Cole is one of the most famous rappers, songwriter, and record producers in recent times. He’s been recruited by one of the greatest rappers, Jay-Z, due to his skills in rap and understanding of music. With the talent that went out on his debut mixtape “The Come up”, it managed to grab the attention of the rapper and helped him get signed into “Roc Nation” record labels.
Cole was then able to produce his first debut album “Cole World” in 2009 which was able to get into the “Billboard 200” and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. This was then followed up by a few more successful albums which helped the rapper get nominated for a Grammy.
As his albums proved to be huge hits in the music scene, J. Cole has become one of the few artists to have gotten platinum standards in almost all of his albums. He’s also created his own studio called “Dreamville Records” where he tries to find talent that started from humble beginnings.
Personal Details
Celebrity Name: J Cole
Full Name: Jermaine Lamarr Cole
Gender: Male
Birth Date: January 28, 198
Birth Place: Frankfurt, Hesse, West Germany
Age: 35
Height: 190cm, 6’3”
Nationality: American
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Status: Married
Wife: Melissa Heholt
Children: 1
Profession: Professional Rapper
Early Life and Upbringing
Jermaine Lamarr Cole or popularly known as J. Cole was born on the 28th of January 1985 in Frankfurt, Germany. His father left them while Cole was still a child which eventually made his mother decide to move him and his brother up to North Carolina.
With Cole growing in a very multicultural environment, it helped him become a person that’s against racism. As a child, the rapper also had a hard time socializing due to how much of a shy person he was back then. He had hobbies like basketball and playing music such as the Violin.
As he grew older, he had a newfound dream of pursuing a career in music. When Cole turned 12, he discovered that he had an affinity to rap and slowly started to do it more often. This later turned into something much bigger as Cole joined in on small-time rap groups to create beats and music.
Early Career as a Rapper
The rapper’s career all began while he was still at a very young age where he and his cousin started to learn the basic tricks of music production. They did this by writing lyrics with each other while also making beats through the drum machine that Cole’s mother gave to him.
Cole then sent a couple of mixtapes to some well-known rappers like Eminem and Jay-Z. Though he never got any reply from them, it all changed when he released his first mixtape “The Come Up”. The mixtape was so good that it gained the attention of Jaz-Z, who contacted Cole to talk about future prospects.
Though Jay-Z wasn’t that impressed with the mixtape, he saw potential in the you rapper so he took him in. Jay-Z even gave Cole a chance to shine by collaborating in one of his songs which eventually became a huge hit.
Due to his success, he was able to become Beyond Race Magazine’s “50 Great Breakout Artists.
Become One of the Biggest Names in Rap
With Cole slowly gaining a bit of attraction to the mainstream media, he managed to join tours with other artists like Wiz Khalifa. By 2010, he was then able to create a freestyle album called “The Last Stretch” which helped paved a path to Cole and Drake becoming good friends.
Cole then proceeded to release his first studio album “Cole Story: The Other Side” back in 2011. The album was able to reach the “Billboard 200” during the first week since its release. By 2013, it was then followed up with another album named “Born Sinner” which also managed to reach no. 2 in the Billboard charts.
The following year, Cole sent out another album called “2014” Forest Drive” which was actually a little bit biographical. With the popularity of J. Cole, the album reached no. 1 in the charts even before it was released. One of the album’s single was even able to get nominated for a grammy.
The artist then kept releasing more hit albums like his 2016 album, “4 Your Eyez Only” which also became a chart-topper. He also still kept releasing several mixtapes and also collaborated with several artists.
Awards and Achievements
With the critical and financial success of almost every album that J. Cole has, he’s also been able to nab a good amount of nominations from different awards and has also won several of them. He’s been nominated for over ten Grammy’s and was able to win one of them for “Best Rap Song” during 2020.
Cole’s also been able to win several Soul Train Music Awards like for “Best New Artist” and “Best Collaboration”.
Business Ventures and Record Label
Cole has gone on and made several business ventures and philanthropic works throughout his career. He created his own record label back in 2007 called “Dreamville Records”. The records label focused on artists who came from humble beginnings and wants to go big.
This was then followed up in 2011 as Cole also founded the Dreamville Foundation. It’s mainly focused on creating outreach programs and helping the less fortunate youths. They mostly do this by providing them with financial aid like food and money.
Personal Life and Relationships
The rapper recently got married to Melissa Heholt back in 2016. She and Cole met during their time at St. John’s University. She’s also currently working as an Executive Director on the Dreamville Foundation.
Cole also confirmed back in 2018 that both of them recently had a son together. Though no much is known about him as the artist wants to keep his private life under the radar.
Total Net Worth
It’s been estimated the rapper currently has a total net worth of over $35 million. This mostly comes from the money he made from his successful albums and from the money he makes from tours.
