Jermaine Lamarr Cole, known professionally as J. Cole, is an American rapper, songwriter, and music producer. He was brought into the limelight by Jay-Z himself, and thanks to his exceptional skills and deep understanding of music, he carved a significant name for himself in the American rap industry. His debut mixtape, The Come Up, was released in 2007 and caught the attention of Jay-Z, who later signed him to his record label, Roc Nation. Under Jay-Z’s mentorship, Cole went on to release two more mixtapes by 2009: The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010). Cole’s debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, was released in 2011. The young rapper struck gold with it — the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. His subsequent studio albums, including Born Sinner (2013) and 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014), also achieved platinum status and received critical acclaim from both music critics and fellow artists. (In fact, 2014 Forest Hills Drive was famously certified platinum with no guest features.) J. Cole has been nominated for several Grammy Awards, and he won his first Grammy in 2020 for Best Rap Song for "A Lot" with 21 Savage. He is known as one of the very few artists whose all studio albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA. Beyond music, he founded the Dreamville Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at empowering urban youth, and Dreamville Records, which promotes emerging talent from humble beginnings.