J. Cole Biography

J. Cole was born Jermaine Lamarr Cole in Frankfurt, Germany in a US army camp on January 28, 1985, where his father was stationed at that time. His father is of African descent while his mother is German origin. She worked for the postal service of the United States. His father turned his back on his family soon and Cole’s mother brought him and his brother Zach to the US, North Carolina.

J. Cole's career started at a very young age when he and cousin started to learn the basic tricks and nuances of music production on their own. They wrote lyrics together and upon receiving a drum machine from his mother, Cole started refining his music production skills, and by the time he turned 16, he was sending out his mixtapes to some of the best known names in the business such as Jay Z and Eminem, but to no avail.

Cole had already released his first mixtape ‘The come up’ in the hope of getting noticed but got disappointment instead. He would stand outside Jay Z’s office for hours and when he finally got a call from the man himself, he knew his time had come. Jay Z was initially not impressed with Cole, but understood his passion and gave him a chance to feature in one of the songs for his album ‘The Blueprint 3’, which received critical acclaim and thereafter, Cole started collaborating with more artists and released his second mixtape in June 2009.

It was now the time for his first studio album ‘Cole Story: The Other Side’ in 2011, and it immediately climbed to the top spot in the Billboard 200 chart in the very first week of its release. He followed the success of his first album with another one in 2013 titled ‘Born Sinner’ which featured names such as Kendrick Lamar, TLC and Miguel. The album made its debut on the Billboard at no.2 spot and went on to sell more than 250000 copies in the first week alone. In the third week, the album gained more popularity and reached the top spot in the much coveted chart.

The very next year, Cole made a comeback with yet another solid album titled ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’. According to him, it was a little bit autobiographical. Despite being not promoted well enough and announced just a couple of weeks before its release, the album became a massive hit as soon as it hit the markets and debuted at number 1 spot in most of the charts. One single from the album titled ‘Apparently’ was nominated for the Grammy awards in the Best Rap Performance segment and the album also ended up grabbing a nomination for the Best Rap Album award.

His biggest work till date arrived in 2016, in form of ‘4 your eyez only’, and it debuted at the number one spot in the Billboard 200 charts. It raked in the third largest sales weekly for any album released in 2016, lagging behind Drake’s ‘Views’ and Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’. In between releasing the albums, Cole kept appearing in other rapper’s singles and released a mixtape called ‘Revenge of the dreamers’.

Cole graduated magna cum laude from St. John's University with a degree in communications, showcasing his dedication to education alongside his successful music career.

Cole is known for his frugal lifestyle, as he famously lived in a small, modest apartment in New York City even after achieving fame and success in the music industry.

In addition to his music career, J. Cole is passionate about giving back to his community. He founded the Dreamville Foundation to support urban youth in North Carolina through various educational and social initiatives.

Cole is a talented basketball player and has showcased his skills in various celebrity basketball games and events, demonstrating his versatility beyond the world of music.

Despite being a prominent figure in the hip-hop industry, J. Cole is known for his introspective and thoughtful lyrics that often touch on personal struggles, societal issues, and the importance of self-reflection.