J.Cole
Encyclopedia
Jermaine Lamarr Cole better known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American rapper, singer and record producer. In 2009, he was the first artist signed to Jay-Z
's label
Roc Nation
. His debut album titled Cole World: The Sideline Story was released on September 27, 2011.
, Germany
on January 28, 1985 to a European American
mother and a African American
father. Cole's parents served in the United States Army
. At the age of 8 months old, he relocated to Fayetteville
, North Carolina
where he was raised by his mother, aunt and his cousin. His father died when he was still at a young age. Cole attended Terry Sanford High School
in Fayetteville and graduated in 2003. He decided that he had a better chance of getting signed in New York City
, so he chose to attend St. John's University
on an academic scholarship where he majored in communication and minored in business, graduating magna cum laude.
and Tupac Shakur
, Cole developed a love for telling stories in his lyrics. At age 15, J. Cole had notebooks filled with rhymes, but no beats of his own to record them with. His mother bought him an 808 beat machine so he could produce music himself. By the age of 17, he was posting songs on various internet forum
s under the moniker "Therapist" J. Cole stood outside of Jay-Z’s place of business for three hours in order to give him a beat he sampled by Idris Muhammad, so that his mentor-to-be could use it. However, when Jay-Z came out of his building he shunned the up-and-coming rapper. Before J. Cole was signed to Roc Nation, he worked a job as a bill collector. One morning, he turned on his cell phone and noticed that he received a text from an associate asking him to call the associate back. When Cole returned the call, the associate informed Cole that he received a call from Jay-Z’s associates and that he had to meet with them as soon as possible.
He released his second mixtape, The Warm Up
, on June 15, 2009 to positive reviews.
Cole appeared on Jay-Z
's album The Blueprint 3 (2009), on the track "A Star Is Born." He is featured on both Wale
's debut album, Attention Deficit (2009) and mixtape Back to the Feature (2009) respectively.
In early 2010, Cole was chosen as one of Beyond Race
Magazines "50 Great Breakthrough Artists," he ranked 49, resulting in the cover story of the publication's #11 issue, as well as a Q&A for the magazine's site. He was also featured in XXL magazine 2010 version of Top Ten Freshmen.
In January 2010, Cole, along with label mate Jay Electronica
and Mos Def
appeared on Talib Kweli
and Hi-Tek
's single, "Just Begun" for the follow-up of Reflection Eternal
's album Train of Thought
(2000), titled Revolutions Per Minute
(2010). Cole has also appeared on B.o.B
's mixtape May 25th (2010) on the song "Gladiators. On March 31, he performed a new song titled "Who Dat
", which was once the first single off of his debut album. He later released the song on April 27, 2010. Cole was also featured on Young Chris
' song "Still the Hottest" as well as Miguel's
debut single "All I Want Is You
." Additionally, Cole was featured on titled "We On", a song that failed to make final tracklist for DJ Khaled
's Victory
LP
.
J. Cole began a college tour from March 19, 2007 to April 30, 2010 concluding in New Brunswick, NJ at Rutgers University's annual Rutgersfest. The tour also featured a stop at Syracuse University for a show with fellow rapper, Wiz Khalifa
.
To celebrate the anniversary of the release of The Warm Up
mixtape, J. Cole released a freestyle entitled "The Last Stretch" on June 15, 2010. On June 21 of that year, J. Cole premiered the music video to his first single "Who Dat" on BET
's 106 & Park
. In August 2010 J. Cole, was awarded the UMA Male Artist of the Year thanks to his heralded The Warm Up mixtape and a high profile deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation at the 2010 Underground Music Awards. In an interview, J. Cole revealed three song names from his upcoming album, including "Wet Dreams", "Won't Be Long", and "Never Told", which was produced by No I.D.
On October 30, 2010, a demo titled "I'm Coming Home" was leaked onto the internet, Cole recorded the song as a reference track for Diddy
, which later became "Coming Home
" off Last Train to Paris
(2010).
On November 12, 2010 J. Cole released his third official mixtape titled Friday Night Lights
. The tape included features from Drake
, Wale
& Omen with most of the production being handled by Cole himself.
Cole served as a supporting act for Drake
, on the Light Dreams and Nightmares UK Tour, January 5–21, 2011. Cole will return to the UK in the Autumn to support Tinie Tempah
on his 7-city Arena Tour which begins at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on October 31 and ends at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on November 8 with a stop over at the 02 arena in London on November 4. Cole also supported Rihanna
on the North American/Caribbean leg of her Loud Tour
as the opening act, beginning in Baltimore in June 2011 and concluding in Barbados
in August 2011. Rihanna announced in July 2011 via Twitter
that Cole, who was already on the road with the singer, had been upgraded to the role of "official" tour opener and main warm-up act for the North American/Caribbean leg, after Cee Lo Green had to drop out of the Loud Tour
due to other commitments. On January 17, 2011, J. Cole released a remix to Rihanna's third single, "S&M
", from her fifth studio album, Loud
(2010).
On April 25, 2011, Vibe listed him at number 5 on their Vibe's list of Greatest Rappers Alive 30 Under 30. Cole was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2011 BET Awards.
, "All singles done. Album ridiculous. Title Perfect. Music incredible. Thank you for your patience. Let's change the game." In June 2011 he announced that the recording of the album was finished, and that the release date is set for September later that year. Through Twitter, J. Cole later confirmed that the release date for his album would be September 27, 2011 and that the title is Cole World: The Sideline Story.
On May 22, 2011, J. Cole released a song entitled "Return of Simba," the third in the "Simba series" following "Simba" and "Grown Simba." Cole purposefully avoided releasing his debut album’s title for fear of inconsistency. He only announced that Jay-Z will be featured on his debut album. Cole released his follow-up single to "Who Dat", "Work Out
" on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his highly acclaimed mixtape The Warm Up
. The song, produced by Cole himself, samples
"The New Workout Plan
" by Kanye West and interpolates
"Straight Up" by Paula Abdul
.
On July 31, J. Cole took to Twitter and his website to announce Any Given Sunday. Reminiscent of Kanye West
's G.O.O.D. Fridays
, a weekly free music giveaway
. J. Cole wrote "Every Sunday til the album drops I’ll be back with something. Maybe just 1 song, maybe a video, depending on how I’m feeling." For the 3rd installment of his Sunday series, "Any Given Sunday", J. Cole hopped on Ustream to update fans about the album and play some tracks that didn't make the cut. On August 22 Cole released his debut album's cover art, designed by Alex Haldi for Bestest Asbestos, whom J. Cole recorded a song for titled "Killers", for Haldi's mixtape The Glorification of Gangster. For the fourth installment, on August 29, he released his debut album's track list, once again through twitter. On August 15 a music video was released for the album's first single "Work Out" on YouTube, Vevo and 106 & Park.
On August 30, after an unfinished version had leaked, "Can't Get Enough
" featuring R&B singer Trey Songz
was released as the album's lead single
. While in Barbados
for his last performance as the official opening act for Rihanna
's Loud Tour
, Cole shot the music video for his debut album's second single, "Can't Get Enough", with Songz and Rihanna, who provided a cameo while in her home town. The video, directed by Clifton Bell, was released on September 14, 2011. In addition early on September 25, two days before his album's release, Cole released a music video for the iTunes bonus track "Daddy's Little Girl".
On October 24, it was announced by J. Cole that his sophomore album will be released in June 2012. He had mentioned that the album will consist of songs that never made the track list for his debut album.
On November 6, 7 and 8, Cole was the support act for Tinie Tempah
, during his concert at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
, Wales
; LG Arena
, Birmingham
, England
; and MEN Arena, Manchester
, England.
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Roc Nation
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...
. His debut album titled Cole World: The Sideline Story was released on September 27, 2011.
Early history
Cole, was born in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on January 28, 1985 to a European American
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
mother and a African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
father. Cole's parents served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. At the age of 8 months old, he relocated to Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where he was raised by his mother, aunt and his cousin. His father died when he was still at a young age. Cole attended Terry Sanford High School
Terry Sanford High School
Terry Sanford High School is a public high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. It is named after Terry Sanford, who was a North Carolina state senator, Governor of North Carolina and a United States Senator...
in Fayetteville and graduated in 2003. He decided that he had a better chance of getting signed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, so he chose to attend St. John's University
St. John's University (New York City)
St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
on an academic scholarship where he majored in communication and minored in business, graduating magna cum laude.
Career beginnings
J. Cole started rapping at the age of 14 when Don Juan Brown put him on the rap game and his cousin showed him the basics of rhyming and word play. Inspired mostly by rappers CanibusCanibus
Germaine Williams , better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid-nineties...
and Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, Cole developed a love for telling stories in his lyrics. At age 15, J. Cole had notebooks filled with rhymes, but no beats of his own to record them with. His mother bought him an 808 beat machine so he could produce music himself. By the age of 17, he was posting songs on various internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s under the moniker "Therapist" J. Cole stood outside of Jay-Z’s place of business for three hours in order to give him a beat he sampled by Idris Muhammad, so that his mentor-to-be could use it. However, when Jay-Z came out of his building he shunned the up-and-coming rapper. Before J. Cole was signed to Roc Nation, he worked a job as a bill collector. One morning, he turned on his cell phone and noticed that he received a text from an associate asking him to call the associate back. When Cole returned the call, the associate informed Cole that he received a call from Jay-Z’s associates and that he had to meet with them as soon as possible.
He released his second mixtape, The Warm Up
The Warm Up
The Warm Up is the second official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. All of the songs, except for three , are featureless. Other popular songs on the mixtape are "Can I Live", and "Grown Simba". J...
, on June 15, 2009 to positive reviews.
Cole appeared on Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's album The Blueprint 3 (2009), on the track "A Star Is Born." He is featured on both Wale
Wale (rapper)
Wale Victor Folarin , better known by his stage name Wale , is an American rapper from Washington, D.C. Wale was born to Nigerian parents. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the...
's debut album, Attention Deficit (2009) and mixtape Back to the Feature (2009) respectively.
In early 2010, Cole was chosen as one of Beyond Race
Beyond Race
Beyond Race Magazine is a quarterly magazine based in New York primarily centered on independent and emerging artists, covering music, film, and other arts, such as literature, graffiti, tattooing, and visual arts...
Magazines "50 Great Breakthrough Artists," he ranked 49, resulting in the cover story of the publication's #11 issue, as well as a Q&A for the magazine's site. He was also featured in XXL magazine 2010 version of Top Ten Freshmen.
In January 2010, Cole, along with label mate Jay Electronica
Jay Electronica
Timothy Elpadaro Thedford , better known by his stage name Jay Electronica, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer...
and Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
appeared on Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
and Hi-Tek
Hi-Tek
Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American record producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli on his Reflection Eternal album and on Black Star...
's single, "Just Begun" for the follow-up of Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000...
's album Train of Thought
Train of Thought (Reflection Eternal album)
Train of Thought is the debut album of American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released October 17, 2000 on Rawkus Records. Collaborating as a duo, rapper Talib Kweli and DJ and hip hop producer Hi-Tek recorded the album during 1999 to 2000, following their individual musical work that gained...
(2000), titled Revolutions Per Minute
Revolutions per Minute (Reflection Eternal album)
Revolutions per Minute is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released May 18, 2010, on Blacksmith Records and Rawkus Records...
(2010). Cole has also appeared on B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
's mixtape May 25th (2010) on the song "Gladiators. On March 31, he performed a new song titled "Who Dat
Who Dat (J. Cole song)
"Who Dat" is a song by American rapper and hip hop artist J. Cole. Originally meant to be the lead single off Cole's debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, the song was thought not to have made the final cut due to the song being released sixteen months prior to the album's release and its...
", which was once the first single off of his debut album. He later released the song on April 27, 2010. Cole was also featured on Young Chris
Young Chris
Young Chris is a Grammy nominated American rapper and songwriter. A member of Philadelphia rap trio Young Gunz, formerly signed to Roc-A-Fella records through Beanie Sigel’s State Property collective, early success included the hit single "Can't Stop, Won't Stop"...
' song "Still the Hottest" as well as Miguel's
Miguel (singer)
Miguel Jontel Pimentel, who performs under the mononym Miguel, is an American recording artist, songwriter and producer. Signed to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut album, All I Want Is You, in November 2010. The album was preceded by the release of the single "All I Want Is You",...
debut single "All I Want Is You
All I Want Is You (Miguel song)
"All I Want Is You" is a song by American R&B recording artist Miguel released as the lead single from his debut album All I Want Is You . The song features rapper J. Cole and was produced by Salaam Remi. The song was released as a digital download on May 25, 2010.- Release history :-Charts:...
." Additionally, Cole was featured on titled "We On", a song that failed to make final tracklist for DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...
's Victory
Victory (DJ Khaled album)
Victory is the fourth studio album by Miami based mixtape DJ and Terror Squad member, DJ Khaled. It was released on March 2, 2010. under the We the Best Music Group imprint of E1 Records.-Background:...
LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
.
J. Cole began a college tour from March 19, 2007 to April 30, 2010 concluding in New Brunswick, NJ at Rutgers University's annual Rutgersfest. The tour also featured a stop at Syracuse University for a show with fellow rapper, Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
.
To celebrate the anniversary of the release of The Warm Up
The Warm Up
The Warm Up is the second official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. All of the songs, except for three , are featureless. Other popular songs on the mixtape are "Can I Live", and "Grown Simba". J...
mixtape, J. Cole released a freestyle entitled "The Last Stretch" on June 15, 2010. On June 21 of that year, J. Cole premiered the music video to his first single "Who Dat" on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
. In August 2010 J. Cole, was awarded the UMA Male Artist of the Year thanks to his heralded The Warm Up mixtape and a high profile deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation at the 2010 Underground Music Awards. In an interview, J. Cole revealed three song names from his upcoming album, including "Wet Dreams", "Won't Be Long", and "Never Told", which was produced by No I.D.
No I.D.
No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...
On October 30, 2010, a demo titled "I'm Coming Home" was leaked onto the internet, Cole recorded the song as a reference track for Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, which later became "Coming Home
Coming Home (Diddy-Dirty Money song)
"Coming Home" is a song by American rapper and producer Diddy and his band Dirty Money, from their debut album Last Train to Paris . It was released on November 21, 2010, as the album's fourth single. The contemporary hip-hop pop song was written by Jiraphat Wongsuwan. Alex Da Kid and Jay-Z...
" off Last Train to Paris
Last Train to Paris
Last Train to Paris is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Diddy, released on December 13, 2010 through Bad Boy Records . The album follows Diddy's alter-ego as he travels from London to Paris to regain a lost love...
(2010).
On November 12, 2010 J. Cole released his third official mixtape titled Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (mixtape)
Friday Night Lights is the third official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. It was released on 12 November 2010. The mixtape was to originally be called Villematic and contain J. Cole's previous leaks and freestyles, however, J. Cole later stated it would have original...
. The tape included features from Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, Wale
Wale
A wale is a broad, thick plank around the outside of a wooden ship.The garboard is the wale next to the keel; the gunwale is the top such plank and covers the heads of the timbers between the main and fore drifts....
& Omen with most of the production being handled by Cole himself.
Cole served as a supporting act for Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, on the Light Dreams and Nightmares UK Tour, January 5–21, 2011. Cole will return to the UK in the Autumn to support Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
on his 7-city Arena Tour which begins at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on October 31 and ends at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on November 8 with a stop over at the 02 arena in London on November 4. Cole also supported Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
on the North American/Caribbean leg of her Loud Tour
Loud Tour
The Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
as the opening act, beginning in Baltimore in June 2011 and concluding in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in August 2011. Rihanna announced in July 2011 via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that Cole, who was already on the road with the singer, had been upgraded to the role of "official" tour opener and main warm-up act for the North American/Caribbean leg, after Cee Lo Green had to drop out of the Loud Tour
Loud Tour
The Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
due to other commitments. On January 17, 2011, J. Cole released a remix to Rihanna's third single, "S&M
S&M (song)
"S&M" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Corey Jackson Carter, Sandy Wilhelm and Ester Dean, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen of Stargate and Sandy Wilhelm under her...
", from her fifth studio album, Loud
Loud (Rihanna album)
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship...
(2010).
On April 25, 2011, Vibe listed him at number 5 on their Vibe's list of Greatest Rappers Alive 30 Under 30. Cole was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2011 BET Awards.
2011–present: Any Given Sundays & Cole World: The Sideline Story
On May 4, 2011 J. Cole wrote on TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "All singles done. Album ridiculous. Title Perfect. Music incredible. Thank you for your patience. Let's change the game." In June 2011 he announced that the recording of the album was finished, and that the release date is set for September later that year. Through Twitter, J. Cole later confirmed that the release date for his album would be September 27, 2011 and that the title is Cole World: The Sideline Story.
On May 22, 2011, J. Cole released a song entitled "Return of Simba," the third in the "Simba series" following "Simba" and "Grown Simba." Cole purposefully avoided releasing his debut album’s title for fear of inconsistency. He only announced that Jay-Z will be featured on his debut album. Cole released his follow-up single to "Who Dat", "Work Out
Work Out (song)
"Work Out" is a song by American recording hip hop artist J. Cole, released as the lead single off his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story. The song was officially released on June 27, 2011 through Roc Nation and Columbia.- Background :...
" on June 15, 2011, in honor of the second anniversary of his highly acclaimed mixtape The Warm Up
The Warm Up
The Warm Up is the second official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. All of the songs, except for three , are featureless. Other popular songs on the mixtape are "Can I Live", and "Grown Simba". J...
. The song, produced by Cole himself, samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
"The New Workout Plan
The New Workout Plan
"The New Workout Plan" is the final single from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. Released in late 2004, the single peaked at number fifty-nine on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart...
" by Kanye West and interpolates
Interpolation (music)
Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
"Straight Up" by Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
.
On July 31, J. Cole took to Twitter and his website to announce Any Given Sunday. Reminiscent of Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays was a weekly free music giveaway started by rapper Kanye West. The name originates from the name of his label, G.O.O.D. Music, and is also a reference to the Friday before Easter, which is known as Good Friday. Every Friday, beginning on August 20, 2010, Kanye planned on releasing...
, a weekly free music giveaway
Gratis
Gratis is the process of providing goods or services without compensation. It is often referred to in English as "free of charge" or "complimentary"...
. J. Cole wrote "Every Sunday til the album drops I’ll be back with something. Maybe just 1 song, maybe a video, depending on how I’m feeling." For the 3rd installment of his Sunday series, "Any Given Sunday", J. Cole hopped on Ustream to update fans about the album and play some tracks that didn't make the cut. On August 22 Cole released his debut album's cover art, designed by Alex Haldi for Bestest Asbestos, whom J. Cole recorded a song for titled "Killers", for Haldi's mixtape The Glorification of Gangster. For the fourth installment, on August 29, he released his debut album's track list, once again through twitter. On August 15 a music video was released for the album's first single "Work Out" on YouTube, Vevo and 106 & Park.
On August 30, after an unfinished version had leaked, "Can't Get Enough
Can't Get Enough (J. Cole song)
"Can't Get Enough" is a song by American hip hop recording artist J. Cole, released as the second official off his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story. The song was officially released on September 2nd, 2011 through Roc Nation and Columbia...
" featuring R&B singer Trey Songz
Trey Songz
Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...
was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
. While in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
for his last performance as the official opening act for Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's Loud Tour
Loud Tour
The Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
, Cole shot the music video for his debut album's second single, "Can't Get Enough", with Songz and Rihanna, who provided a cameo while in her home town. The video, directed by Clifton Bell, was released on September 14, 2011. In addition early on September 25, two days before his album's release, Cole released a music video for the iTunes bonus track "Daddy's Little Girl".
On October 24, it was announced by J. Cole that his sophomore album will be released in June 2012. He had mentioned that the album will consist of songs that never made the track list for his debut album.
On November 6, 7 and 8, Cole was the support act for Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
, during his concert at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; LG Arena
LG Arena
LG Arena may stand for* LG KM900 , an LG Electronics multimedia phone* National Exhibition Centre , a multi-purpose arena in the UK...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; and MEN Arena, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
Touring
After the release of Cole's first album, he immediately went on a national tour across the U.S., in which he was the headliner for the first time. He has opened for labelmates, Rihanna and Jay-Z.Discography
Studio albums- Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011)
External links
- Official blog
- J. Cole on MTV.comMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....