J57 (rapper) explained

J57
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:James Victor Heinz
Birth Date:6 February 1983
Birth Place:Long Island, New York, United States
Origin:Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Years Active:2003–present

James Victor Heinz, known professionally as J57, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer,[1] record executive,[2] and music video director that infuses hip hop with indie rock, pop, folk & Americana music. He is a member of the Brown Bag AllStars, a group of emcees he helped create while working at Fat Beats in 2004, and Jamo Gang, a hip-hop group along with Ras Kass and El Gant. J57 cites DJ Eclipse and his mentor DJ Premier, as his musical influences.[3] He owns a record label called FiveSe7en Collective which is the home of a lot of new, promising talent in different genres of music. J57 was co-host of Shade45 / SiriusXM’s show “Rap Is Outta Control” with DJ Eclipse for 5 years.

2003–2007: Early beginnings and Brown Bag AllStars

Born and raised in Long Island, New York, J57 started his music career freestyling, battle rapping and beatboxing in high school under the stage name JLOG1C with a group of friends.[4] In 2003, he started producing and went on to record his first recording with his crew. In 2004, JLOG1C started working at Fat Beats, a popular record store in New York where he met the Brown Bag AllStars and went on to record songs with the group at Jesse Shatkin's record studio.

2008–13: 2057, The Ports and The J57 Collection

In 2008, JLOG1C changed his name to J57 before Brown Bag AllStars released their first mixtape The Brown Tape, exclusively at Fat Beats.[5] On May 14, 2010 he released the Digital Society mixtape through Balanced Records, featuring vocals from Homeboy Sandman, the Brown Bag AllStars, Soul Khan, Andrew Reid, DJ Brace and many notable acts.[6] [7] In 2012 he released his DJ Concept-promoted mixtape The J57 Collection and two solo EPs 2057 and The Ports EP,[8] all which did well to gain him grounds and further led him to being ranked No. 20 in AllHipHops list of "Top 50 in Underground Hip-Hop".[9] After overseeing projects for Koncept, Soul Khan, Sene and other artistes, including Homeboy Sandman's fourth studio album titled First of a Living Breed,[10] he went on to release Walk in the Sun, a collaborative album he did with Blame One which was released in 2013.[11] [12]

2014–2017: I'm the J57

In 2014, J57 was featured in DJ Rhettmatic's single titled "Louis Vuitton Wallets" and made vocal appearance and record production credits in the 2014 release of the annual Brown Bag AllStars A Year in Review mixtapes.[13] In mid-2015, he produced "Purple Tape", one of the lead singles from Method Man's fifth studio album The Meth Lab which went on to peak at No. 57 on the US Billboard 200 and was received to positive reviews.[14] [15] On November 20, 2015, J57 teamed up with Koncept to release a joint EP titled The Fuel which was positively received among music critics.[16] [17]

On January 19, 2016, J57 released his first solo album titled I'm the J57 to positive reviews.[18] [19] before he went on to produce the entirety of Elixir, a 7-track gritty hip-hop studio album by Aaron Rose which gained multiple media attention. In an interview with HipHopDX, J57 revealed that 5 hip-hop albums including Moment of Truth, Madvillainy, Be, Below the Heavens and Ironman inspired him in creating the beats for the album.[20] The beginning of 2017 saw J57 become a member of hip-hop group Jamo Gang which DJ Premier formally announced in January.[21] [22] In June, he released the music video for "Legacy" as a promotional tool to mark the release of the deluxe version of I'm the J57 and further decided to donate all proceeds earned from the album to people who were affected by the Flint water crisis.[23] As part of the group Jamo Gang, J57 produced the entirety of their debut project Jamo Gang EP, an 8-track hip-hop, boom bap EP HipHopDX described as "intoxicating".[24]

2018: FiveSe7en Collective

June 2018, J57 launched his record label FiveSe7en Collective.  Jamo Gang[25] (Ras Kass, J57, El Gant)'s debut self-titled EP was released, featuring DJ Premier, Snak the Ripper and more. J57 released 3 albums and 3 EP's; one of which titled "LP2"[26] an avant-garde release available exclusively for one week on J57's website.

2019-2020: DJ Premier, Atmosphere, Jamo Gang

In 2019, J57 released self-produced “VOLTAIRE.” EP  as well as the Heem Stogied & J57 “False Guidance” LP, capping the year off with his 2nd studio album “We Can Be Kings”[27] which features Sid Wilson from Slipknot, Jay Jennings from Snark Puppy, Jamo Gang & more. 100% of the proceeds from the VOLTAIRE. limited edition CD release went to the Flint Water Crisis.

J57 released/was a part of over 400 songs released in 2020; over 20 albums, over 10 EP’s & over 30 singles.  The debut album from Jamo Gang “Walking with Lions” released in May 2020 via Fat Beats Records which is where J57 made his directorial debut for the single/music video “The 1st Time” featuring DJ Premier & Slug from Atmosphere.  As a joke he created an EP as Tiger King’s Joe Exotic in under an hour and released it.  A couple of the songs went viral on TikTok, Instagram & Twitter.  He also created a new sub-genre; DRILL BAP[28] which is a cross between boom bap hiphop and Brooklyn Drill. J57 donates 100% of the proceeds from a Bandcamp-only EP[29] to the NAACP LDF and 100% of the proceeds from one of his singles to 540W Main (an online hub for antiracist education & events that promote justice for all).

2021-2022: Chavez Sound, solo projects, CHROMESTHESIA EP

In 2021 J57 produced lead singles and key album tracks for Skyzoo,[30] Blu (rapper),[31] & Mon Rovîa. He and Ric Chavez launched their new record label, Chavez Sound,[32] which is a subsidiary of FiveSe7en Collective and Soulspazm. Then in 2022, J57 released three self-produced vocal EP’s; "Death By Astral Projection"[33] (featuring Lil B),[34] "Anti-Social Media 2 EP",[35] and "CHROMESTHESIA EP"[36] (featuring Homeboy Sandman, Skyzoo, Blu & more).In early 2022, J57 released one beat tape per week for the entirety of January, February and March, totaling 13 beat tapes/instrumental albums; one per week for 3 months straight.

2023: Sid Wilson (Slipknot), SAN GENNERO, IF I SHOULD WAKE BEFORE I DIE, and 5 collaborative albums

In 2023, J57 released 2 self-produced vocal albums: “SAN GENNARO” & “IF I SHOULD WAKE BEFORE I DIE” as well as 5 collaborative albums with Lord Toozy, Bald Halfwit, H3RO, T.R.3. & Devin Malek. He also released, created, and co-starred in the music video of a remix for rapper Ricardo Grimm, with Sid Wilson of Slipknot at Ozzy Osbourne’s mansion. J57 co-released Rawlsmatic's (DJ Rhettmatic & J.Rawls) album & co-produced a track on it featuring Supastition & Trek Life. J57 ended 2023 by being featured on Ric Chavez’s single ‘’Point Blank” which features Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as well as J57.

Upcoming projects

J57 is currently working on solo projects that include a collaborative EP with Homeboy Sandman and a solo hip hop album that he first started working on while in Australia where he linked up with Joey Bada$$[37] [3]

Discography

See also: J57 production discography.

Studio albums

EPs

Notes and References

  1. News: Solo. Dread. November 20, 2015. Koncept & J57 "The Fuel EP" + Interview. Respect Magazine. Philadelphia. November 24, 2015.
  2. Web site: May 18, 2018. Producer J57 Launches New Collective Of Artists Who Inspire Him. January 12, 2019. HipHopDX.
  3. News: Riley. January 15, 2015. Interview With Rapper/Producer J57. Above Average Hiphop. November 24, 2015.
  4. News: Gimme That Fire, Stand Back And Watch Me Burn: A Conversation With Koncept & J57. Hypetrak. Kujundzic. Petar. October 12, 2015. November 24, 2015.
  5. News: Brown Bag AllStars – The Brown Tape. HipHopDX. August 7, 2009. November 24, 2015.
  6. News: Digital Society. Balanced Records. November 24, 2015.
  7. News: J57- Digital Society. Underground Hiphop. May 18, 2010. November 24, 2015.
  8. News: Double The Pleasure Double The Fun: Brown Bag Allstars J57 Releases Duo EPs. Drasims. Sean. June 7, 2012. AllHipHop. November 24, 2015.
  9. News: 2012: AllHipHop's Top 50 In Underground Hip-Hop! EPs. Drasims. Sean. January 1, 2013. AllHipHop. November 24, 2015.
  10. News: Reviews for First of A Living Breed. September 18, 2012. Metacritic. November 24, 2015. CBS Interactive.
  11. News: J57 EPs 'The Ports EP' and '2057 EP'. Birthplace Magazine. May 22, 2012. November 24, 2015.
  12. News: Blame One & J57 "Walk In The Sun" feat. Soul Khan. Okay Player. November 24, 2015.
  13. News: Brown Bag AllStars Release Year In Review Compilation Full of Featured Guests: 50 Cent, Young Buck and More. Music Times. Orcutt. KC. January 5, 2015. November 24, 2015.
  14. Web site: Method Man: The Meth Lab Album Review – Pitchfork. pitchfork.com. July 28, 2017.
  15. Web site: Method Man & Son Rap Along With Raekwon and Inspectah Deck in 'The Purple Tape' Video. The Boombox. July 28, 2017.
  16. News: Koncept & J57 "The Fuel" EP Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & EP Stream. HipHopDX. Hunte. Justin. September 24, 2015. November 24, 2015.
  17. News: Review: Koncept and J57 Release "The Fuel EP". The Source. Orcutt. KC. November 20, 2015. November 24, 2015.
  18. News: Weekly Mixtape Round-Up: J57, Nef The Pharaoh, and Migos. Mass Appeal. January 25, 2016. January 31, 2016.
  19. News: Premiere: J57 ft. DeeJay Element, Tenacity, Sean Boog & Mean Joe Scheme – "Burn The Empires". RESPECT. Solo. Dread. January 14, 2016. January 31, 2016.
  20. Web site: J57 Shares 5 Albums That Inspired His Work On Aaron Rose's "Elixir" EP. hiphopdx.com. July 28, 2017.
  21. Web site: DJ PREMIER FORMALLY INTRODUCES THE JAMO GANG (RAS KASS, EL GANT & J57) [VIDEO] – Premier Wuz Here]. January 23, 2017. premierwuzhere.com. July 28, 2017.
  22. Web site: Jamo Gang enjoys hard drinks and beats on "Straight, No Chase". May 3, 2017. artisticmanifesto.com. July 28, 2017.
  23. Web site:
    1. DXclusive: J57, Katiah & MAK3RS' Matt Stamm Link Up For "Legacy"
    . hiphopdx.com. July 28, 2017.
  24. Web site: Review: Jamo Gang's Intoxicating EP Nearly Drinks Itself Under The Table. HipHopDX. Scott. Dana. February 10, 2018. February 14, 2018.
  25. Web site: Ras Kass Leads Debut Jamo Gang EP. Sanchez. The Lesson w/ DJ. February 18, 2018. The Source. en-US. January 12, 2019.
  26. Web site: The Witzard: J57's Unveils Limited-release Album LP2 Featuring Slipknot's DJ Starscream, The Audible Doctor, Jamo Gang & More (Only Available 12/8-15). Horowitz. Matt. December 13, 2018. The Witzard. January 12, 2019.
  27. Web site: 2019-11-10.
    1. DXCLUSIVE: J57 Premieres 'We Can Be Kings' Album
    . 2021-01-05. HipHopDX.
  28. Web site: Feature.fm. J57 - DRILL BAP. 2021-01-05. smartlink. en.
  29. Web site: 2020-06-18. J57 "ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EP GO TO THE NAACP LDF" EP. 2021-01-05. File Under Hip Hop - SG. en-GB.
  30. Web site: What Money Taught Us . SongLink . 16 January 2023.
  31. Web site: Because The Sky Is Blu(e) . YouTube . 16 January 2023.
  32. Web site: Chavez Sound . Chavez Sound . 16 January 2023.
  33. Web site: Death by Astral Projection - EP . Soulspaszm . 16 January 2023.
  34. Web site: Homi Hilfiger . Soulspaszm . 16 January 2023.
  35. Web site: Anti-Social Media 2 . Soulspaszm . 16 January 2023.
  36. Web site: CHROMESTHESIA EP . Soulspaszm . 16 January 2023.
  37. News: INTERVIEW: KONCEPT AND J57 PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE. Respect Magazine. Kearse. Stephen. December 10, 2010. November 24, 2015.
  38. Web site: Antcs (Jesse Mechanic & J57) – There's No I in Antcs (EP Stream). JES7. March 11, 2016. 2DOPEBOYZ. July 28, 2017.

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