J.O. Cool

Jamal Otijele, A.K.A. J.O. Cool, is a young rapper/song writer hailing from the small town Woodruff, South Carolina. Born on June 13th, 1990, this remarkable young man has been destined for greatness from the start. “I was born in Nigeria. Due to different family situations, we moved a pretty good amount of times while I was growing up. For a kid, it was definitely rough trying to adjust to different environments and then getting uprooted. I was never a big time drug dealer and I never killed anybody. I knew a lot of people that had it a lot worse than I did, but life wasn’t very easy for me. My parents were VERY far from rich and I saw a lot at an early age, and it all affected the way I walk, talk, and act today. Music was just always where I could turn to in order to express myself and get a sense of not only accomplishment, but also comfort.” Jamal’s thoughtful music reflects the things that impacted him most throughout life: hip-hop, struggle, love, and the hope for something more. While offering listeners an honest look into his life, he also strives to maintain a level of lyricism within his songs. “I completely understand that all songs don’t call for complex patterns and punch-lines, but all the emcees I looked up to my whole life were able to express themselves in a way that excited me. They made me want to really spit, and I wanna be able to carry that torch while still writing really great songs.” When asked about what he wants to do with his talent and his future, he replies “Honestly, all I want is to be happy. I understand that God has given me a great talent and I want to use it to make a better life for myself and my family. I fell in love with music hard. It’s not just a hobby for me. So years from now, it would be rich, and for people to know my name. But more than that, I want people to have been able to connect with me through my art, and I want to be able to help inspire anybody else with the same kind of big dreams that I have.” So far, Jamal is definitely on the right track to reaching his goals. His 2009 mixtape, “Practice Makes Profit” is an impressive introduction to his talent, as he displays his lyrical skill over various instrumentals from some of the hip-hop industry’s heavyweights. And in 2011, he’s hooked up with his good friend and producer Johnathan Turner, A.K.A. John Wade, to create his first album; appropriately titled “First Impressions”. The album’s theme centers around two young artists “applying” for positions in the music industry, with each track serving to present a strong resume worthy of the phrase, “You’re hired!”. With two solid projects under his belt and an ever growing desire to take his talent to the next level, expect this cool kid to seriously heat up the scene in the near future.

J.O. Cool and John Wade's album "First Impressions" is a must have dropped for the summer. Play it whenever you can, but I dare you to skip a track(download link below):

http://johnwade.bandcamp.com/

Contact J.O. Cool…

On his Twitter: @JOisCHILLIN

On his Facebook: Facebook.com/JOisTHEFUTURE