Before he was a member of the Roc and topping the charts with his debut Cole World, J. Cole was an A+ student who played the violin. The North Carolina rapper, born Jermaine Cole, reflected on his high school days during the latest episode of MTV’s “When I Was 17.”

In 2002-2003, a carefree Cole played basketball and flirted with girls, but still managed to take AP classes and get a 4.2 GPA. He shared some embarrassing moments, including the rap name his mentors gave him, the time he got dunked on during a basketball game, and when he dressed up as a skating kangaroo named Roller Roo at his skating rink job.

“I felt like less of a man in the kangaroo costume,” laughed the “Work Out” MC.

Plus, find out the mean April Fools’ prank he played on his high school crush.