J-KWON! “I AM HIP-HOP!”

// July 1st, 2009 // Hott and Raw Exclusives

“hip-hop! better pay! attention! to me!“

HOTT AND RAW EXCLUSIVE!

“ANY PERSON IS THEIR RIGHT MIND KNOW THAT THERE IS NEVER ... a set formula to come up with a HIT!”

J-Kwon – during an exclusive interview with Datzhott.com

We often hear tales of people who strike out on their own at an early age, stars in their eyes and big dreams in tow. While very few people at any age actually achieve that time at the top, St. Louis native J-KWON was a rare success. When he was just 17-years-old, he hit the top of the charts in 2004 with “Tipsy” from his debut album Hood Hop (So So Def/Arista). Now 22, J-Kwon is back with an independent stride and even bigger goals. He digitally released his street album Hood Hop 2 on February 17, and will release his album Hood Hop 2.5 this Summer, both in association with Gracie Productions and EMI. His new single “Fly” is currently available on iTunes.

In this HOTT AND RAW EXCLUSIVE, DATZHOTT! talks with J-Kwon about the dropping of his new album, his relationship with Jermaine Dupri, and his thoughts about the current state of hip-hop. After listening to the above interview be sure to check below for some of J-Kwon’s latest music.

Fans wanting to stay in contact can do so by visiting any of these links:

http://www.myspace.com/jkwon (MySpace)

http://www.twitter.com/Jkwon_HoodHop (Twitter)

WHAT‘s HOTT !!! ABOUT J-KWON !?!

The undying need to succeed!

Unusually driven as a child, J-Kwon left home when he was only 13-years-old to pursue music. Family and friends didn’t believe in his vision, but fortunately there were people who did, namely Sean Caldwell. The budding music exec gave J-Kwon a place to stay as they began to build up the young rapper’s music catalog. Within two years, local production celebrities the Trackboyz heard J-Kwon’s song “Personality,” and the world opened up.

At the time, Trackboyz were already making hits for Nelly and Nappy Roots, and in their attempt to build up their production company, they signed J-Kwon for a $1,000 advance. From there, things moved quickly, as the Trackboyz introduced J-Kwon to the now-defunct Arista Records A&R MeMpHiTz (now at Jive). MeMph then arranged a showcase for Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Jermaine Dupri and their team of A&R executives.

After a rousing audition for the Arista team, Jermaine Dupri gave J-Kwon the opportunity to pour the last four years of his struggle into song for the world to hear, and at just 17-years-old, J-Kwon created Hood Hop. This 2004 debut release on So So Def/Arista featured production by the Track Boyz, Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and hit #7 on the Billboard 200, while the lead single “Tipsy” hit #2 on the Hot 100 chart and #4 in the U.K. He followed promptly with the singles “You & Me” and “Hood Hop,” however neither had quite the reception with fans as “Tipsy,” which is still a mainstay club and radio track around the world to this day.

While J-Kwon went on to record the song “Get XXX’d” with Petey Pablo and Ebony Eyez for the XXX: State of the Union soundtrack, an EP remix of “Tipsy” with Chingy and Murphy Lee and appeared on Bow Wow’s popular “Fresh Asimiz” single in 2005, things behind the scenes were falling apart. Arista Records folded, and even through a series of negotiations, the Trackboyz and J-Kwon were left out in the cold.

Never one to allow setbacks to fade him, J-Kwon began to create new opportunities. Still on good terms with the great majority of his associates, including Jermaine Dupri and Trackboyz, the 22-year-old has already set out on his venture as an independent artist. He is working with a new manager, Keith Matthews of Skot Fre Music, and has now teamed with Gracie Productions and EMI to digitally release his new projects.

Working without limitations, J-Kwon has been developing his production skills as well.

True to his entrepreneurial spirit, J-Kwon also launched Hood Hop Music, and has his own roster of fresh talent including Gino Green, Lou Kane and the group The Showoffs, which J-Kwon is actually a part of.

J-Kwon’s journey thus far has been an amazing ride, and he’s really just getting started. In retrospect, he may have liked some things to go differently in his life, but he knows in the end that he’s a better man for his experiences.