J. Cole was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but he is from and grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which he frequently represents in his music and interviews.

Birthplace

  • Jermaine Lamarr Cole (J. Cole) was born on an American military base in Frankfurt, West Germany (now Germany) on January 28, 1985.
  • His parents were American, and his father’s military service is what placed the family in Germany at the time of his birth.

Where he’s “from”

  • J. Cole was raised in Fayetteville (often called “The Ville” or “Fayettenam”), North Carolina, after moving there as an infant.
  • He has repeatedly identified himself as being from Fayetteville and built much of his music and storytelling around the city and his upbringing there.

Quick context

  • Cole moved around different homes in Fayetteville, including the house on Forest Hills Drive that later inspired his album title.
  • Because of this, people often say he was “born in Germany but from Fayetteville, North Carolina,” capturing both his birthplace and his cultural hometown.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.