Who Is J. Cole's Wife? All About Melissa Heholt

J. Cole and Melissa Heholt have been married since 2015

J. Cole and his wife, Melissa Heholt, are one of the most private couples in the music industry.

The pair have been together since the 2000s when they met as students at St. John's University in Queens, New York. The couple quietly tied the knot in 2015, though news of their wedding wasn't shared until 2016, when J. Cole accidentally revealed they were married during an interview.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper (born Jermaine Cole) has been active in the music industry since releasing his first mixtape in 2007. In 2021, he released his sixth studio album, and his résumé includes several additional music projects. J. Cole has also pursued multiple business ventures and philanthropic efforts, such as his nonprofit the Dreamville Foundation, which his wife helps run.

While J. Cole and Heholt keep details of their relationship to themselves, they have supported each other for years and have even started a family together; they are the proud parents of two sons.

So, who is J. Cole's wife? Here is everything to know about Melissa Heholt and her relationship with the rapper.

She is an entrepreneur

Heholt founded her own company called Statice Events, according to a 2013 interview with online lifestyle blog Karla With A Kay.

"The main focus of Statice Events is to provide exceptional client service while creating memorable events with a unique flair," she told the outlet. "When I produce a successful event that my clients and their guests continuously reminisce about I know I have accomplished my goal for that event."

Per the company's Twitter page, Statice Events planned events of all types, including weddings and birthday soirées, though it appears to no longer be in business as of 2023.

She and J. Cole reportedly met in college

Heholt completed her secondary education at Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens and attended nearby St. John's University, which is reportedly where she met her future husband.

She told Karla With A Kay that she began college as a business major but eventually graduated with a degree in health administration. Heholt later received her master's degree in elementary education, a field she worked in for a few years before starting Statice Events.

She works with J. Cole's Dreamville Foundation

In her interview with Karla With A Kay, Heholt shared that she was the executive director of the Dreamville Foundation, a nonprofit founded by J. Cole in 2011. The foundation seeks to serve underserved youth by providing programs and resources through advocacy and partnerships, particularly in the rapper's hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

In a 2015 article, Heholt told the Fayetteville Observer that J.Cole "is extremely passionate about the betterment of the Fayetteville community, especially its youth,"

According to the organization's website, its mission is "to bridge the gap between the worlds of opportunity for urban youth." In 2018, the nonprofit raised money to help people affected by Hurricane Florence in Fayetteville, according to Complex.

J. Cole accidentally revealed that he and Heholt got married

Though J. Cole and Heholt initially kept their 2015 wedding a secret, the "No Role Modelz" rapper accidentally revealed the news of their marriage during a 2016 conversation with director Ryan Coogler for Montreality.

In the interview, Coogler asked J. Cole how getting married had changed him. J. Cole was surprised by the question, and when Coogler apologized for the slip-up, the rapper was a good sport about the situation. "It's all good … they know now!" he said.

She and J. Cole have two sons

In a personal essay published in The Players' Tribune, J. Cole revealed that he and Heholt were parents of two boys.

"I've been blessed with two sons, learned the delicate art of balance between parenthood and career," J. Cole wrote in 2020. The rapper also recalled learning that he would become a father for the first time in 2016, saying it "wasn't a surprise" to hear the news.

"I had been taking steps to change my life for the past couple years, and I felt ready," he added.

She's the inspiration for many of J. Cole's lyrics

Heholt has long been influencing her husband's music. Perhaps the most notable instance was when J. Cole announced her pregnancy with their second son in the final track of the 2019 album, Revenge of the Dreamers III.

In the song "Sacrifices," J. Cole raps about his love for his wife and the child they were expecting. "I had nowhere to go, she gave me a place to stay / She gave me her heart to hold / I still got that s--- to this day," he begins. "She gave me the gift of my son / And plus we got one on the way / She gave me a family to love, for that, I can never repay."

She and J. Cole keep their personal lives private

Since the beginning of their relationship, the couple have kept their personal lives separate from the public life that J. Cole leads as a musician.

By 2016, the couple retreated from the spotlight and moved back to North Carolina, near J. Cole's hometown, per the New York Times.

"The fame is exhaustin'," he raps in the track "Neighbors" from 4 Your Eyez Only. "That's why I moved away / I needed privacy."

During a 2018 interview with radio DJ Angie Martinez, J. Cole said that despite his high-profile career, his sole purpose in life is "to be a father and a husband."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.