Summary of CJ So Cool:
• Born in 1989, CJ So Cool is an American YouTuber, vlogger, influencer, and social media personality.
• He grew up in a poor neighbourhood of Gary, Indiana, and joined the Navy before studying Criminology at Purdue University.
• He first gained fame by uploading reaction videos, and has since earned almost 7 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
• CJ has released a number of hip-hop songs, and also owns a mansion in the suburbs of Las Vegas with his wife Royalty and their four children.
• His net worth is estimated to be around $3 million, and he has large followings on all types of social media.
Contents
- 1 Who is CJ So Cool?
- 2 Early Life and Education: A Rocky Road to Stardom
- 3 Education and More: Changing Schools, The Navy and More
- 4 Career Beginnings: From Cordero James to CJ So Cool
- 5 Continued Success: Focusing on His Family and Reacting to Popular videos
- 6 Music Career
- 7 Personal Life: Who is CJ’s Wife Royalty? Do They Have Any Children Together?
- 8 Body Measurements: How Tall is CJ So Cool?
- 9 What is CJ So Cool’s Net Worth?
- 10 Online Presence
Who is CJ So Cool?
Born on 29 March 1989, in Gary, Indiana, under the fire sign of Aries, CJ So Cool is a 30-year-old American YouTuber, vlogger, influencer and social media personality. He first gained fame by uploading reaction videos relating to popular trends and memes, and as his popularity slowly grew, CJ expanded his repertoire, which now includes prank videos, try-not-to-laugh challenges and much more. Even though he is now one of the biggest YouTubers, with almost seven million subscribers to his channel, he still can’t escape criticism and controversy. In recent years, he was the target of outrage because of indecent pranks and allegations that he faked having his social media accounts hacked. Nevertheless, CJ is one of the most famous current YouTube stars.
Early Life and Education: A Rocky Road to Stardom
CJ So Cool was born Cordero James Brady, in a poor neighbourhood of Gary – the city currently has the third highest murder rate in the US, which is a clear indication that young CJ didn’t have an easy childhood. Even though he was surrounded by gunfire and crime, he couldn’t find sanctuary even in his own home. His mom was a drug addict who was never really there, while his father eventually passed away while incarcerated for unknown reasons. From that point onwards, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, and in many of his videos, he pays homage to her, saying that he ‘would have been dead or locked up if she wasn’t by my side.’
He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School (which has since been renamed) in his hometown, but transferred to William A Wirt High School, from where he matriculated. At the age of 19 CJ joined the Navy, and was assigned to the Presidential Guard before being honorably discharged in 2010. Even though this was a shock to him, he didn’t want to give up, and enrolled at Purdue University, where he studied criminology but dropping out in 2012. Given the fact that he had no family, CJ supported himself by taking jobs at various restaurants, such as Chuck E. Cheese’s and Denny’s. While working long shifts, he impressed his co-workers with an uncanny sense of humor, which inspired him to make an important decision that would change his life forever.
Career Beginnings: From Cordero James to CJ So Cool
On 26 December 2014, CJ created his YouTube channel., however, he didn’t start uploading videos right away, instead just compiling playlists so that he could watch his favorite videos about pranks, sneakers and more. Eventually, he started learning how to edit and record properly, with the help of his younger brother, Desmond Anthony Ladonn Brady, better known as Jinx. On 22 June 2015 he uploaded his first video, entitled “Cj Shoe Collection”, which has amassed over 750,000 views as of mid-2019. In it, he presents more than 20 of his sneakers, including some rare and limited edition pairs, which attracted the attention of sneaker collectors around the world. Afterwards came “CHUBBY BUNNY CHALLENGE” and “10 Facts about Cj”, however, the video that truly made CJ famous was “Let Me Explain These Kids Vlog”, in which he elaborates on how he met his then-girlfriend Royalty and her three children. Instead of just sneakerheads, this particular vlog was watched by people of all walks of life, and increased his subscriber count up to 100,000.
Continued Success: Focusing on His Family and Reacting to Popular videos
Jinx, CJ’s brother, was one of the first YouTubers who dared produce reaction videos frequently, and base their channel solely around this type of content. CJ soon followed suit, and these videos brought him hundreds of millions of views. This turned out to be a clever strategy, as he would always be relevant by commenting on the latest memes, rumors and things that were happening in the world of pop culture. However, several YouTubers, such as Pewdiepie, I HATE EVERYTHING and JacksFilms accused him of stealing content, which he vehemently denied. One would think these allegations would have threatened the development of CJ’s career, but it only brought him extra publicity and further expanded his audience.
Hacking Incident: A Career in Danger
On 20 February, 2016, CJ tweeted that his YouTube channel had been the target of a malicious attack, and that everything he ever uploaded was deleted – immediately CJ changed his channel description to ‘My Page Was Hacked And They Deleted Everything Now I Must Start From The Bottom Again’. In the video “I Know That My Account Is Still Hacked”, he confirmed that this wasn’t the first time he had been a target of hackers who were ‘jealous of his money and fame’. Additionally, he mentioned that someone had broken into his bank account, but that authorities managed to protect his finances. He then proceeded to upload a series of hack response videos. In total, this presumed attack on his channel resulted in the loss of 1,033 videos, but on 26 February, YouTube managed to recover as many as 700 of CJ’s videos, which he announced as a ‘victory over the hackers.’
More Controversy: The Laxative Prank
Already notorious for his over-the-top prank videos, CJ made headlines on 18 May 2016, when he uploaded a clip in which he buys laxatives in a drug store, and proceeds to secretly put them into his kids’ food. Afterwards, the video shows the children holding their bellies in pain and running to the restroom. YouTubers such as DramaAlert and Scarce slammed him for this action, accusing him of child abuse and attempted poisoning. A day later, CJ revealed that his kids are completely okay, and that he had consulted a doctor before administering laxatives this way. Again, this incident only attracted more subscribers to his channel, verifying the old saying ‘There is no such thing as bad publicity’. By all accounts, the authorities didn’t take any legal action against CJ because of this incident.
Music Career
CJ is a multi-talented man who dabbles in hip-hop, in addition to his YouTube prowess. His first song is named “Wanna Do”, and features his younger brother under the moniker Jinx Da Rebel. Afterwards, he teamed up with his wife Royalty to record “Memories”, “Fuego” and “Go”. So far, “Fuego” has been a success, with a total of six million views on YouTube. Other than serious songs, CJ has also recorded a number of parodies, such as “Tired”, “So Cool Anthem” and “Salty”, which is his most popular song, with an astonishing 17 million views. Unlike most celebrities who try their hand at rapping, CJ has been fairly successful, which even resulted in a small-scale tour around California and Nevada.
Personal Life: Who is CJ’s Wife Royalty? Do They Have Any Children Together?
CJ is currently married to Royalty, who herself is a popular social media personality. The two entered a relationship in July 2012 after meeting at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas, and have been going strong ever since. Together, they’re raising four children – Royalty has three children from a previous relationship, J’alliyah, Karnation and Leonidas, and CJ’s daughter, Camari was born on 6 November 2011, when he was in a relationship with another woman.
#doubletap and comment your last 4 emojis ??????
Posted by Cj So Cool on Monday, April 17, 2017
So Cool Mansion
In 2017, CJ was missing from YouTube from a couple of weeks. On 23 August, he uploaded “Surprising My Family With A Mega Mansion”, where he confessed that he was focused on sorting out some personal matters and preparing a big reveal for his family. In the second part of the video, he surprises his wife and his children by buying a huge mansion in the suburbs of Las Vegas; this is his most popular video, with 25 million views as of June 2019, and garnered positive reactions from around the world, praising CJ’s generosity. The “So Cool Mansion” has a total of 12 bedrooms with 10 bathrooms and two guest houses, set in over four acres of space.
Obsessions: Cars, Sneakers and Tattoos
When he became a YouTube star, CJ started investing a lot of money into expensive vehicles. In total, he and Royalty have a collection of five custom-made sports cars, which they rotate on a regular basis. As for tattoos, CJ has them all over his body, with the most recognizable being a drawing of a Polo shirt, his favorite piece of clothing, located on his waist. From the beginning, CJ’s obsession with sneakers has been evident, as he’s admitted that he had over a hundred pairs of Nike and Air Jordan models. He’s still adding new pairs to his collection, but doesn’t wear them all, most likely because he has a lot of limited edition releases, which are worth a lot of money on the resale market.
Body Measurements: How Tall is CJ So Cool?
CJ So Cool is 5ft 11in (180cm) tall – his other measurements are unknown. Ever since he became famous, CJ has been known for his muscular build. He goes to the gym at least four times a week to maintain his physique, but because of working out too much, he suffered seven muscle tears in his back, and is an active user of medicinal marijuana to reduce the pain he sometimes feels.
What is CJ So Cool’s Net Worth?
According to several credible sources, CJ So Cool has a net worth of approximately $3 million, as of mid-2019, accumulated largely through monetization of his YouTube videos, in addition to merchandise sales and guest appearances at conventions around the US. Given the fact that he is only 30 years-old, and that his popularity is still rising, we might see CJ reach an eight-figure number in the near future.
Not only did I buy my new baby but I’m having a real baby vlog drops in a hour to explain everything ?? pic.twitter.com/YnJC29HgCZ
— CJ SO COOL (@cjsocool1) March 8, 2019
Online Presence
Like every YouTube star and influencer, CJ understands the importance of social media as a marketing tool. To build his brand and engage with his audience, CJ has accounts on a number of different platforms. His bread and butter, of course, is YouTube – “CJ SO COOL” has a total of 6.9 million subscribers and over 1.4 billion unique views. On Facebook, he also an official page that has 45,000 ‘likes’. He is also an avid Twitter user, and runs an account with 140,000 followers, and on Instagram, he is one of the most popular celebrities, with a total of three million fans. CJ and Royalty also run an Instagram profile for their kids, which already has more than 450,000 followers.
