J. Cole

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, born January 28, 1985, is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in 2007. He later signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label in 2009, earning wider recognition through his subsequent mixtapes, The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights.

Cole's father was an African American US Army veteran, and his mother was a white American postal worker. Raised alongside his older brother, Cole developed an early affinity for basketball and music. He played first-chair violin for the Terry Sanford Orchestra until 2003 and began rapping at age twelve. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City to attend St. John's University on a scholarship. He served as president of the pan-African student coalition Haraya and graduated magna cum laude in 2007.

During his early career, Cole adopted production monikers such as Therapist and posted music on internet forums. After moving to New York, he sought to advance his music career while working various part-time jobs. In 2009, he released his mixtape The Warm Up and appeared on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 3. His third mixtape, Friday Night Lights, followed in 2010. During this period, Cole also featured on tracks by artists such as Wale, Talib Kweli, B.o.B, and Miguel, and participated in tours supporting Drake and Tinie Tempah.

Cole released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, in 2011, which debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart. His second album, Born Sinner, followed in 2013. These early projects produced several Billboard Hot 100 top-40 singles, including "Work Out", "Power Trip", and "Crooked Smile". His subsequent studio albums—2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, and KOD—explored conscious and introspective themes. Upon its release, KOD featured a record six simultaneous top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cole continued his chart success with his sixth album, The Off-Season, in 2021, and announced his seventh album, The Fall-Off, marketed as his final album for 2026. The track "My Life", featuring 21 Savage and Morray, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Cole also achieved commercial success through high-profile guest appearances, including Lil Durk's 2023 single "All My Life" and Drake's "First Person Shooter", which reached numbers two and one on the Billboard chart, respectively.

In addition to his recording career, Cole is a self-taught pianist who has produced much of his own discography. He has also produced material for artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Young Thug, Wale, and Mac Miller. Beyond his personal projects, Cole founded Dreamville Records, alongside an associated media company and non-profit organization. The label's roster includes artists such as JID, Ari Lennox, Bas, and EarthGang, and its 2019 compilation album, Revenge of the Dreamers III, debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Every studio album released by Cole, as well as Revenge of the Dreamers III, has been certified platinum by the RIAA. Cole has earned two Grammy Awards from seventeen nominations, a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Album, three Soul Train Music Awards, and eight BET Hip Hop Awards. Outside of music, Cole is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and began housing single mothers rent-free at his childhood home in Fayetteville in 2015.