Photography by Matt Salacuse; Styling by Matthew Henson; Additional Credits.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL J. COLE COVER STORY!
So...Cole got a classic? Roc Nation rapper J. Cole's long-awaited debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story drops tomorrow, but the response to the early leak has so far been overwhelmingly positive. Complex has been on Jermaine's team since 2009, when we first interviewed him two weeks before his critically-acclaimed mixtape The Warm Up dropped. It's been a long journey but the album is finally here.
To mark the occasion, Complex linked up with Cole to shoot a special animated cover for the internets, celebrating a full week of special features. Today we're kicking things off with a cover story by Complex staff writer Damien Scott, who has a special perspective on the rapper's career—he was Cole's college friend and roommate, and was by his side for some of his early struggles to get noticed. Read the revealing feature now, and check back all week for more Jermaine jewels...
