TEN FACTS

J. COLE

Cole worked at a skating rink during his adolescent years. He was required to dress as a kangaroo for the performance.

J. Cole's best-selling album to date is 2014's Forest Hills Drive. It's triple platinum, the highest possible achievement.

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a guest verse from J. Cole. Cole announced on Twitter in September 2019 that his feature verse on Gang Starr's song "Family and Loyalty" would be his final guest appearance. Welp.

Years before he became a rap celebrity, J. Cole worked as a bill collector to try to make ends meet.

After Rihanna's concert tour in Barbados, the rapper filmed the music video for "Can't Get Enough," which featured Trey Songz, on her home island. Cole had kicked off the tour as the opening act. Rihanna makes a cameo appearance.

Cole, seeing the value of healthy rivalry, pushed the release date of his Born Sinner album from June 26 to June 18, the same day as Kanye West's Yeezus album. He justified his decision by claiming he wanted to compete directly with Yeezy.

Since his initial appearance on the music industry many years ago, every record that Cole has released has reached platinum status or higher.

Canibus was a major favorite of J. Cole's. According to Cole, Canibus altered his perspective on rapping forever. Cole wanted to improve the cleverness of his rhymes after hearing Canibus' debut album, Can-I-Bus, in 1998.

Even though the MC never made it to the NBA, he's still managed to cash in on his passion for the game. He has stated that his first employment in New York City was working with children in the Queens area as a basketball coach.

When J. Cole first moved to New York to pursue a career in rap, he often went without the money to pay his rent. Thankfully, Muhammad, the landlord, let him stay despite his lack of rent payments. Cole finally repaid Muhammad for his debt years later, after he had signed with Roc Nation.