♫ A Star is Born: J. Cole

Hip-hop artist J. Cole has talent, and the world is finally beginning to notice. He was first noticed by mentor Jay-Z, who signed him to his Roc Nation record label in November 2008. Since then, he has continued to gain respect from listeners. The North Carolina native has released two mixtapes thus far, The Come Up and The Warm Up, in hopes to entice fans with his creative lyrical aptitude and production abilities. It seems as though Cole is always a step ahead of everyone else, especially with his work ethic. By performing at many colleges including Rutgers, he continuously promotes himself, and he is open to nearly any opportunity that comes his way. He's been featured in well-known hip-hop magazines such as The Source in April and XXL in their July/August issue, giving him more additions to add to his star-bound résumé.

Over the past summer J. Cole has done nothing but progress. He was nominated for MTV's top five finalists for Hottest New Breakout Artist of 2010, alongside Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa, confirming that he cannot be ignored. Aside from the nomination, Cole received MTV's "Who Got Next" award, another honor to put under his belt. But J. Cole hasn't gotten this much popularity by being arrogant, it seems that part of the reason for his fan reception comes from one simple quality: His ability to relate. A lot of his songs contain lyrics that talk about the particulars of college life, creating an instant bond with college listeners. He is set to release his first full-length album titled Cole World in late October. So if you missed J. Cole at Rutgersfest, make sure to catch up on his mixtapes and keep an eye and ear out for him — he's the next big thing in the hip-hop world.