Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985), better known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole posted songs on various internet forums at the age of 14 under the name "Blaza, but later switched to the name Therapist". Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007 in which he also founded his record label Dreamville with label president Ibrahim Hamad.