Jermaine Cole, better known as J. Cole, is a 29-year-old hip hop artist out of Fayetteville, NC. He rose to fame with his hit singles “Can’t Get Enough,” “Work Out,” “Power Trip,” and “Crooked Smile,”, but J. Cole is not just your ordinary rapper on the radio. Here are 5 traits that set J. Cole apart from other rising artists!
1. Similar to artists like Kanye West and Beyonce, J. Cole produces his own music! When Cole was 12 years old, his mother bought him a beat machine. Since then, he has been producing his own songs, as well as songs for other artists, such as Wale and Kendrick Lamar.
2. He was signed by the greatest, himself! Cole was signed by Jay-Z, who is one of hip hop’s most successful artists, and more importantly, Beyonce’s husband (just kidding… Not really!). In J. Cole’s most recent album Born Sinner, he talks about the time when he waited for Jay-Z outside of a recording studio so he could give him a demo of his music. He was rejected before Jay-Z finally decided to give him a chance. Jay-Z has discovered some of our favorite artists, such as Kanye West and Rihanna, so we should definitely be keeping our eye on J. Cole!
3. He gives back! J. Cole created a nonprofit organization called the Dreamville Foundation in 2012. Since then, he has given back to his community in Fayetteville and encouraged his fans to do so by attending his shows, in which he only charged $1 for admission. All of the proceeds from the shows went to the Dreamville Foundation. He has also given speeches at different high schools, including his alma mater, and has made visits to summer camps.
4. He was a college student, too! J. Cole graduated from St. John’s University in New York (Magna Cum Laude!) with a Bachelor’s in Communication. In his music, you will hear him rhyming about student loans and the stories about the numerous women he met during his college experience. Maintaining at least a 3.75 grade point average while working on mixtapes and trying to get a record deal ALL AT THE SAME TIME? Can we say time management?!
5. His music is versatile! J. Cole’s music can range from speaking on his current success, to relationship issues. He can write a song discussing current issues in the news, then turn around and write a song about building up the courage to talk to a girl he is crushing on, and getting rejected. He makes it easy for us to relate to his music!
I think we can all agree that J. Cole is not just your average rapper. He’s multi-talented, he’s relatable, and he pays homage to his hometown through community service. We should definitely anticipate a bright future for this rising artist!