J. COLE SAY'S HE'S READY FOR GREATNESS!

His route to the brink of hip-hop stardom has taken him from a college campus in Queens to a spot on Jay-Z's latest album.
Now J.Cole, pegged as the next big thing in the rap game, is just a few touches from finishing his first solo album. And he's quick to give props to his alma mater, St. John's University.

"St. John's, it allowed me to be a little better prepared for the career that I chose," the 6-foot-4 rapper told the Daily News at the Quad Recording Studio in midtown.

"Even though I'm not working a 9-to-5, I'm still really aware of P.R. and your brand, and how you're represented in the public light."

Tomorrow, J.Cole will perform in the "Power Live" concert on Governors Island. Diddy, Rick Ross and R&B songstress Ciara will also be hitting the stage.

Born in Germany and raised in North Carolina, the lyricist started rapping as early as 12. By 15, the rapper, whose real name is Jermaine Cole, was creating his own beats. Two years later, he was posting his songs on the Internet.

April was a good month for the rising rapper, appearing on the cover of hip-hop magazine XXL, which named him one of the top 10 up-and-coming rappers of the year. In the same month, he returned to his alma mater, part of his college tour.

J.Cole attended St. John's on a partial scholarship. Few classmates would have even known he was honing his skills. He wasn't rapping outside of campus buildings and he wasn't the first to sign up for talent shows.

"I used to hang around him, go to the same parties and I never had any idea that he rapped - no clue at all," said 2008 St. John's University graduate Desiree Lester, 25, of Harlem. "He was really cool. He never bragged about anything."

The rapper said it was all by design.

"I was on the low with my music," he said. "I did some early little open mics, and little talent shows early on, but then I just kind of focused on myself. I was never the type to broadcast it like that. I was just like 'Yeah, y'all will see when I get on.'"

Many of his classmates learned about him last year when he appeared on Jay-Z's album "The Blueprint 3." He performed on a track appropriately titled "A Star Is Born." He's the first rap artist signed to Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation.

J.Cole spends his nights and early mornings putting the finishing touches on his debut album. The untitled project, which is about 90% complete, is scheduled to be released by the end of the year.

His first single, "Who Dat," has already taken off with its music video climbing the ranks of BET's "106 and Park."

"He's exploding," said show co-host, Terrence J. "I think he's going to do some big numbers."