J. Cole

Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985), better known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer. Cole was born on an American military base in Frankfurt, Germany, to two American parents. Raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole posted songs on various internet forums at the age of 14 under the name "Blaza", but later switched to the name "Therapist". Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007 in which he also founded his record label Dreamville with label president Ibrahim Hamad. Intent on further pursuing a solo career as a rapper, he went on to release two additional mixtapes The Warm Up in 2009 and Friday Night Lights in 2010, after signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation imprint in 2009. Cole released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, on Septemb