J. Cole Biography

J. Cole is an American hip-hop artist and producer that rose to prominence as one of the most successful rappers of the 2010s.

Early Life

Jermaine Lamarr Cole was born on January 28, 1985, in Frankfurt, West Germany. After his father left the family, his mother took him and his brother to Fayetteville, North Carolina. He earned a college scholarship in New York.

Career Beginnings

Cole managed to get his demo in the hands of the mogul Jay- Z. He was shocked when he was asked to contribute to Jay-Z’s LP The Blueprint 3. The next year he released the mixtapes The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights. He was eventually signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, the first artist to be signed.

Breakthrough

In 2011 he released Cole World: The Sideline Story debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200. Two years later followed the equally successful LP Born Sinner with collaboration from Miguel, TLC, and Kendrick Lamar. The next number 1 album was revealed as 2014 Forest Hills Drive. All three albums managed to get platinum certifications, spawning in total 10 singles charting the Hot 100 Billboard. Just like its predecessors, Cole’s 4th album 4 Your Eyez Only did not fail as it debuted at number 1 on Billboard 200. In addition, he was able to have twelve simultaneous Hot 100 entries in one week. Cole embarked on a tour which started on February 21. The tour is set to go to North America, Europe and Australia with 57 dates.

Photo credit: Discogs