Often without options, inner-city youth escape the realities of a bleak future on the basketball court or by listening to hip-hop music. They accept where they’re at because that’s the only place they’ve ever been. But Jahmal Cole dared to dream for more. Hustling and grinding his way, Cole defied the odds and left the inner-city streets of Chicago to pursue college, a basketball career, and his love for writing rhymes that spoke of real life emotions and challenges. Athletes and Emcees is a compilation of the lessons he learned and how he used his two favorite pastimes to further his education and break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness which plague many of today’s urban teens.

Cole understands the obstacles and realities teens face everyday. Poverty, broken families, peer pressure, and limited opportunities can break the spirit. A guidance counselor once told him to forget about college and enlist in the military, but Cole wanted more. He wanted to be a college athlete, a rapper, and a graduate. Finding a way to overcome every obstacle in his way, Cole succeeded. Along the way, he gained insight into what it really takes to turn passion into reality.

Today, Cole relates the lessons he learned through the same means of self expression relied upon in inner city ghettos—basketball and rap. Motivating teens with his story, he shows them how to overcome the 50 most common excuses for not trying and how to deal with those who criticize them for daring to dream. J Cole’s been through it all, and he’s got a right to swagger after being one of the first African Americans on the Wayne State basketball team in decades and completing a college education without being able to afford textbooks.

In Athletes and Emcees, Cole portrays a life teens can really relate to.  Through his driven, entrepreneurial spirit, he provides valuable lessons on how teens can get to the top of their game in the pursuit of their dreams. In his unique voice, he provides candid advice on careers, confidence, friendship, school, ingenuity and determination. On the court and behind the mic, he’s an inspiring role model who doesn’t let his heritage hold him back. Instead, he proves that with determination, imagination, and belief, teens can create a successful life while embracing their heritage.