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PNC arts center shooting: 7 things you may not know about headliner J. Cole
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Authorities attend to people following a shooting late Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, in Holmdel, N.J. Police say the shooting happened outside the PNC Bank Arts Center, where hip hop artists J. Cole and Big Sean performed at the venue. (AP | Mike Lefanto)
Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Print Email Janelle Griffith | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Janelle Griffith | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on August 04, 2015 at 12:27 PM, updated August 05, 2015 at 8:08 AM
Rapper J. Cole is waking up to headlines with which he would rather not be linked — gun violence.
Two people were critically injured after a gunman opened fire about 11 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, following a performance by J. Cole and Big Sean, a State Police spokesman said. The victims have not yet been identified and the shooter is still being sought.
The two are scheduled to perform at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night as part of J. Cole's Forest Hills Drive Tour.
One parent of a teen who attended last night's concert said the shooting was unrelated to the music being performed.
"I don't know about the knuckleheads involved in the fight and shooting," said Monique Coleman, of Highland Park, "but people need to know this was not about rap music promoting violence."
J.Cole's lyrics often speak of determination, materialism and the rise to fame — not violence. He is regarded as a conscious rapper.
J.Cole is often compared to Nas and associated with the conscious hip-hop movement, a wave of performers who tend to write lyrics about upward mobility and eschew some of the negative stereotypes often associated with rap lyrics. Some of the more prominent figures include Common, Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli.
However, he is touring with Big Sean, who was accused of promoting misogyny and "rape culture" in his lyrics by Princeton University students who petitioned to have the rapper dropped as the main act at a concert paid for by the school's student government.
Here are seven things you may not know about J. Cole:
He was born in Germany. J. Cole was born Jermaine Lamarr Cole on a U.S. Army base in Germany, where his father was stationed. He is 30 years old.
He grew up in the south. J. Cole grew up in Fayetteville, N.C. His mother moved to North Carolina when he was 8 months old.
He is bi-racial. His mother is white and his father is African American.
He has a college degree. J. Cole graduated from Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School in 2003, he then attended St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., on academic scholarship. He majored in communication and minored in business, and graduated magna cum laude in 2007.
He was once shunned by Jay Z. In 2007, J. Cole stood outside of Jay Z's New York studio for three hours to give the rap mogul his CD. When Jay Z came out of the studio however, he ignored the up-and-coming rapper.
He was the first artist signed to Jay Z's music label, Roc Nation. In 2008, following the buzz around his debut mixtape, "The Come Up," it was Jay Z asking to meet the rapper he previously dismissed. J. Cole was the first artist signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation label in 2009. and he appeared on the song "A Star Is Born," from Jay Z's album "The Blueprint 3."
He is considered a conscious rapper. J. Cole started rapping at age 12 and began seriously about it by the time he was 15. J. Cole has cited Eminem, Nas and Tupac Shakur as his musical influences, and said Tupac is his favorite rapper. He is often compared to Nas.
Janelle Griffith may be reached at jgriffith@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @janellefiona. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
1 / 5
Authorities attend to people following a shooting late Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, in Holmdel, N.J. Police say the shooting happened outside the PNC Bank Arts Center, where hip hop artists J. Cole and Big Sean performed at the venue. (AP | Mike Lefanto)
Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Print Email Janelle Griffith | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Janelle Griffith | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on August 04, 2015 at 12:27 PM, updated August 05, 2015 at 8:08 AM
Rapper J. Cole is waking up to headlines with which he would rather not be linked — gun violence.
Two people were critically injured after a gunman opened fire about 11 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, following a performance by J. Cole and Big Sean, a State Police spokesman said. The victims have not yet been identified and the shooter is still being sought.
The two are scheduled to perform at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night as part of J. Cole's Forest Hills Drive Tour.
One parent of a teen who attended last night's concert said the shooting was unrelated to the music being performed.
"I don't know about the knuckleheads involved in the fight and shooting," said Monique Coleman, of Highland Park, "but people need to know this was not about rap music promoting violence."
J.Cole's lyrics often speak of determination, materialism and the rise to fame — not violence. He is regarded as a conscious rapper.
J.Cole is often compared to Nas and associated with the conscious hip-hop movement, a wave of performers who tend to write lyrics about upward mobility and eschew some of the negative stereotypes often associated with rap lyrics. Some of the more prominent figures include Common, Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli.
However, he is touring with Big Sean, who was accused of promoting misogyny and "rape culture" in his lyrics by Princeton University students who petitioned to have the rapper dropped as the main act at a concert paid for by the school's student government.
Here are seven things you may not know about J. Cole:
He was born in Germany. J. Cole was born Jermaine Lamarr Cole on a U.S. Army base in Germany, where his father was stationed. He is 30 years old.
He grew up in the south. J. Cole grew up in Fayetteville, N.C. His mother moved to North Carolina when he was 8 months old.
He is bi-racial. His mother is white and his father is African American.
He has a college degree. J. Cole graduated from Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School in 2003, he then attended St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., on academic scholarship. He majored in communication and minored in business, and graduated magna cum laude in 2007.
He was once shunned by Jay Z. In 2007, J. Cole stood outside of Jay Z's New York studio for three hours to give the rap mogul his CD. When Jay Z came out of the studio however, he ignored the up-and-coming rapper.
He was the first artist signed to Jay Z's music label, Roc Nation. In 2008, following the buzz around his debut mixtape, "The Come Up," it was Jay Z asking to meet the rapper he previously dismissed. J. Cole was the first artist signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation label in 2009. and he appeared on the song "A Star Is Born," from Jay Z's album "The Blueprint 3."
He is considered a conscious rapper. J. Cole started rapping at age 12 and began seriously about it by the time he was 15. J. Cole has cited Eminem, Nas and Tupac Shakur as his musical influences, and said Tupac is his favorite rapper. He is often compared to Nas.
Janelle Griffith may be reached at jgriffith@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @janellefiona. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.