Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeffery Toney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeffery, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my soon to be released album, Mighty Good. It’s my passion project and the most honest reflection of who I am, not just as an artist, but as a person who’s been through loss, rebuilding, and perseverance. The project came after years of survival mode—homelessness, incarceration, industry setbacks, violence, and personal struggles that tested my faith and focus. For a long time, I was creating from pressure and pain. Mighty Good marked a shift. I made a conscious decision to create from love, gratitude, and presence instead of desperation. By this point in my journey, I had lived many chapters—early success and collapse, starting over in different cities, evolving into J Toney, becoming a father, and experiencing Grammy-level recognition. All of that gave me clarity. I wasn’t chasing validation anymore; I was creating in alignment. What makes Mighty Good so meaningful is that it represents peace and purpose. It’s proof that after everything I’ve been through, I can still create something uplifting, intentional, and rooted in love.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jeffery “J Toney” Toney, and I’m an artist, songwriter, producer, creative director, and storyteller rooted in Oakland, California. Music isn’t just what I do—it’s my life’s work and my soul purpose. I’ve been creating since I was a kid, starting around age 11 with two tape recorders, making my own tape covers, and teaching myself how to bring ideas to life long before I understood the business side of music. What began as survival and self-expression eventually became a calling: to use music to uplift, heal, and raise the frequency.

I came up in Oakland during a time when opportunity wasn’t guaranteed, and my journey has been anything but linear. I’ve experienced early success, major setbacks, homelessness, incarceration, industry disappointment, personal loss, and reinvention. I was offered a record deal as a teenager, experienced label collapse, lost my home, and had to hustle to survive. I later earned a college scholarship that took me to Chicago, where I studied business management and music business, teaching myself how to produce, engineer, and design so I wouldn’t have to rely on gatekeepers. That DIY mentality still defines me today.

Over the years, I’ve worked across genres—hip-hop, soul, blues, new age, ambient, and affirmation-based music—because I believe emotion and intention matter more than boxes. I’ve released multiple projects, including The Testament and Mighty Good, and I’ve had the honor of being a **Grammy-nominated collaborator for my work on The Colors in My Mind, which was officially nominated at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards. While recognition is meaningful, the impact of the work matters more to me than accolades.

What I offer creatively goes beyond just songs. I provide music, storytelling, production, songwriting, creative direction, affirmation-based content, and brand-aligned art that connects on a human level. Whether I’m working with artists, brands, filmmakers, or wellness-focused projects, my goal is always the same: to create work that feels intentional, soulful, and timeless. I solve the problem of surface-level creation by going deeper—pulling from lived experience, emotion, and purpose—so the final product actually resonates.

What sets me apart is authenticity and resilience. I’ve lived the stories I tell. I understand both the creative and business sides of this industry because I’ve had to. I know how to build from nothing, pivot when plans collapse, and keep creating even when circumstances say quit. I don’t chase trends—I build meaning. I don’t just make content—I create experiences that reflect growth, healing, and evolution.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a nomination, a placement, or a credit—it’s my ability to keep choosing purpose over bitterness, love over ego, and creation over defeat. I’m proud that my work has grown more intentional, more compassionate, and more aligned with who I truly am. I want people to know that my brand is built on truth, consistency, spiritual grounding, and service. If you connect with my work, you’re connecting with something real—something made with care, intention, and heart.

At its core, my mission is simple: to create music and art that helps people feel seen, inspired, and empowered to believe again—in themselves, in love, and in possibility.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the clearest examples of my resilience came during a period when everything in my life seemed to fall apart at once. I was dealing with homelessness, the collapse of a record deal, and later the breakdown of my marriage—all while trying to hold onto my identity as an artist and a father. At my lowest point, I was sleeping on studio floors and questioning whether the dream I’d been chasing since childhood was slipping away for good. Then life tested me even further when I was shot in the leg, caught in a situation that had nothing to do with me. Instead of letting that moment define me, I used it as a wake-up call. I chose survival, purpose, and faith over bitterness.

What kept me going was my belief that music wasn’t just something I did—it was my assignment. Even when resources were gone and doors were closed, I kept creating, learning, and rebuilding from scratch. That resilience eventually led me to new creative breakthroughs, Grammy-nominated collaborations, and purpose-driven projects like Mighty Good, which came from a place of healing rather than pain. My journey taught me that resilience isn’t about avoiding hardship—it’s about refusing to let hardship erase your purpose.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. At the core of my creative journey is a clear mission: to use music as a tool for healing, elevation, and truth.

Everything I create is driven by the desire to raise the frequency—starting with myself and extending outward to whoever listens. I’ve lived through homelessness, setbacks, industry disappointments, and personal loss, and creativity became the way I survived, processed, and transformed those experiences into purpose. My goal isn’t just to entertain, but to inspire belief, remind people of their inner power, and show that resilience can be alchemized into beauty.

Whether I’m making records, performing, or telling my story, I’m guided by the mission of creating work that feels honest, soulful, and timeless—art that meets people where they are and helps them remember who they are meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtoneymusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefferytoney/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jtoneymusic1/videos

Image Credits

CFOX – CHERYL FOX PHOTOGRAPHY

https://www.cherylfoxphotography.com/