J.I the Prince of N.Y

Last updated

J.I the Prince of NY
J.I in 2020.png
J.I in 2020
Background information
Birth nameJustin Irvin Rivera
Also known asJ.I.
Born (2001-09-23) September 23, 2001 (age 22) [1]
Origin Brooklyn, New York City
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016–present
Labels
Website iamjionline.com

Justin Irvin Rivera (born September 23, 2001), better known by his stage name J.I the Prince of N.Y or more recently simply J.I., is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his 2019 breakout single "Need Me", which has over 100 million streams on Spotify [ citation needed ]

Contents

Rivera has one child, a daughter - Valentina Rivera (born April 5, 2024)

Early life

Rivera grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and is of Puerto Rican descent. [2] [3] At a young age he was introduced by his parents to music like old-school hip hop and reggaeton, and would make rudimentary beats on a miniature keyboard. [4] In school, English was his favorite subject and he would write short stories. [5] He began writing raps and freestyling with his brothers in middle school, influenced by New York City rappers like Biggie, Nas, DMX, Jay-Z and Big Pun. [3] [6]

Career

I got to a point where everything went left, and I had a decision to make: Am I gonna just give up and do nothing for myself? I had already started my career; at the time, I developed a name for myself. Let me try to go hard. I can’t lose anything if I try one more time. So, I tried again.

— J.I. explaining his decision to return to music in 2019 after a period of inactivity. [4]

In 2016 he appeared on the second season of The Rap Game , a reality show competition hosted by Jermaine Dupri on Lifetime. [6] The then fifteen-year-old secured his place on the show after Dupri found his freestyles on Instagram. [3] [7] In one of the challenges, Rivera placed in first, earning a spot on the cover of Hip Hop Weekly magazine. [8] [9] Although he did not win the overall competition, his impressive performance gained him a substantial following, and he released his debut single "No Static" soon thereafter. [7] [10] By the end of the year he had received more than 500,000 views on his YouTube channel. [11]

He released his first project in 2017, a three-track extended play called Barely Famous. [12] After his clout from the show died down, he went through a period where he admits he lost his motivation and stopped focusing on his music. [4] He blew all of his money from The Rap Game on marijuana and was considering a job in construction. [13] After getting kicked out of his mom's house he made the decision to give music one last try and connected with his future manager Gabi Acevedo to restart his career. [13] [14]

In October 2019 he released his mixtape Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 1, which included his breakout single "Need Me", a "melodic, punch-line laden" track sampling the 2000 song "Best of Me, Part 2" by Mýa featuring Jay-Z. [2] [4] In November, with the song at over 3 million streams on Spotify, it was announced he had signed a deal with Interscope Records via G*Starr Entertainment. [15] [16] He also put out his fifth and final music video for the album, this time for "Love Won't Change". [15] As of 2022, "Need Me" remains his most-viewed with over 115 million YouTube views.

He released Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 2 that December and embarked on his first headlining national tour the following month. [7] Holding the final shows in his hometown of New York, he became the first artist in history to sell out the legendary SOB's venue on three consecutive nights. [11] [17] Notably, in April, Drake paid him homage by playing and singing along to his songs "Used To" and "On Me" during an Instagram Live session with OVO Mark. [2] [18] A week later he released a new single, "Proud of Me", along with an accompanying music video. [12] [18] After appearing on Lil Tjay's State of Emergency EP, he further collaborated with him in June on the single "Hood Scars 2", which served as a followup to J.I.'s original song which had by then amassed 15 million streams across all platforms. [19] [20]

In July 2020 he came out with the single "Spanglish" with Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers, with both artists mixing English and Spanish in their verses. [21] It served as the lead single to his next EP, Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1, which he released on July 17 and also featured Lil Durk. [22] In the first 20 minutes, it garnered 1.3 million streams on Spotify. [22] A few days prior, Spotify announced a partnership with J.I. as a part of its recently launched RADAR program meant to promote "world-class talent through [their] global marketing and editorial teams" with placement in their official playlists, a mini-documentary, third-party partnerships, a Spotify Singles recording and support on the EP release. [5]

On November 30, 2020, his single "Need Me" was certified gold by the RIAA, his first career plaque. [23]

On December 18, 2020, J.I released Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 3, the third installment in his Hood Life Krisis series. The EP includes a sole guest appearance from A Boogie wit da Hoodie on the track "R&B Shit". [24]

Artistry

He has been described as having a "penchant for syrupy melodies." [2] His melodic rap-sung style and distinctive New York accent have resulted in comparisons to A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Lil Tjay. [2] [6] [25]

Discography

Mixtapes

TitleAlbum details
Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 1
Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 2
  • Released: December 13, 2019
  • Label: G*Starr Ent., Interscope, Geffen
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Young & Restless. Vol. 1 Baby Don [26]
  • Released: June 24, 2022
  • Label: G*Starr Ent., Interscope, Geffen
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
One Way or Another [27]
  • Released: February 10, 2023
  • Label: G*Starr Ent., Interscope, Geffen
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

TitleEP detailsPeak chart positions
US
[28]
Barely Famous
  • Released: April 25, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download
Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1
  • Released: July 17, 2020
  • Label: G*Starr Ent., Interscope, Geffen
  • Format: Digital download
Hood Life Krisis, Vol. 3
  • Released: December 18, 2020
  • Label: G*Starr Ent., Interscope, Geffen
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
191

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
TitleYearOther artist(s)Album
"My City" [29] 2020 Lil Tjay State of Emergency
"Love Is..." [30] 2021 Queen Naija missunderstood...still

Related Research Articles

Teyon Isiah Winfree, better known by his stage name Vado, is an American rapper from New York. He formed the hip hop duo U.N. with hometown native Cam'ron in 2009, with whom he has released two collaborative albums—Heat in Here Vol. 1 (2010) and Gunz n' Butta (2011)—and the Boss of All Bosses mixtape series. As a solo act, Vado signed with DJ Khaled's We the Best Music Group, an imprint of Cash Money and Republic Records in 2013 to release his debut commercial single, "My Bae" the following year. Despite failing to chart, Vado made notable guest appearances on Khaled's studio albums We the Best Forever (2011), Suffering from Success (2013), and I Changed a Lot (2015); he continued releasing mixtapes for the regional New York audience until departing We the Best by 2020.

Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter from Fontana, California. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his label Zone 4, and later signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2011 to serve a similar role. He first gained major recognition for his work on Lil Wayne's 2011 single "Drop the World", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 18. The following year, he produced West and Jay-Z's 2011 single "Niggas in Paris", which peaked at number five on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bas (rapper)</span> American rapper from New York

Abbas Hamad, known professionally as Bas, is a French-born American rapper. He signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Last Winter (2014). It was met with positive critical reception and entered the Billboard 200, along with his second and third albums, Too High to Riot (2016) and Milky Way (2018). His fourth album, We Only Talk About Real Shit When We're Fucked Up (2023) was met with continued praise despite failing to chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich the Kid</span> American rapper (born 1992)

Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper from College Park, Georgia. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). The album, supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 on the chart, respectively. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, and has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6lack</span> American singer, rapper, and songwriter

Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr., known professionally as 6lack, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he gained recognition following the release of his 2016 single "Prblms", which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Free 6lack (2016), which was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Critch</span> American rapper from New York

Jason Cole Critchlow, known professionally as Jay Critch, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York City. He signed with Rich the Kid's record label, Rich Forever Music in November 2016, and first gained recognition following his numerous collaborations with the rapper. In a joint venture with Interscope Records, he released his debut solo mixtape Hood Favorite (2018), which entered the Billboard 200 along with his compilation albums with the former label—Rich Forever 3 (2017) and Rich Forever 4 (2019).

Isaiah Rivera, known professionally as Wifisfuneral, is an American rapper from West Palm Beach, Florida. Best known for his association with fellow South Florida rapper XXXTentacion, he was chosen as part of XXL magazine's Annual Freshman Class in 2018. That same year, he signed with Interscope Records, although he released no major projects under the label. In early 2020, Wifisfuneral announced his retirement; however, this proved to be short-lived as he released his debut studio album, Pain? in August of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lil Tjay</span> American Rapper/Singer (born 2001)

Tione Jayden Merritt, known professionally as Lil Tjay, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence in 2017 with the song "Resume", and then the release of his breakthrough song "Brothers" which led to a record deal with Columbia Records, also in 2017. His debut studio album, True 2 Myself, was released in 2019 and debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, marking the album his first charting project. The following year, he released the mixtape State of Emergency, that featured only drill artists from New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brothers (Lil Tjay song)</span> Single by Lil Tjay

"Brothers" is a song by American rapper Lil Tjay, released on July 9, 2018. It amassed millions of streams on SoundCloud, becoming his breakout hit and leading to him signing with Columbia Records. The song appears on his debut studio album True 2 Myself (2019), which also features the official remix of the song featuring American rapper Lil Durk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polo G</span> American rapper

Taurus Tremani Bartlett, known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles "Finer Things" and "Pop Out". His debut album Die a Legend (2019) peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lil Tjay discography</span>

American rapper Lil Tjay has released three studio albums, three extended plays and 54 singles.

"F.N" is a song by American rapper Lil Tjay, from his second EP of the same name and his debut studio album True 2 Myself (2019). The song was written by Lil Tjay, Artem Romanov, and its producer Vznare. It peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, being Lil Tjay's highest charting song as a solo artist until 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20/20 (song)</span> 2020 single by Lil Tjay

"20/20" is a single by American rapper Lil Tjay, released on January 1, 2020 by Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War (Pop Smoke song)</span> Single by Pop Smoke featuring Lil Tjay

"War" is a song by American rapper Pop Smoke, featuring rapper Lil Tjay. The song was written by Pop Smoke, alongside Lil Tjay, alongside production from 808Melo and Swirv. It was released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records as a standalone single on October 4, 2019. The song was later included as a bonus track on Pop Smoke's second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2 (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42 Dugg</span> American rapper (born 1994)

Dion Marquise Hayes, known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper and singer from Detroit, Michigan. He signed to Yo Gotti and Lil Baby's respective labels, Collective Music Group (CMG) and Glass Window Entertainment through a joint venture with Interscope Records in 2019. He is best known for his collaborations with the latter, with whom he has released the hit songs "We Paid" and "Grace"; the former peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second mixtape, Young & Turnt 2 (2020) was met with critical acclaim and marked his debut on the Billboard 200. His 2021 singles, "4 Da Gang" and "Maybach" both received gold certifications and preceded his fourth mixtape Free Dem Boyz (2021), which peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.

<i>State of Emergency</i> (Lil Tjay EP) 2020 EP by Lil Tjay

State of Emergency is the third extended play by American rapper Lil Tjay. It was released on May 8, 2020 by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances from Fivio Foreign, Pop Smoke, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, J.I the Prince of N.Y, and Jay Gwuapo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mood Swings (Pop Smoke song)</span> 2020 song by Pop Smoke featuring Lil Tjay

"Mood Swings" is a song by American rapper Pop Smoke featuring fellow American rapper Lil Tjay, from the former's posthumous debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (2020). The song was written by the artists alongside producers Beat Menace and Dizzy Banko with additional production from Kiwi. The song was released as the third single from the album on August 21, 2020, by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records. A remix that features Summer Walker was released as a single and an extended play (EP) was released for the song.

American drill rapper and songwriter Pop Smoke has released two studio albums, two mixtapes, three extended plays, nineteen music videos, twenty-eight singles, and three promotional singles. Pop Smoke began his music career in 2018 when visiting a Brooklyn recording studio with fellow rapper Jay Gwuapo. After Gwuapo got inebriated on drugs and fell asleep, Pop Smoke went into a booth to try rapping for the first time. He used a beat he got from English producer 808Melo and used American rapper Sheff G's song "Panic Part 3". He recorded his debut single titled "MPR ". Pop Smoke rose to fame with the release of his breakout single "Welcome to the Party" in April 2019. Two remixes of the song were later recorded, with one featuring Nicki Minaj and the other featuring Skepta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheff G</span> American rapper (born 1998)

Michael Kyle Williams, known professionally as Sheff G, is an American rapper from Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. He rose to fame with his single "No Suburban" in 2017 which was a response to the song "Suburban" by 22Gz. Williams is widely known as one of the vanguards of the Brooklyn drill movement. On May 16, 2023, Williams was indicted with 31 other purported gang members responsible for several shooting incidents and at least one murder over a two-year span.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jackie</span> 2021 single by Bas and J. Cole featuring Lil Tjay

"The Jackie" is a song by American rappers Bas and J. Cole featuring fellow American rapper Lil Tjay. It was released on July 9, 2021, with an accompanying music video, and was produced by T-Minus.

References

  1. ↑ "About J.I. Prince of NY". bookingagentinfo.com. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Lamarre, Carl (April 15, 2020). "Meet J.I., the Melodic Romantic Who Believes in Real Love". Billboard . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Chandler, Kisha (November 29, 2016). "JI The Prince of New York – Claiming The Throne of the Streets of New York". The Next Level Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Chesman, Donna-Claire (April 10, 2020). "Brooklyn's J.I. Hopes You're Proud of Him". DJBooth. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Spotify's RADAR Program Launches Second US Artist, J.I The Prince of N.Y Alongside New Content". Spotify . July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Seabrook III, Robby (January 29, 2020). "The Break Presents: J.I. the Prince of NY". XXL . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Speed, Kellie (January 31, 2020). "Rapper J.I. The Prince Of NY On Becoming A Social Media Sensation". Haute Living . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ John, Jason (August 6, 2016). "Hip Hop Weekly Prince Of New York Rapper, The Rap Game". Empire BBK. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ Paye, Johnetta (September 20, 2016). "Contracts for kids: The legal side of reality music TV contracts". JPaye in Brief. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  10. ↑ "The B-Side – J.I. the Prince of NY (Geffen/Interscope)". HITS Daily Double. April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Rashed, Ayana (July 15, 2020). "18-Year-Old Rapper, J.I. the Prince of NY Announces Partnership With Spotify For Its Radar Emerging Artists Program; New EP Out This Friday". Respect . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Sharpe, Lynn (April 26, 2020). "J.I. The Prince Of N.Y. Delivers New Track, "Proud Of Me"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "J.I. – Blowing Money On Weed After "The Rap Game" & First Expense After Interscope Deal (247HH EXCL)". YouTube. June 17, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  14. ↑ Kolbrener, Charlie (January 20, 2020). "J.I Prince of N.Y Might Soon Be the King of Hip-Hop". ONE37pm. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Saponara, Michael (November 25, 2019). "J.I. the Prince of NY Signs With GStarr Ent/Interscope Records, Drops 'Love Won't Change' Video: Watch". Billboard . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  16. ↑ Rich, Jay (November 22, 2019). "J.I. The Prince Of NY Has Signed Major Label Deal With Interscope Records". Hip-HopVibe.com. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  17. ↑ Baig, Nishat (February 24, 2020). "J.I. Talks Selling Out SOBS, Family Reunion And Upcoming Project". The Knockturnal. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Singh, Navjosh (April 10, 2020). "FOLLOWING DRAKE CO-SIGN, BROOKLYN RAPPER J.I. SHARES NEW SINGLE 'PROUD OF ME': WATCH". HipHop-N-More. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  19. ↑ Rashed, Ayana (June 20, 2020). "J.I. & Lil Tjay Team Up For The Highly Anticipated "Hood Scars 2" Visual Out Now". Respect . Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ Cole, Alexander (June 20, 2020). "J.I. The Prince Of N.Y & Lil Tjay Display Raw Emotion On "Hood Scars 2"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ Rashed, Ayana (July 7, 2020). "J.I. Prince of NY Taps Into His Latin Roots with His New Single/ Visual For "Spanglish" Featuring Myke Towers". Respect . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Price, Joe (July 17, 2020). "J.I the Prince of N.Y Drops 'Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1' EP". Complex . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Gold & Platinum: J.I the Prince of N.Y". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  24. ↑ Rose, Jordan (December 18, 2020). "J.I. Drops New Project 'Hood Life Krisis Vol. 3' f/ A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie". Complex . Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  25. ↑ "J.I The Prince Of N.Y Is Ready To Pop: From Drake & Roddy Ricch Co-Signs To "Welcome To GStarr Vol. 1"". HotNewHipHop. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  26. ↑ "J.I. the Prince of NY - Young & Restless, Vol. 1 Baby Don". Apple Music . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  27. ↑ "J.I. the Prince of NY - One Way or Another". Apple Music . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  28. ↑ @billboardcharts (December 28, 2020). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200" (Tweet). Retrieved December 29, 2020– via Twitter.
  29. ↑ "State of Emergency". Apple Music . May 8, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  30. ↑ "misunderstood...still". Apple Music . October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.