J. Rawls

American rapper

J. Rawls

Birth name| Jason Daniel Rawls[1]
Born|  (1974-02-27) February 27, 1974 (age 51)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Genres| Hip hop
Occupations|

* Record producer
* DJ
* Rapper
* Educator

Years active| 1998–present
Labels| Polar Entertainment
Website| www.polarentllc.com

Musical artist

Jason Daniel Rawls (born February 27, 1974[2]), known professionally as J. Rawls, is an American hip hop musician, producer, DJ, educator, and speaker based inColumbus, Ohio.[3] He emerged in the late 1990s underground hip hop scene, contributing to projects such as Black Star's's debut album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Stars.[4][5]

Rawls has collaborated with various artists, including Grand Agent.[6] Rawls runs a Columbus-based production company and record label, and performs as a DJ.[7]

## Music career

[edit]

Throughout his career, Rawls has developed a diverse body of work. His solo albums include The Essence of J. Rawls (2001), The Hip-Hop Affect (2011), and The Legacy (2014).[8] He is a member of the duo 3582 with Fat Jon of Five Deez,[9] and has collaborated on projects such as Respect Game or Expect Flames (2012)[10] with Casual of Hieroglyphics and Youth Culture Power (2019) with John Robinson, a jazz-infused album addressing challenges in educating inner-city youth.[11]

## Academic career

[edit]

In addition to his musical career, Rawls has established an academic profile. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Cincinnati, a master's degree in education from Ashland University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Ohio University.[12] He has served as an adjunct instructor and visiting artist, teaching courses in hip hop and music business, and has co-authored Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Engagement.[13] Rawls also directs the Hip-Hop OHIO Patton Education Program at Ohio University's Patton College of Education.[14][15]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

* The Essence of J. Rawls (2001)
* The Living Soul (2001) (with Fat Jon, as 3582)
* Situational Ethics (2003) (with Fat Jon, as 3582)
* Histories Greatest Battles, Campaigns & Topics (2003)
* The Essence of Soul (2005)
* The Liquid Crystal Project (2006)
* It's the Dank & Jammy Show (2007) (with Declaime)
* True Ohio Playas (2007) (with Count Bass D)
* J. Rawls Presents Holmskillit (2007) (with Holmskillit)
* The Liquid Crystal Project 2 (2008)
* Rawls & Middle (2008) (with Middle Child)
* The 1960s Jazz Revolution Again (2009) (with John Robinson, as Jay Are)
* The Hip-Hop Affect (2011)
* The Liquid Crystal Project 3 (2012)
* Respect Game or Expect Flames (2012) (with Casual)
* The Legacy (2014)
* #jazzhop (2022)
* The Confidence of Knowing (2024) (with Talib Kweli)

### EPs

[edit]

* Rawlzey (2015) (with Coolzey)
* The Profit (2019) (with Nova)
* Valor (2020) (with Eloh Kush)[16]

### Productions

[edit]

* Mos Def & Talib Kweli \- "Brown Skin Lady" and "Yo Yeah" from Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998)
* Doseone \- "Spitfire", "Self Explanatory", "That Ol' Pagan Shit", and "Genres" from Hemispheres (1998)
* Themselves \- "Directions to My Special Place" from Them (2000)
* Rasco \- "Living Voices" from Hostile Environment (2001)
* El Da Sensei \- "Lights, Camera, Action!" from The Unusual (2006)
* Capital Steez \- "Infinity and Beyond" from AmeriKKKan Korruption (2012)
* MHz Legacy \- "Columbus Diss Patch" from MHz Legacy (2012)
* Cas Metah & Wonder Brown - "Drowning Man" from The Darke Bros (2012)

## References

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1. ^ "ARE YOU LISTENING?". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
2. ^ Danny (October 4, 2011). "Video: J. Rawls – Find A New (ft. Casual of Hieroglyphics)". The Find Magazine.
3. ^ Downing, Andy (June 5, 2014). "Beats by J: As local hip-hop icon J Rawls prepares to step back from the scene, the next generation steps up". Columbus Alive.
4. ^ "'Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star' Turns 25: A Look Back". BET. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
5. ^ Rutledge, Bryant (June 5, 2008). "J.Rawls & Middle Child "Thankful"". XLR8R.
6. ^ Grand Agent
7. ^ "The New Era Of Music Licensing Has Arrived". License Lounge. 2018.
8. ^ Conaway, Matt. "The Essence of J. Rawls - J. Rawls". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
9. ^ Cowie, Del F. (May 2003). "J Rawls - History's Greatest Battles, Campaigns & Topics". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
10. ^ Bozzer, Mark (August 28, 2012). "Casual and J Rawls - Respect Game or Expect Flames". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
11. ^ "Youth Culture Power, by J Rawls & John Robinson". JayARE (J Rawls & John Robinson). Retrieved 2025-01-27.
12. ^ "Alumni Spotlight: Jason Rawls". Archived from the original on 5 August 2021.
13. ^ LLC, Polar Ent. "Welcome to Polar Ent. LLC". Polar Ent. LLC. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
14. ^ Pelham (17 March 2021). "OHIO's Patton College of Education implements first ever Hip-Hop based education program to prepare teachers to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy". OHIO News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
15. ^ "Patton College of Education | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
16. ^ "Music | Polar Entertainment LLC". Bandcamp. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* J. Rawls discography at Discogs

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz