J. Cole - 'A Star is Born' (Created February 6, 2013)

The story of Jermaine Cole, aka J. Cole, isn't the average rags to riches tale of many hip hop artists. Though it came in a fatherless household, this German-born American artist grew up playing sports and studying guitar, and eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. John's University. He was also 'christened' by superstar Jay-Z when he became the first artist signed to the mogul's Roc Nation label.

If it sounds like J. Cole rode a fairly quick wave to success, he did. He began writing lyrics at the age of 15, putting pen to paper with words, rhymes and other ideas. He eventually began making music on his own beat machine, then released several mixtapes to positive reviews. And being shunned by Jay-Z during their initial meeting, he eventually landed a guest verse on Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3" with "A Star is Born." And indeed, it was.

It wasn't long before Cole's debut album, "Cole World: The Sideline Story," was released as one of the most anticipated projects of 2011. It bowed at number one on the Billboard 200, with more than 200,000 copies in first-week sales. Two months later it was certified gold, and the final single released from the project, "Nobody's Perfect," featured renowed female rapper Missy Elliott, marking her return to music.

The release of Cole's second studio album, "Born Sinner," was targeted for June 2012. It was temporarily shelved after Cole decided to work on a collaborative album with Kendrick Lamar, and a second release date of January 28, 2013 was also pushed back. No new date has been announced, though many still expect the album to drop some time during the year. The first single, "Miss America," was Cole's attempt to shift music in a different direction, and to change the conversation and move toward a more social commentary.

During an earlier interview with Billboard, Cole promised heavier subject matter on the forthcoming album. He said it will detail "corruption of an artist when commercial appeal is involved, or corruption of a relationship when temptation is involved, or corruption of a government when capitalism is involved."