Today we’d like to introduce you to J.J. Carr.
Hi J.J., we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Music is in my blood. My mom had dreams of being a singer, my dad tried being a rapper for a time, and my extended family has a long history of singing in choirs and playing instruments in churches across Texas. When I was born in 2000, I basically grew up in hip-hop. My male relatives were big Screwed Up Click fans in their 90s heyday, which would lead to them exposing me to a lot of local rap classics and the stuff that would come from that second wave in the 2000s. Artists like Lil Keke, Trae Tha Truth, Z-Ro, Bun B, and Beatking (when I got older) were some of my favorite local artists that influenced me. Mainstream acts like Jay-Z, Kanye, Drake, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, early John Legend, Pi’erre Bourne, Kid Cudi, and Outkast also left a lasting impression on me. Listening to them made me realize that music was something anyone could create. Once I got to 4th grade, I saw my peers freestyling in class and at lunch, which made me see that I could do it.
I wrote my first rap that next school year, honed my skills through middle school, went to a recording studio for the first time on my 13th birthday, and released my first tracks on SoundCloud as a junior in high school. After high school, I attended the illustrious Howard University in Washington, DC, where I studied Audio Production. I also got the opportunity to earn my stripes as a performer in the DMV music scene, where I also worked and collaborated with two music collectives in the area; Kiazii and SESH.
After college, I moved to Connecticut where I worked at ESPN as a Music Assistant for two and a half years. This opportunity allowed me to learn about the business and corporate side of the industry. During this time, I also released my debut mixtape, “A Moment In Time…” While most of the project was recorded during my college years, the arranging of the tracklist and the release of the project took place last October. Five months later, I relocated back to Houston. Now, I am still pushing the project and making the transition to full-time artist.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In my eyes, there’s no such thing as a “smooth road” in the entertainment industry. And for someone like me, a shy outcast from the Southside of Houston, the road was always gonna be bumpy. My parents had me at 18. They hadn’t even graduated high school by the time I got here. My parents also got divorced pretty early in my life; I’ve never seen them together as a couple. That’s a hard thing for some people to deal with as kids.
My family moved around a lot as a kid. We lived in Third Ward, South Park, Sunnyside, South Acres, and Hiram Clarke at different times, which are not the easiest areas to grow up in. Money was never easy to come by in my youth, and there were times where my mom would have to stretch herself thin just to make sure there was food on the table.
Along with financial struggles, I was a bit reserved as a kid. I graduated top 10% of my high school class and Magna Cum Laude from Howard, so I was a great student but socially, I never truly felt like I fit in, especially in the beginning.
Even now, I left that fancy job at ESPN about a month or so before this interview. That was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I made it anyway so I could focus solely on my dream. Add on top of that the general struggles of being an artist in an age where music has been devalued on a major level and the mental toll of knowing you have a creative gift but sticking to the traditional path to play it safe and living that double life. It’s rough. But I know in the end, all those struggles happened to lead me to the path I’m meant to be on.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an upcoming rapper and audio engineer. I’m very proud of my project “A Moment In Time…” because all I’ve wanted to do since I was 13 years old was make a body of work. If you asked me then, I’d probably have 5 mixtapes and an album or two out by now but I had to understand that creating is a process. I didn’t even set out to release a project until there were like two tracks left for me to record. And undergoing the process of putting a mixtape together showed me proof that I can do more than just release singles. Not only that, I also mixed and mastered most of the project myself. There was a lot of trial and error that went into how I made these songs, but it all came together very organically.
What helps me standout from other rappers today is a couple of things. First, I don’t think there’s too many people in the rap game at large, let alone in the Texas rap scene, that sound like me. There’s been a long list of tropes and clichés in Houston rap that have been around since the 90s. I won’t say that I don’t use some of them, but I will say that there’s some depth to my music that goes beyond topics such as being in the streets or being a playa, as much as I do love that kind of music. There’s also a long list of “every man” rappers that don’t cater to that street aesthetic. My music is more emotional and honest. I try to tell stories in my music while also keeping lyrics at my forefront and crafting my sound with my engineering background.
Along with that, I have seen quite a bit of life in my 26 years. I’ve been in the ghettos, trying to find a way to make it out. I’ve made it out, living in East Coast cities and living in the suburbs through work and college. I’ve been performing since I was a theater kid in middle school. I’ve been popular, unpopular, had money, lost money, worked corporate and retail, etc. I feel that I have a wealth of experiences I can pull from and a creative mind that can string together words and concepts in new ways. It’s not all flash and no substance with me.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Follow me on all social platforms @whoisjjcarr. Check out my website linktr.ee/JJCarr to keep up with new stuff as well! If you want to collab, find out my engineering rates, or book me for a show locally or in another state, hit me via DM or email. If you want to support me, you can stream my music on all platforms and order “A Moment in Time…” on my Bandcamp! If you would like to see me perform live, I have a show at BFE Rock Club in Northwest Houston on November 5th. Tickets are available on my website! I also have merch coming soon so be on the lookout for that!
Pricing:
- Features: Negotiable
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/JJCarr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoisjjcarr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/j.j.carrmusic
- Twitter: https://x.com/whoisjjcarr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whoisjjcarr
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/whoisjjcarr
- Other: EPK: https://canva.link/1pzwsyttjftt9gs
Image Credits
Fuhhrare, 237, Synia Boyer, Malik Mack, Julian Thedford, Zii Wright of Kiazii, Marvin Banks, and Caleb Carr
