Notes for 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 from Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 2009, he became the first artist to sign to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. His debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story was released on September 27, 2011. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard200, Top R&B Albums and Top Rap Albums chart, selling more than 218,000 in its first week. He received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Cole was born in the 97th General Hospital at a United States Army base in Frankfurt, West Germany. His father is African-American and served in the United States Army,and his mother is white. At the age of 8 months, Cole relocated to Fayetteville,North Carolina, where he was raised by his mother, aunt and cousin. His father left the family when Cole was still young.

Cole started rapping at the age 12, becoming serious about it at the age of 15. He hooked up with a local group called Bomm Sheltuh, which included rappers Nervous Reck and FilthE Ritch. Around this time he added record production to his repertoire and his stage name was Therapist.

Cole grew up in a multi-ethnic environment. His childhood revolved around a love for both basketball and rap music. He attended Terry Sanford High School and decided to study guitar under the well-known artist Mark Ebert. Cole graduated from high school in 2003. He concluded that he had a better chance of getting a record deal in New York City, so he chose to attend St. John's University on an academic scholarship. There, he majored in communication and minored in business, graduating magna cum laude.

On his mixed-race background, Cole indicated in an October 2011 issue of the hip-hop magazine XXL:

“

I can identify with White people, because I know my mother, her side of the family, who I love. I've had White friends. I know people from high school that I might not have hung out with outside of high school, but I think I got to know them pretty well, so I know they sense of humor. But at the end of the day, I never felt White. I don't know what that feels like. I can identify. But never have I felt like I'm one of them. Not that I wanted to, or tried to, but it just was what it was. I identify more with what I look like, because that's how I got treated. Not necessarily in a negative way. But when you get pulled over by the police, I can't pull out my half-White card. Or if I just meet you on the street, you're not gonna be like, This guy seems half-White.