Growing up in the streets of Oakland, California, Cole was a foster child adopted by Yvonne Cole. She has said that her brother, Sean Cole, and Tupac Shakur were close friends (though this has yet to be proven), and that he was like an older brother to her.

Cole's first recordings were with MC Hammer at the age of 12. In the early 2000s, she appeared on tracks by Bay Area artists including Tony! Toni! Toné!'s D'Wayne Wiggins and San Francisco (Fillmore District) rapper Messy Marv. To further pursue her career, Cole left the Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles, California.

In L.A., she was discovered and signed by the president of A&M Records, Ron Fair. In 2004, Cole appeared on the track "Never" from the Barbershop 2 soundtrack with Eve.

Cole has gleaned comparisons to the likes of Mary J. Blige for her raw, emotion-filled vocals and take-no-mess attitude.

Cole served as the inspiration for her mother and cousin, who writes under the pseudonym of Charli Cole, to establish the Cole Talent Agency in November 2005. It is based in central California and represents those with musical and literary gifts.

--Wikipedia