Larry Malone

J. Cole writes a letter in support of Lil Durk, ahead of his upcoming trial: “To the Honorable Judge Fitzgerald, I hope this letter reaches you in good spirits. My name is Jermaine Cole, professionally, I’m a musician known by my stage name, J. Cole. With respect to your time, I will keep my back story brief. I’m from Fayetteville, North Carolina and moved to New York City at 18 years old to attend college while also pursuing grand musical ambitions. Fast forward many years later now and I’m happy to say I have been blessed with an incredibly fruitful career, and as I write you this letter I’m currently on tour in Europe as part of a much larger world tour for my latest album. I consider myself the “middle child” of hip hop; meaning I’m young enough to look up to so many legendary artists who have come before me and paved the way (Tupac Shakur, Nas, Jay-Z, Outkast, Kanye West and many others), but I also reached an age and status where I would regularly receive high levels of respect and admiration from the younger generation of artists that were beginning to have success after me. Durk Banks is an artist who is in the hip hop generation that came directly after mine. My little brothers. I was aware of his art and his success, and we had connected at some point over the years, but it wasn’t until we got to work together that I got to know him on a more substantial level. The first thing I noticed was his demeanor. Always extremely respectful, and he often would check in randomly on my well being. One day, he sent a song that he was developing and asked me if I would be willing to be a part of it. The song was called “All My Life.” It was an extremely positive song, with a very uplifting chorus sung by a group of children. A song about overcoming life’s toughest circumstances and refusing to let them stop you. Although I could tell this was a great song, I was hesitant to be a part of it.” “I hope this letter has helped give you some more insight into Durk as a person, with a story that I’m sure has been untold before this. I’m also aware you will be making a decision shortly on his potential release on bond, and I hope that these words will help you arrive confidently at that decision. Thank you for your time. God bless, Jermaine Cole.