J. Cole, Most Well-Rounded

 •  XXL Freshmen  •  by XXL Staff  •  19 Comments

Photography Travis Shinn

Gov’t Name: Jermaine Cole
Age: 25
Reppin’: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Notable Releases: Single: “Lights Please,” 2009; Guest verse on Jay-Z’s “A Star Is Born,” 2009; Mixtape: The Warm Up, 2009
Currently Working On: As-yet-untitled debut album, due late spring 2010
Label: Roc Nation/Columbia
Aligned With: Jay-Z
Side Hustle: Producing
The Next 10 Years in Hip-Hop Will Be… “another golden era.”

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  • Sincere

    The best rapper on this cover. This kid has killed everything he’s touched so far. The kid has held his own with Jay, Kweli and Mos Def. Cole is the FUTURE…… CLAP FOR HIM

  • http://myspace.com/giantfashions CeasThaGIANT

    @Sincere I could agree with u more son. j.Cole has bodied every verse i’ve heard him spit and he’s building a buzz while his skills get better. everyone talkin bout Drake, who we really need to focus on is j.Cole. & Fashawn…..BDLG10.

    Holla @ me on the twitter @CeasThaGIANT

  • Flinstone Eboreime

    A star has been born and you all better clap for his.He is Jay-z best signup since Kanye west. Still hard to believe he is for real cos he never dulls a verse, from Jay-z to kweli and mos def. can’t wait for his album ,if kanye produces that shit we’ll be looking at the first classic in the second decade of the millenium.

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  • Rocket00

    YO, J.Cole the best things out righ now. Any time he featured on someone else’s joint he show them up. His verse in a Star Is Born, Crazy. Rather Be Wit You, Crazy. Beautiful Bliss, Crazy. Just Begun, it wasnt the best verse(Jay Electronicas was), but it was still crazy. Keep doin ya thing, you got a fan for life.

  • Vampire Selektor

    I’m dismayed that the writers didn’t include the “Sounds Like” portion of the dossier. It made the process of discovering the new MCs more interesting.

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  • Anonymous

    yawn

  • Anonymous

    j.cole is the truth heard him about 9 months ago, the warm up was a great mixtape still playing it and his dead presidents freestyle was crazy drake who and I fuck with nipsey too everyone else in the top 10 freshmen is trash. He’s getting back to real hip hop. Mo sketta said this.

    • eesco

      Yo u just need to download his mixtape the warm-up. It in my opinion is a classic. Joints to check for, “can i live”, “Grown simba”, “dreams”, “the Badness”, “losing my balance”. The cd is full of gems. I cant listen do it front to back no skipping.

  • urbzzz

    j. cole is everything drake is trying to be..
    im a freddie gibbs fan personally but i listened to that lights please shit and thats raw as fuck..any other songs from him i should hear?

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  • Mike

    Its funny that people are so skeptical on everyone but J.Cole. Drake most people love him and some people hate him for example. And its like that for most artists. But for J.Cole tha most hate he sees is when people say he’s not as good as Drake, yet they never say he garbage. That right there should say something

  • Don

    you cant compare drake and j.cole. there very different but j.cole will be one of the best rappers all time

  • SO DADE

    The Warm Up. The Come Up . Cole World. All that shit is Fire. I slept on homie for a minute. The nigga drop so many punchlines that a nigga take straight to the heart. He say shit that a nigga live and think and it aint got shit to do with the trap or dope or bustin guns. He aint fakin like 95% of the rap game

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