It’s rare that you can bring up an artist who doesn’t include cursing in his raps or the cliché go-to-topics of money, drugs and girls that seem mandatory in today’s hip hop music, but newcomer J Midd plans to flip the script when it comes to whats hot in popular music.
The Atlanta born and raised rapper has been steadily making a name for himself in the music industry, not only for his multi-talented skill set , but also for the positive vibe he’s creating for himself and those around him.
Armed with a dream and a supportive team, he is quickly moving up the ladder, and it’s only a matter of time before he makes a splash on the national scene.
You’re signed to R&B singer TQ’s label, but how did that connection come about for you?
We have a little situation with Kado Records which TQ is involved with. Long story short, Ms. Laura saw one of my shows while I was doing some touring with the Ying Yang twins last year, and I ended up doing a song with them, and she came out to one of the shows in Destin and saw me performed and she liked it so we kept in contact. We kept in touch over the year and this “Up, Up and Away” song came about. I was in the studio with one of her artists then with Universal and they asked me to sing the hook for them and I said superman in the hook and they’re real close with Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and he loved it, so it ended up being his theme song and we ended up working out a little agreement where I have a partnership with them and TQ jumped on board and he’s like my big bro now, so we’re just making moves.
Why did you want to sign with TQ as opposed to doing something else?
That could go into like twelve different conversations, but basically in the overall scheme of things I just refuse to go major right now because I don’t like how they’re taking independent artists into these 360 deals and I think you’re limited and compromised and I have a message that I’m trying to portray as far as these project which is the redefinition of party. My goal is to prove to our generation that you can party without a drink in your hand. You’ll never hear a curse word in my music and it’s just a positive route that I’m going and if I were to go major I feel I would definitely have to compromise and I didn’t want to do it. So, when the situation with Kado and TQ came about it was an independent label and I liked the vision that they had. It all started with “Up, Up and Away” and we worked out our partnership, so now we’re working on the project and setting up the campaign that’s dropping at the end of the summer. I like the direction that they were going in and it complimented what we had going, so we just teamed up.
What was it like getting a big cosign from someone as big as Dwight Howard?
I grew up playing against Dwight Howard in high school so I know what kind of guy Dwight is and he definitely has his head on straight as far as his priorities and looking out for others as far as his foundation that he does. Half of the proceeds of the song go to his foundation, so that was real cool just to be involved and be a part of something that has such a positive influence on the community, so that’s definitely what got it going. It kind of hurt when they got knocked out in the first round because we definitely wanted the song to continue throughout the playoffs, but we’re trying to wait and see if he goes back t Orlando and if he does then we’re really going to go in with the song. So, right now we’re just pushing it now and getting it in as much as we can.
How important has it been for you to have a positive message in your music?
I think it’s crucial because that’s why I’m doing everything like I am. My father was in the Christian music industry and was in a group called New Song which got inducted into the hall of fame, so I grew up on the tour buses and watching them pack out arenas and just watching how the Christian music scene got going. That’s where I got my start by playing the guitar for the church growing up and that’s how I got going, so it’s definitely my foundation. I just feel like hip hop is a part of me and it’s who I am, but I hate the message of it because it’s not teaching our youth good things. It’s all about pop this bottle, say this cuss word and take this girl home, and that’s cool I don’t bash people who do that stuff because that’s their own opinions, but I got my own marketing scheme and it reaches the parent because the parents buy stuff for their kids if its positive. So that’s the whole marketing scheme about outing my positive message against the rap scene and it’s definitely overdue. I think we got the team and the catalogue to make some heavy moves to the point where we don’t need a major.
Why not do the traditional hip hop thing instead of taking the Christian music route?
I get asked that a lot, but I feel Christian music doesn’t reach the crowds I’m trying to reach. I’m a ball player, so I grew up in the projects having to go to practice and that’s my roots and my crowd and a lot my fan base. The partiers, the clubbers, the gang members, and it’s sad, but true that Christian music doesn’t interest them. I feel Christian music is for the church and youth groups, which is great and definitely needed, but it’s not on par with what’s needed to reach this crowd. I’m just proving I can rock a crowd and shut a stage down without saying a cuss word or having a bottle in my hand, and that’s just the message I’m portraying. I have a different lane that I’m trying to fill.
How has it been breaking into the industry and trying to keep your standards instead of following the norm?
They have been very accepting. It’s crazy how people call me a Christian rapper just because I don’t talk about drinking or smoking a blunt, and they think that’s a Christian artist in its self. It’s going a long way and people are respecting it. Of course you run into people have their own opinions and that’s fine, but overall it’s a really good response. Kids really love the music and parents appreciate it because their kids can listen to a rap song and not have to worry about what its saying and what they’re kids are listening to. That’s what it’s about because rap today is of the party scene and club scene as it is, but I’m targeting the generation to come and that’s why I’m keeping it positive. I’m slowly building a team that believes in the movement and what we’re doing, so we’re going to take over. Another thing that’s cool is I’ve done songs with Raheem the Dream, DJ Unk and the Ying Yang Twins. I’ve had people that I really wanted to work with and are established, but they couldn’t keep it clean and they felt t they had to curse, so I had to say thanks, but no thanks. But, people like Unk and Ying Yang respected it enough that they kept it clean for me, so we’re just building it up to the point where hopefully other artists will follow and we can start putting a positive message out in the streets.
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