We recently connected with James Roan and have shared our conversation below.

James, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first knew I wanted to become a hip hop artist and pursue music when I was 22 years old because I love it so much when I was 11-12 years old. When I lived out in New Jersey, my grandmother loves to play music around the house so I would listen to a little bit of everything she had. People like Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross and others. I use to write a lot of lyrics in high school because hip hop is telling a story and I have been through a lot in my life. I didn’t have a full time father figure in my life and at a time me and my mom weren’t close but we got close later on in life and i love her to death. So i would use music as my outlet from the stuff going on around me, it was my ultimate therapy. So in high school, I would write all the time and be involved in any talent show and/or event that was available for me to show off my rap skills. As I got older, in my twenties, I started to take it more seriously and I found studio outside my city and started to put out mixtapes and put it out on different types of social media platforms. As of today, I live out here in Washington State and I am still pursuing my dream and still loving what I do, I open up for big artist like Twista, Dave East, and others. Working on a big mixtape with a lot of collaborations from artist in the northwest and even exploring the possibilities of being a part of a podcast in the future. So sky is the limit and all I do is chase my dreams.

James, 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?

My rap name is BJG which stands for “BIGGJDAGREAT” and I’ve been doing music for almost 17 years independent. Never signed any deal yet but I am opened to it as long as it is the right deal for me and my family. I am also part of a up and coming collective called ATRIBE4PEACE which is a organization that uses all the resources we have to help out our local communities in Washington State. We are working on projects to help the homeless, help the children and better our community as a whole. I am always adamant on giving back and I feel this group has the right attitude to tackle those agendas because I grew up with nothing and I know what it feels like to have nothing, it’s a horrible feeling. What I want my fans and future fans to know is that I am a hard worker and firm believer that working hard will make your dreams come true, learn to be patient. You can learn more from your losses more than your wins, you will feel humble at the end of the day of what you accomplish later on.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This was interesting; first things first I am a firm believer of everything happens for a reason. So one day I am just walking in the park in Jersey City, New Jersey and all of a sudden it hits me like an epiphany. I felt like my career was getting stagnant; it felt like I was in a rut. Comparing then to now I wouldn’t never gotten to where I need to go if I stayed in New Jersey. I love New Jersey I lived here all my life, all of my best and worst memories were right here in this city but I knew deep inside I wasn’t going to achieve much if I don’t take a risk. So one day, I went to visit my aunt, who at the time lived in Lakewood,WA, for vacation and staying there for a week changed my whole prospective. Then I figured out where I wanted to be, I wanted to be here in Washington State. I felt like it was a fresh start a new beginning. I visited here in I believe it was 2017 and I officially moved here in 2018 and didn’t look back. Didn’t get into music immediately, I had to settle in first and get a job and get a place. But once that was done it was back to chasing the dream. I want to thank my cousin Khris, because without him I wouldn’t be where I am today in my music career and I wouldn’t be able to get this far. He showed and taught me so much living in Washington State and now I am 7 years in living Washington State manuvering very well in my career and in my life. Is it perfect?? No it’s not especially to my standards but I am making the most with what I got. I am happy where I am going and the future is bright.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Be open-minded and respect each other’s art form because at the end of the day we all trying to make it. We all have dreams, goal and ambitions to be the best, it’s in our nature. The support system in Washington State is absolutely amazing and the talents out here are amazing. New Jersey has it’s own way to support others but it’s not my cup of tea. I love the way we do things over here better because we treat each other with respect regardless of what genre you are we support you because what we do is not easy. To me if the music is good, then I’ll let my fans know to follow this person or group. Showing love to each other is beautiful thing and it keeps the scene more active.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bjg253
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bjg201
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bjg253
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bjg253
• Other: TikTok @ Da_Defiant_BJG