J. Cole’s mixtape history suggests he’s been preparing for his rapid rise to stardom for quite some time: First there is 2007’s “The Come Up,” which (more or less) documents the North Carolinian’s move to New York City, and then 2009’s basketball- themed “The Warm Up,” which takes Cole’s brilliantly raw lyricism to an even deeper level. Both mixtapes were critical and commercial successes, and  garnened Cole quite an impressive (and still growing) cult-like following. Soon enough, Cole transitioned from an underground favorite to a mainstream unknown, being featured on Jay-Z’s “A Star Is Born” off his redeeming 11^th studio album, (what the hell was Kingdom Come?) “The Blueprint 3.” So how, you may ask, did 25 year-old J.Cole (real name Jermaine Cole) land an inarguably coveted spot at Roc Nation, Hova’s Live Nation-partnered entertainment company?

Well, the story is simpler than you’d think. “My manager is Mark Pitts. He managed Biggie and signed Chris Brown, Ciara— Originally he was the first person in the game to find out about me— or at least the first heavyweight in the game to really love the music. He ended up playing “Lights Please” for Jay, which made Jay want to meet me. So that’s how I got started with Jay —I found out he wanted to sign me.” Not a bad way for the XXL 2010 Freshman to begin his foray into rap superstardom. J. Cole wrote the song that grabbed Jigga’s attention whilst attending St. John’s University on an academic scholarship. “If you’re in college, especially if you’re living off loaned money, problems don’t start until after graduation,” Cole remarks. “I had a lot of time to sit and analyze the world.” The song is centered around Cole’s attempts to enlighten a (to put it kindly) dense female, who only seems to want one thing—and it’s not to discuss the impending affects of global warming. “I was really trying to convert [the girls I was with] to get on my level,” says Cole. But the lyricist also recognizes that his matured, hyper-investigative mentality may have not been for the average college hottie. “No one wanted to be on the level I was at,” the rapper says. “You can sit and overanalyze everything and not enjoy it.”

Despite the stress caused by J. Cole’s restless psych, his willingness to question and scrutinize has paid off in more ways than one. One of the most fascinating things about the rapper, who has also been producing since he was 15 years-old, is his ability to remain one of the more relevant black sheep in recent hip-hop history. “I feel like I’m in the tail end of the swag generation. It’s been less about the music and more about how cool somebody is, which was cool and fun,” the rapper remarks. “It still is fun and there are some cool artists that came out of that. But I feel like I’m less of that and way more content and messages and lyrics and emotions, which makes it harder, but I feel like it will make it more worth it in the end.” Where other  “anti-gangster rap” newcomers, such as Charles Hamilton and Wale, have failed, Cole has held his ground: He’s produced more buzz and gained more impressive affiliates than most of his contemporaries, and with his debut album, Cole World, slated for a 2011 release, there’s no signs that the rapper is slowing down.

Despite the whirlwind year(s) Cole has experienced,  the rapper is more than aware of the necessity to create his own entity, as opposed to using Jigga’s powerful cosign as a crutch. “It’s the hardest way,” Cole proclaims. “But at the same time, the payoff is better. I’m sure [Jay-Z] intended it like that^— he doesn’t want to have his arm around someone the whole time.” And Cole has stuck by his words thus far, producing the majority of his upcoming debut, with help from No I.D. and Timbaland’s right-hand man Floyd Hills, better known as Danjahandz. Cole mentions that his versatility has given him a certain edge and understanding towards producers that many artists don’t possess. “I was in NO I.D.’s studio,—Big Sean came in  and we were all just in there talking. I can talk to rappers and speak their language then turn around and talk to NO I.D. about a beat and production,” Cole observes. “Big Sean said something like ‘Oh, that’s that producer language.’ I wear two hats and speak two languages.” Cole has also become better able to tame his impulses thanks to his empathy for beatmakers. “As an artist, you have an urge to chime in and give your two cents. But sometimes its better to just fall back and just try to learn.”

With the album’s featured artists yet to be determined, J. Cole seems far more focused on making the album his own then asking others for a helping hand. The self-sustaining phenomenon’s main goal for the album, and the ones that hopefully follow, is as simple as this: “I want to be making consistent classic albums. Just good music. Quality music.” So far, so good.

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