What began with the youthful imaginings of crayon-conjured creatures and action figure theatrics turned into the expressive manifestations of abstract performance art, a deep romance with words, and as is most relevant here, music.

(But also, still plenty of action figure theatrics in his sanctuary of toys.)

Despite wielding various creative forces in childhood, the seeds didn’t really begin sprouting until around the age of 14—when writing and rapping entered the fray and JJNAY was born.

Aside from a brief fascination with Europop group Eiffel 65 in second grade, music had never been something JJ actively sought out. But that all changed in his freshman year of high school when stumbling across “Hate In Ya Eyes” by Chamillionaire on the Madden ’06 Soundtrack. From that moment on, the world of hip hop opened wide and JJ began penning rhymes of his own.

Driven by a clean, metaphor-laden lyrical style, the young artist recorded raps using a beat-up headset mic and Audacity (a free audio application) on a barely-functioning PC in the corner of his room. He mimicked his favorite artists of the time like Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Soulja Boy before carving out a voice of his own.

JJ burned and sold three self-released projects from 2009-2011, pushing CDs to classmates, coworkers, and family. His grind paid off when he became a finalist in an open verse contest held by platinum-selling rapper Mims (of “This Is Why I’m Hot” fame), landing his first iTunes feature as well as being interviewed and performing on local-access TV.

Simultaneously, JJ’s talent with putting together words began to expand beyond music—earning him praise for poetry slams and film analyses.

Upon graduating in 2011, the aspiring artist knew college wasn’t on the docket. He’d already secured a comfy source of income at his childhood martial arts studio; he wasn’t into drinking, smoking, or partying; and the unshakable inner calling of his creative ambitions wouldn’t allow him to pursue anything other than artistry.

JJ then enrolled in the Audio Engineering Program at Omega Studios, studying music production in the same rooms where Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Radiohead, Ludacris, and dozens of other renowned artists have recorded. Although the program leaned more toward aspiring engineers and live-sound technicians, it nonetheless gave him the foundation of skills and gear to build his own setup and take his music endeavors to the next level.

It was also during this time when he became completely obsessed with all things hip hop. He followed countless blogs, watched countless interviews, and listened to countless albums. From Waka Flocka Flame to Immortal Technique, JJ studied it all.

Armed with upgraded equipment and newfound knowledge, JJ released his fourth project TRANS4M in 2013—a true representation of the growth he endured. The album featured his first two self-produced beats, four self-directed videos, and his iconic signature green hoodie.

Though originally born from nothing but a color preference, the green themes throughout JJ’s subsequent works came to lend breath in explaining his creative methodology:

“The human eye sees more shades of green than any other color. That kind of wide-ranging variation reflects the eclecticism of my creative visions.”

TRANS4M marked the beginning of a broader journey as JJ began to explore philosophy, the arts, and deeper layers of introspection. Just as he had to find his voice as a rapper, he was now developing his voice as a thinker. This new era of self-discovery bore philosophical writings in the company of challenging established thought and opening up his mind to all things of and beyond this world.

While he didn’t release any music in the few years that followed, JJ further developed his beat-making skills and eventually produced an EP for his cousin in 2015—a project that also included some now long lost verses and led to his first club performance.

By 2016, work frustrations and existential unease triggered a personal renaissance. Out of it came six singles the following year. The first of them, “Reawakening”, symbolized this rebirth. Themes of expression, realization, and enlightenment carried over through the rest of the new tracks, including “Ultraflow”, “Hang Time”, “Keep It Movin”, “Energy Inside”, and the Bruce Lee inspired “Formless Like Water”—each track self-produced and accompanied by self-made visuals (with such autonomy becoming JJ’s new norm).

He also released two conceptual performance art pieces: “BEGIN PATH” and “TIME CAPSULE”. The former showcases his naked “god form” standing on a vacant grassy hill. The latter unearths an interrogation tape revealing some of the things he accomplished in an alternate life, including designing his own toy line and being a spokesperson for severing the chains of religious doctrine—footage which also depicts another one of JJ’s recurring imageries, the emblematic blindfold:

“It symbolizes a greater state of mind, a focus on looking inward rather than outward. The eyes can be easily deceived. It’s about smelling the breath of the wolf hiding under the sheep’s clothing. It’s about feeling the energy of everything around you. Connected, but not attached. Without ego. Without fear. Mindfulness. Balance. Elevation. And yea, it looks pretty cool.”

2018 brought a few more performances along with a nationwide college radio campaign, but culminated with another revelation: the traditional music career path was never one JJ truly desired. The club scene, endless networking, and self-promotion never seemed to align with his core values or personality traits.

And so, his artistic output assumed an autotelic state forever thereafter. He would create purely for the joy of creation, content with the beautiful finitude of his existence.

The evolution of both sound and spirit rolled onward as JJ’s musical palette broadened tremendously in listening to everything from heavy metal and bubblegum pop to 70’s disco and classical orchestral. Genre no longer mattered. Good music is good music.

“It’s interesting because I don’t really have any memories of my parents listening to music when I was growing up. And besides playing the trumpet for a year or two in middle school, I never had a musical bone in my body. I think I first started rapping simply because it seemed like a cool thing to do at the time, and I was introduced to it during the impressionable years of teenhood. And then I guess it was easy for me to stick with rapping long term largely because of my passion for writing, since obviously rap is the most word-heavy genre. But now, it’s hard to imagine living without music in my life. At least being able to listen to it. Making playlists is literally one of my favorite things to do.”

The pandemic that shook the world then cost JJ his lifelong job in 2020, resulting in both the greatest freedom and deepest emotional void he’d ever experienced. But from that chaos came self-reinvention. To emerge from the ashes of this dastardly low point, the man embraced change. From cold showers to winter-morning runs. From his first night of intoxication at 28 years old to honing his new chess skills. From cutting off 30 inches of hair to journaling a 751 page document titled Definition of Self, his greatest work to date. It was a process that brought clarity, strength, and even the woman he’d choose to spend the rest of his life with.

Fall 2022 saw JJ collaborating with his cousin again for a joint EP,  but fate had other plans with another hiatus from the blindfolded green hoodie guy.

And that’s how it’s always been with JJNAY. Periods of intense passion for creating music followed by months to years of total abandonment. It’s a cycle regulated by his profound contentment with life, occasional less-healthy habits of procrastination and perfectionism with his craft, and a never-ending pull towards other creative directions—whether personal ones like short stories and photo collages or public ones like Thinker Portal.

The waves crested again in 2025 with the release of “this is what i am”, a rebellious punk-rap manifesto sitting in the vault for nearly eight years. Oozing with self-expression, the track’s music video centers around footage of JJ on the eve before he chopped off his precious locks in 2020—a fitting return indeed.

An even older work was unearthed shortly after with “NiNJA NiGHT”, a 2016 underground anthem finally given official distribution. The song’s mishmash video compiles an array of nostalgic clips familiar only to certain eyes, a love letter to the martial arts studio that had been part of JJ’s life for over two decades.

But the reemergence didn’t end there.

A week later, JJ’s two collaborative singles with his cousin, “What You Need” and “No Doubt”, were re-released under the banner of the scrapped Realignment EP—a prelude to the grand debut of its spiritual successor one month after: Shed No Tears.

Forged from the remnants of severed ties, the five-track solo EP finds JJ conducting both a post-mortem and a dramatic revival in the same breath. “Take a Look”, “Opposition”, “Really Can’t Deny”, “Man for the Job”, and the hauntingly-specific “Ghosted” reveal a life-long artist doing what such creatures do best: harnessing inspiration from wherever the universe pulls them.

Whether as a hobby for himself and his few listeners or making a living and reaching the heights of his greatest hip hop influences, JJ’s at peace creating how he always has.

To be continued…