Jermaine Lamarr Cole [ 3 ] born January 28, is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina , [ 4 ] Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up , in early Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he signed with Jay-Z 's Roc Nation in and released two additional mixtapes: The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights to further critical acclaim as he garnered a wider following.
Its chart success was matched by his guest appearance on the single " All My Life " by Lil Durk , and succeeded by his first song to peak the chart, " First Person Shooter " by Drake that same year. Self-taught on piano, Cole also acts as a producer alongside his recording careerβhaving largely handled the production of his own projectsβwith credits on material for other artists, including Kendrick Lamar , Janet Jackson , Young Thug , Wale , and Mac Miller , among others.
In January , Cole began housing single mothers rent-free at his childhood home in Fayetteville. Army , [ 17 ] and his mother, Kay, born in Michigan , [ 18 ] is a white American who was a postal worker for the United States Postal Service. At the age of eight months his mother moved with him and his older brother Zach to the United States, to Fayetteville , North Carolina.
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". Cole began rapping at the age of twelve, and saw it as an ideal profession in , when his mother purchased an ASR-X musical sampler as a Christmas gift.
Upon graduating high school with a 4. He moved there and accepted a scholarship to St. John's University. Initially majoring in computer science , Cole later switched to communications after witnessing the life of a lonely computer science professor. Cole later worked in various part-time jobs in Fayetteville, including a working ad salesman for a newspaper, a bill collector, a file clerk, and a kangaroo mascot at a skate rink. His mother struggled with addiction after his abusive stepfather left her.
