SORRY LADIES: Rapper J.Cole Is A Married Man

In front of a packed house at Harlem’s Riverside Church in New York, J. Cole unexpectedly announced that he is a married man.

The Fayetteville native and hip-hop star confirmed the news onstage at Monday’s MLK Now event hosted by Blackout for Human Rights and the Campaign for Black Male Achievement.

In an artists’ discussion with “Creed” director Ryan Coogler, Cole talked about police violence and the portrayal of blacks in entertainment.

As the interview wrapped up, Coogler asked if Cole had time for one more question: “How did getting married change you?” he asked.

The audience erupted and a surprised Cole responded good naturedly: “Oh, what is that? … That was like one thing to not do.”

“Nobody knows?” Coogler asked.

“Well, they know now,” said Cole. “That was like a black history moment. They’re never going to forget that.”

Although his wife was not mentioned by name, she is assumed to be longtime girlfriend Melissa Heholt, who serves as executive director of Cole’s Dreamville Foundation.

Cole and Heholt began dating when both were students at St. John’s University in New York, where Cole graduated with honors in 2007. Engagement rumors have followed the couple for years, most recently in January 2015 after a photo of Heholt posing in front of a rack of wedding dresses surfaced on Instagram.

Heholt was in Fayetteville for the artist’s homecoming concert at the Crown Coliseum last summer. During a school supply giveaway put on by the Dreamville Foundation before the concert, Heholt talked to the Observer about Cole’s emphasis on education.

“Obviously, there’s a need in the community among those who might be low income,” she said at the time. “We feel like giving them the supplies is helping set them up for success.”

Immediately following the announcement Monday, Cole steered the conversation with Coogler back toward the MLK Now event.