J. Rawls
Encyclopedia
Jason Rawls is an American hip hop
, soul
, and neo-soul producer
whose work crosses over into jazz
. He has worked with Dose One, Beastie Boys
, Slum Village
, El Da Sensei
, Count Bass D
, Grand Agent, 9th Wonder
, J-Live
, Us3
, and Moka Only
. J Rawls is a graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelors in Business, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity, Alpha Alpha chapter.
, a hip hop
group formed by Mos Def
and Talib Kweli
. Rawls contributed production on "Brown Skin Lady" and "Yo, Yeah," which placed him on the map among producers in the hip hop-music genre. The album Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star did very well in the independent hip hop market, was acclaimed as one of the best albums of 1998 and was a major force in the late-1990s underground hip hop explosion.
J. Rawls' first solo album came in 2001, with The Essence Of... (Groove attack), which featured singles "Great Live Caper" featuring J-Live
, "Check the Clock" and "They Can't See Me".
He released his second solo album called The Essence of Soul in 2005 on his own label POLAR Records, which featured singles "Bailar" featuring Aloe Blacc
, "Soul (Again & Again)" featuring Middle Child, and "Pleasure Before Pain" featuring Eric Roberson
.
Away from his solo albums, J. Rawls is one half of the duo The Lone Catalysts, with emcee J. Sands. The group has been together since the mid-'90s and the first release from the Lone Catalysts, THE BEGINNING EP, was in August 1998. They have released three albums since: Hip Hop (1999,BUKA Entertainment), The Catalyst Files (2002, BUKA Entertainment), and Good Music (2005, BUKA Entertainment).
J. Rawls is also one half of the duo 3582, consisting of emcee Fat Jon
the Ample Soul Physician (of Five Deez
). 3582 released two albums, The Living Soul (2001) and Situational Ethics in (2003).
J. Rawls has recently released Dank & Jammy, his latest duo project. He joined forces with Dudley Perkins
, a rapper and singer who is currently signed to Stones Throw Records
, has formerly recorded under the name "Declaime" and has previously collaborated with Madlib
and Five Deez, and Georgia Anne Muldrow
, among other artists. The album It's The Dank & Jammy Show was released in 2007 (POLAR/Groove attack).
In 2006, J. Rawls received much acclaim with The Liquid Crystal Project's "A Tribute To Dilla 7"" production (Turntable Jazz/Unique 2006), which was an ode to one of J. Rawls' favorite producers, J Dilla
. The single came off the self-titled album The Liquid Crystal Project (Polar/Groove Attack 2006), which is a group formed by J. Rawls whose music can be described as fusing the key elements of both jazz and hip hop. The group consists of members J. Rawls, B-Jazz, Shaun Scott, B Chapman and Selah One other single was released from the album, "A Tribute To Troy 7" (Turntable Jazz/Unique 2006).
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and neo-soul producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
whose work crosses over into jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. He has worked with Dose One, Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
, El Da Sensei
El Da Sensei
El Da Sensei is an American rapper from Newark, New Jersey. During the 1990s he was a member of the influential hip hop duo, Artifacts.Since then he has released several solo albums to critical acclaim.-Discography:...
, Count Bass D
Count Bass D
Dwight Conroy Farrell , better known by the stage name Count Bass D, is an American rapper, record producer and multi-instrumentalist from Nashville, Tennessee...
, Grand Agent, 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
, J-Live
J-Live
J-Live is an MC, DJ, and producer from New York.-Early career and The Best Part:...
, Us3
US3
Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. Their name was inspired by a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. On their debut album, Hand on the Torch, Us3 used samples from the Blue Note Records catalogue, all originally produced by...
, and Moka Only
Moka Only
Daniel Denton , known professionally as Moka Only, is a Canadian hip hop artist. Originally from Langford, British Columbia, near Victoria, he is now based in Vancouver. He was previously part of the hip hop group Swollen Members, and briefly a part of Len. His albums are released by Legendary...
. J Rawls is a graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelors in Business, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity, Alpha Alpha chapter.
Production career
J. Rawls' production is best known for his work with Black StarBlack Star (hip hop group)
Black Star is a hip hop duo composed of Mos Def and Talib Kweli.-History:Black Star arose from the underground movement of the late 1990s, which was in large part due to Rawkus Records, an independent record label stationed in New York City. They released one self titled album...
, a hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group formed by Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
and Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
. Rawls contributed production on "Brown Skin Lady" and "Yo, Yeah," which placed him on the map among producers in the hip hop-music genre. The album Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star did very well in the independent hip hop market, was acclaimed as one of the best albums of 1998 and was a major force in the late-1990s underground hip hop explosion.
J. Rawls' first solo album came in 2001, with The Essence Of... (Groove attack), which featured singles "Great Live Caper" featuring J-Live
J-Live
J-Live is an MC, DJ, and producer from New York.-Early career and The Best Part:...
, "Check the Clock" and "They Can't See Me".
He released his second solo album called The Essence of Soul in 2005 on his own label POLAR Records, which featured singles "Bailar" featuring Aloe Blacc
Aloe Blacc
Aloe Blacc is an American soul singer, rapper, and musician.-Early career and Shine Through :...
, "Soul (Again & Again)" featuring Middle Child, and "Pleasure Before Pain" featuring Eric Roberson
Eric Roberson
Eric Roberson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter from Rahway, New Jersey, United States. He is sometimes referred to simply as Erro....
.
Away from his solo albums, J. Rawls is one half of the duo The Lone Catalysts, with emcee J. Sands. The group has been together since the mid-'90s and the first release from the Lone Catalysts, THE BEGINNING EP, was in August 1998. They have released three albums since: Hip Hop (1999,BUKA Entertainment), The Catalyst Files (2002, BUKA Entertainment), and Good Music (2005, BUKA Entertainment).
J. Rawls is also one half of the duo 3582, consisting of emcee Fat Jon
Fat Jon
Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician is an American hip hop producer from Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the four members of Five Deez, alongside Pace Rock, Sonic, and Kyle David...
the Ample Soul Physician (of Five Deez
Five Deez
Five Deez is an American hip hop group from Cincinnati, Ohio and a part of the Wanna Battle collective, which also includes DJ Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Rubix, and Lone Catalysts. The group consists of members: Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician , Pase Rock , Kyle David , and Sonic...
). 3582 released two albums, The Living Soul (2001) and Situational Ethics in (2003).
J. Rawls has recently released Dank & Jammy, his latest duo project. He joined forces with Dudley Perkins
Dudley Perkins
Dudley Perkins is an American rapper and singer from Oxnard, California. He has released records on Stones Throw Records under his own name and the alias of Declaime....
, a rapper and singer who is currently signed to Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20....
, has formerly recorded under the name "Declaime" and has previously collaborated with Madlib
Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
and Five Deez, and Georgia Anne Muldrow
Georgia Anne Muldrow
Georgia Anne Muldrow is an American singer and musician signed to Stones Throw Records. She is the first female artist signed to the label and seems to be a close friend of fellow label artist Dudley Perkins...
, among other artists. The album It's The Dank & Jammy Show was released in 2007 (POLAR/Groove attack).
In 2006, J. Rawls received much acclaim with The Liquid Crystal Project's "A Tribute To Dilla 7"" production (Turntable Jazz/Unique 2006), which was an ode to one of J. Rawls' favorite producers, J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
. The single came off the self-titled album The Liquid Crystal Project (Polar/Groove Attack 2006), which is a group formed by J. Rawls whose music can be described as fusing the key elements of both jazz and hip hop. The group consists of members J. Rawls, B-Jazz, Shaun Scott, B Chapman and Selah One other single was released from the album, "A Tribute To Troy 7" (Turntable Jazz/Unique 2006).
Albums
- 2001 The Essence Of J. Rawls
- 2003 Histories Greatest Battles, Campaigns, & Topics
- 2005 The Essence Of Soul
- 2006 The Liquid Crystal Project
- 2007 It’s The Dank & Jammy Show (with Declaime)
- 2007 True Ohio Playas (with Count Bass DCount Bass DDwight Conroy Farrell , better known by the stage name Count Bass D, is an American rapper, record producer and multi-instrumentalist from Nashville, Tennessee...
) - 2007 J. Rawls Presents...Holmskillit (with Holmskillit)
- 2008 The Liquid Crystal Project II
- 2008 Rawls & Middle
- 2009 The 1960's Jazz Revolution Again (with John RobinsonJohn Robinson-Academics:*John Martin Robinson , English Officer of Arms and historian*John Alan Robinson , philosopher and mathematician*John Thomas Romney Robinson , Irish astronomer and physicist*John T. Robinson, paleontologist...
) - 2011 The Hip-Hop Affect
Production
- 2006: "Lights, Camera, Action" (from the El Da SenseiEl Da SenseiEl Da Sensei is an American rapper from Newark, New Jersey. During the 1990s he was a member of the influential hip hop duo, Artifacts.Since then he has released several solo albums to critical acclaim.-Discography:...
album The UnusualThe UnusualThe Unusual is the second album by Artifacts member El Da Sensei. It was released in 2006 on Fat Beats Records.-Background:Tame and El's graf-rap was well-received by underground audiences and continued in the New Jersey rap tradition of Redman and Lords of the Underground. The group developed a...
)
External links
- Official site
- J. Rawls On MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....