Jermaine Lamarr Cole, widely known as J Cole, is a hip-hop recording artist and record producer from Frankfurt, Germany, which most people don't happen to know. However, he grew up in Ft. Bragg, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

One reason, he is as great as he is today is because for the biggest reason "HE WENT PLATINUM WITH NO FEATURES!!!" and although many practically hate him, he deserved it. J Cole did this on his own. His album 'Forest Hill Drive' which was named after his house he grew up in, in North Carolina got it's platinum certification just last year even though it was released in 2014. This is very impressive for his merits. The album featured no rappers, no singers and check this, J Cole produced and co-produced nearly ALL the songs on his album.

Another reason people need to be listening to Cole is because his music is expressed with his emotion. You hear it in every song. Some say that Cole's voice tends to fade in the background but when you really listen to him, you understand the story, life, hurt, happy, you feel everything he raps about or sings of. In his new album titled "4 Your Eyez Only" is a great album that in a way tells a story about what he has gone through and it helps us understand the pain and the beauty of his life. It has a purpose, and it is entertaining for us. He uses a certain element that he uses in his lyrics, in his music that draws us in to want to listen to his music, that makes I want to know more and more. He is smart, because that in itself will make lot of money. Cole is influential, he is intelligent, he is lyrical, and he is a man of art.