“Cole, you stupid,” is Hollywood Cole’s tag. The Martin-catchphrase gets a second life as it applies to the vibrant, sample-friendly sounds from the 28-year-old producer behind Lil Wayne and Drake’s “B.B. King Freestyle,” along with songs by G Herbo, Quentin Miller, Dom Kennedy, Queen Naija, and Childish Major. After an impressive two-year rise, Kameron Cole begins 2021 hard at work on music with much of the TDE roster and other elite rap talents. In an era when so many producers chase trends, Hollywood Cole carries on hip-hop’s sampling tradition—grabbing from a diverse appreciation of music. The West Coast native who eventually landed in Atlanta mixes melody, boom-bap percussion, and trap accents—mirroring his real-life migration and journey. Cole grew up in Seattle, before moving to Boston, and later, Virginia. His father worked for Converse, AOL Time Warner, and was behind the popular Hillman College t-shirts, while his mother is a painter who appeared in Essence magazine. “I come from good stock and a creative family,” Cole affirms. No matter where they were living, music—including Marvin Gaye, Dr. Dre, and Elton John—was integral to the household. This molded the would-be artist who considers J Dilla, The Neptunes, and Kanye West his hip-hop holy trinity of producers.