J Cole is undoubtedly one of the best rappers in the game as of today, but it wasn’t all fun and games for the North Carolina rapper. The story of J Cole is one that features details of pain, poverty, and suffering. To be able to come from nothing and be something is a true task that holds true to the rapper. Being able to cherish what one haa, and to be able to overcome so many obstacles in life is just one trait that J Cole seems to posses, hands down.
Jermaine really started to get into rap music around the age of twelve or so, and by the age of fifteen he was rapping in a group called Bomm Shetluh. Jermaine continued his passion for hip hop throughout his high school years, and eventually graduated Terry Sanford High School.
Even though the life of Jermaine seems simple at this point in time Jermaine was really starting to mold his career as an artist one day at a time. Every event that played a major role in the development of his life, whether positive or negative, has played a role in the development of his music. His album, 2014 Forrest Hills Drive, provided us a look at the true life of a young J Cole and the struggle of living in a one parent household. His ties to his mother are strong, and the album offers the sounds of struggle and perseverance of Jermaine through life. The deep lyrics that hit hard represent the struggles that Jermaine lived though. “Grew up a f***ing screwup, tie my shoe up, wish they was newer.”
J Cole’s sound is unlike other rappers in the game, he has the ability to tell the story of his life through his music perfectly. His hours of listening to albums in his room () paid off. Like reading a book, Jermaine learned new ways to improve his music and sought opportunities to better himself as a young rapper.
Today, J Cole can be seen furthering his music career everyday by mingling with other artists and just completely nailing his style over and over again. His latest work was with another famous “come-up” rapper, Kendrick Lamar. Both offering the same message in that life is what you make of it, and that no matter how hard you have it, there is always a way out.
Every rapper has some sort of story of how they came to be, and every one of them is different. Jermaine’s is unique because of the fact that he used his tough times and upsets in life to further his music career even more. J Cole is only where he is now because of his hard work and dedication, and without that, hip hop would probably have one less rapper in the game.
He's influential, from moving away from home and living on his own, to simply listening to artists in his room everyday, J Cole was destined to be a rapper from the beginning. Jermaine is a prime example of someone following a dream. Everyone has dreams, but to capitalize off of opportunities and to put in the work is what weeds out the losers from the closers.
