J. Cole

Jermaine Cole was born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His 2007 mixtape The Come Up drew attention; after studying in New York City, he signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2009. The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights built his reputation, and his debut album launched a streak of US Billboard 200 No. 1s. Born Sinner followed, with “Power Trip” and “Crooked Smile” reaching the Hot 100’s upper reaches.

The more his career grew, the more his music turned inward. 2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, and KOD explored conscious, introspective subjects; KOD set a record by landing six simultaneous Hot 100 top 20s, a feat not achieved since the Beatles. The Off-Season and the final-announced The Fall-Off kept his commercial edge, alongside guest turns on “All My Life” and “First Person Shooter.” Self-taught on piano, Cole also produces, handling much of his own work and adding credits for Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Young Thug, Wale, and Mac Miller. Dreamville Records, his label, signed JID, Ari Lennox, Bas, and EarthGang; the compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III earned a Grammy nomination. With two Grammys, a Billboard Music Award, and a 2015 move to house single mothers rent-free in his Fayetteville childhood home, J. Cole’s influence extends well beyond the booth.