-only-hbo-interview.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

Charity, Justin. "'14 Adolescence: J. Cole Grows a Notch Taller on 2014 Forest Hills Drive." Rev. of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, by J. Cole. Complex. Complex Media, 9 Dec. 2014.

Gale, Alex. "J. Cole, Born Sinner: Track-by-Track Review." Rev. of Born Sinner, by J. Cole. Billboard. Billboard, 7 June 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013.

"J. Cole: An Upstart Rapper Speaks for Himself." NPR Music. NPR, 1 Nov. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2013.

"J. Cole Talks to Harvard Students on Hip-Hop Influences, Dreams of the NBA and the Grammys." Vibe. Vibe Magazine, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013.

Ilkwon, Kang. "J. Cole Is a Once-in-a-Generation Rap Star and He Never Forgets the Roots of His Hop Hop." Weverse, 4 Apr. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/arts/music/j-cole-4-your-eyez-only-hbo-interview.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

Lopez, Linette. "A Relatively Unknown Rapper Killed Jay-Z and Kanye in the Race for Album of the Summer." Business Insider. Business Insider, 11 July 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013.

Mlynar, Phillip. "J. Cole, Cole World: The Sideline Story (Roc Nation)." Rev. of Cole World: The Sideline Story, by J. Cole. Spin. Spin, 27 Sept 2011. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.

Shapiro, David. "J. Cole's Tales out of School." Interview. Interview, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013.