J. Cole w/ K. Michelle and CJ Hilton

In the Internet-era rap scene, rappers can become big names well before they even release their first albums. Such is the case with J. Cole, the 25-year-old New York rapper who caught the attention of the rap blogosphere through a series of impressive mixtapes and eventually earned the backing of Jay-Z, who signed the rapper to his Roc Nation record label and spotlighted him on his Blueprint III album. In advance of his upcoming debut Cole World, Cole appears tonight with rising R&B singers K. Michelle and CJ Hilton.