Jermaine Lamarr Cole[3](born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised inFayetteville, North Carolina,[4]Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape,The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he signed withJay-Z'sRoc Nationin 2009 and released two additional mixtapes:The Warm Up(2009) andFriday Night Lights(2010) to further critical acclaim as he garnered a wider following.
Self-taught on piano, Cole also acts as a produceralongside his recording career—having largely handled the production of his own projects—with credits on material for other artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Young Thug, Wale, and Mac Miller, among others.[9] Cole has been prolific in side ventures, including his own record label Dreamville Records, as well as its namesake media company and non-profit.[10] The label, having signed artists including JID, Ari Lennox, and EarthGang, has released four compilation albums; their third, Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019), debuted atop the Billboard200 and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. In January 2015, Cole began housing single mothers rent-free at his childhood home in Fayetteville.[11]
Jermaine Lamarr Cole was born on January 28, 1985, at an American military base in Frankfurt, West Germany.[14][15] His father is an African American veteran, who served in the U.S. Army,[16] and his mother, Kay, born in Michigan,[17] is a white American who was a postal worker for the United States Postal Service.[18] Cole's father later abandoned the family during his youth. At the age of eight months his mother moved with him and his older brother Zach to the United States, to Fayetteville, North Carolina.[19][20] Cole grew up in a multi-ethnic environment,[21] and when asked about how closely his ethnicity impacts him, Cole commented, "I can identify with white people, because I know my mother, her side of the family, who I love. But at the end of the day, [I've] never felt white. I can identify [with white people] but never have I felt like I'm one of them. I identify more with what I look like, because that's how I got treated [but] not necessarily in a negative way".[22] During his youth, Cole expressed an affinity for basketball and music, and served as a first-chair violinist for the Terry Sanford Orchestra until 2003.[18]
Cole began rapping at the age of twelve, and saw it as an ideal profession in 2000, when his mother purchased anASR-Xmusical sampler as a Christmas gift.[18]During this period, Cole heightened emphasis on improving his production skills, later beginning initial production under the pseudonym Therapist.[23][24]Cole later collaborated with local group Bomm Sheltuh, rapping and producing as a member of the group.[25]
blogpay
Jermaine Lamarr Cole_(cropped).jpg)
