J. Cole keeps his personal life tightly under wraps, but he was speaking candidly in an open essay called “The Audacity” via The Players’ Tribune.
“I learned that I would become a father. It wasn’t a surprise,” Cole, who married his college sweetheart, Melissa Heholt, in 2015, revealed. “I had been taking steps to change my life for the past couple years, and I felt ready.”
The Forest Hill Drive rapper spoke about being torn between his love for basketball and rap, and not being motivated to write during this confusing time. But he ultimately put his hoop dreams behind him.
“I knew this would take time, patience, discipline, focus, and a willingness to step out of my comfort zone, but I believed it would be worth it,” he wrote.
And clearly it was worth it. “Four years have passed,” he wrote. “In that time I’ve been blessed with two sons, learned the delicate art of balance between parenthood and career, had the pleasure of working with a ton of talented artists as a featured rapper, spent 10 magical days recording a Dreamville album in Atlanta, and put a lot of time and energy into sharpening my sword and growing as an artist.”
J. Cole didn’t reveal their names.