J. Cole

Outside of Snoop Dogg’s salvo on “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang,” few rappers have received better introductions than J. Cole on Jay-Z’s recent “A Star Is Born”: After his mentor recounts the success stories of everyone from Puffy to Drake, the first artist signed to Hova’s Roc Nation imprint gets his own verse to wonder whether he’s in the same league. Cole’s cordial presence and casual flow don’t place him among the outsized personalities of Jay-Z’s roster, but his 2011 full-length debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, takes enough thematic and production cues from his forebears to enter him into the running. It may not settle Cole’s question, “And could I be a star?,” but expectations remain high for Cole to fully capitalize on his talents. 

Updated 01/18/2012