We caught up with the brilliant and insightful J.J. Carr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

J.J., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve wanted to be in the music industry since I was a young 4th or 5th grader. I was a really shy kid that wanted to do just about everything up until that point. I grew up listening to Hip-Hop and R&B very heavy. A lot of local Houston rap stuck out to me, as well as artists like Jay-Z, early Kanye West, Eminem, and Lil Wayne. I believe one day, I saw some kids in my school freestyling and thought it was one of the coolest things. Having so much music around me and seeing kids my age be able to do it showed me that it was possible. I told both of my parents that I wanted to rap and they’ve supported me ever since.

J.J., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a 25-year-old independent rap artist, audio engineer, and music industry professional from Houston, TX. I grew up a listening to Hip-Hop, R&B, and Gospel as a kid, with some of my relatives even being church choir singers and instrumentalists. I started rapping when I was in elementary school. A couple kids from my grade level used to freestyle and write raps during lunch, which led me to wanting to do what they did. I recorded my first song at 13 in a home studio my dad’s friend built. I would continue to write and started learning to record myself in Audacity as a high schooler. In that time, I would start releasing remixes and original songs on SoundCloud. In 2018, I got accepted to attend Howard University in Washington, DC and earned a Bachelor’s in Audio Production at 23. During that time, I learned different audio programs, began releasing music commercially on streaming services, and performed and hosted different open mics and showcases in the DC Metro Area. On October 21st of this year, I released my debut mixtape, “A Moment In Time…” All of the music from that project was recorded in the DMV and Houston during my college years and I actually recorded, mixed, and mastered most of these songs myself in the different dorms and bedrooms I lived in throughout the years. I’m currently promoting the mixtape while working in sync licensing at a very prominent sports network in the Tristate Area.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspects of being an artist, especially a recording artist are the finished product and the energy of a live performance. When you create something that no one else is able to from a sonic perspective, it feels very empowering. Anyone can make a song these days with the tools we have available and anyone can use a beat you’ve used, but chances are they’ll never be able to do it how you do. The act of taking something from just a thought in your mind to a tangible item is so freeing and if you’re creating something from your heart, no one is able to replicate it.

On the other hand, as a former theater kid, performing and having the spotlight on you can be fun, but is also very scary. However, you never truly know the energy a song is capable of creating until you share it with people. It’s no secret that performing and being able to touch people with your art can make or break you in this industry. But when there’s a crowd feeling you, hanging on every word you say and singing your lyrics back to you, there’s no other high that can touch it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

With the talk of Hip-Hop “dying” and the way music is consumed in the social media age, a lot of people don’t often sit and realize how mentally challenging creating in today’s world can be. Creatives in all fields take time out of their days to put passion and love into so many projects. Letting the world hear/see it can be like showing a piece of yourself you’ve never let shine to the masses. And it’s very easy to get overlooked in today’s microwave internet culture. It’s one of the reasons many creatives never give their art a chance and why I was inspired to release my own solo effort. “A Moment In Time…” was a boyhood dream that came to fruition from five years of hard work and life experiences. I knew it would haunt me for the rest of my life if I let all that work I put in go to waste. Putting together a body of work and releasing it into the world can feel like a weight being lifted and the anxiety of showing everyone the real you at the same time. That only happens when you create something real. And being real to yourself and your craft can only make the art you produce even better.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://linktr.ee/JJCarr
• Instagram: @whoisjjcarr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1722LXpBEe/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Twitter: @whoisjjcarr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@whoisjjcarr?si=x_K9cDp0HgNDkjqJ
• SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/2itUrA6cTcwef1mTbf

Image Credits
@jt_shot_that @lensyrebel and @marvie._