Lil J 'Back 2 J' album

Lil J always knew he would be a star. At a very early age, he showed the drive and ambition of an Olympic Athlete with nothing but gold on their mind.

At the tender age of 7, he was rhyming outside his local K-Mart in Long Beach, California. He collected enough tip money from these impromptu performances to pay for his own demo tape. By his early teens, J was still rhyming and by the time he was only 14 years old, Trans Continental Records took notice. Best known for their affiliation with the hottest teen pop groups of the time including the Backstreet Boys, O-Town and LFO, they recognized J's talent and he soon inked a deal with Hollywood Records. "All About J" his debut album exploded on the scene in 2001 and boasted some of the industry's top producers like Jermaine Dupri, L.E.S. and L.T. Hutton.

Gaining popularity, J began an acting career. Currently starring on the Disney Channel's, "That's So Raven!" J plays Raven's love interest and will return for his re-occurring role next season. He will also star as Bobby Brown's son in the "Barber Shop" new spin off film titled "Nora's Hair Salon," currently in post-production.

J recently turned 18, and as a new adult, his album, "Back 2 J," reflects his more mature state of mind. With pop tracks like the single, "Baby Girl" to the more edgy "Real Hip-Hop," J delivers a solid and impressive sophomore album.

Lil J has certainly proved that he is just getting started.

Biography

Long Beach, California's Lil'J weaves his own low and youth-driven tales with his riveting, infectious sophomore D3 release, BACK 2 J. Not simply an MC, before long, the musical masses will find Lil'J to be the consummate, all encompassing entertainer. He has proven this not only with the success of his debut disc from Hollywood Records but by his stint as host of a series of television specials for Nickelodeon and his new role as "Devon" on the Disney Channel's #1 rated show, "That's So Raven."

While being a versatile entertainer, music has always been the driving force of his career.
The BACK 2 J disc is a versatile mixture of urban-savvy tracks sporting a slew of influences. Ultimately it showcases a young MC whose on-point flow commands instant attention. Featuring the west coast flavored lead single "Baby Girl," BACK 2 J was produced by top-notch urban hit-makers like Cornelio Austin (K-Ci & Jo Jo), Doc Little (Mya), Livio Harris (Mya, Adina Howard, Keith Sweat), Edge Crusher (Cypress Hill),and MAAD PHUNK!! (Fabulous, mc lyte,Flipmode Squad).
"I would say the whole album is a lot more mature than my last one. Even though there
are a lot of familiar themes, this is a record that people of all ages can relate to. The album is just me and the things that I do. The majority of the album gets you pumped up because a lot of the songs are fast. Everybody loves those party tunes you can bump in your car during the
summertime."

Sounding like a seasoned professional while still in his teens, Lil' J recounts the process
of recording his second disc. "It was a lot different than the first album. I had been thinking about concepts for BACK 2 J almost as soon as I finished recording my last album. This album shows my growth as an artist. I was so excited about getting back out there again musically that we recorded the whole thing in about two weeks."

During the time between his debut album and BACK 2 J, he has paved the path down the road to becoming the consummate entertainer. Last summer he hosted a popular series of music specials for Nickelodeon which aired live from the landmark Nickelodeon Studios in Hollywood.
The series featured such superstars as Usher, B2K and Avril Levine to name a few. He also kept busy by starring in "Barbershop's" beauty salon counterpart, "Norah's Hair Salon" starring opposite Lil Kim, Bobby Brown and Lisa Raye. He also made a guest appearance on "The Parkers," UPN's #1 rated sitcom .Perhaps his greatest TV job ever has been landing a regular role on, "THAT"S SO RAVEN" starring Raven Simone. Lil' J plays opposite Simone in the
season beginning in August as Simone's crush and ultimately her love interest. "It's so strange,"
explains Lil ?J, "I was cast for one episode and 8 episodes later, I'm still here. Acting is
obviously a key component in becoming an ultimate entertainer and my role on Raven will be instumental in helping fans connect with my music and vice versa." By all means the ?middle child' (he's one of five siblings), Lil' J, who showed signs of natural talent from a young age, always exhibited true charisma and a strong desire to entertain.

As early as age seven, his mother recalls Lil' J missing on a particular Saturday morning, only to find him performing in front of the local K-Mart with a bucket. To hear him tell it, he was using his earnings to finance his demo. Though his apparent drive had more to do with holding a captive audience and the reaction that followed. "I've been around music all my life, you know, singing, rapping, dancing, Lil' J recalls. When it hit me that I wanted to entertain is when I would rap at beaches, and I would get the feedback. They would look at me like I was really, really awesome and like I did a really good job. I love that feeling." When not taking in the mesmerizing star quality of Michael Jackson, Will Smith, Tupac Shakur and New Edition, like other kids his age, he could be found indulging in sports. "I was into football, baseball and stuff like that," recounts Lil' J. "But when I decided to do music, I figure it would take me longer to do baseball than rapping, which is something that I love and I'm good at. Never the shy type or one to pass up on the opportunity to move a crowd, Lil' J's deep-rooted drive and determination soon found him at an in-store autograph-signing session for one of his idols, LL Cool J. Boldly re-enacting Cool J's career-making scene from the classic hip-hop film, Krush Groove, a then 9 year-old LIL' J spontaneously flipped on his boom-box and broke off a lil' sumthin'--sumthin' that the rap superstar couldn't possible ignore. "My mom and I always used to go to functions like that," Lil' J remembers, "and I would rap backstage and try to get myself in. I figured that LL Cool J was going to be at Wherehouse, and I figured that that's how he got his deal. He came in there and rapped, and they loved him." So I said, "I'll do the same thing, you know. He told me to stay behind and not go anywhere. After that he said he was going to do a show at House of
Blues, and he would put me on stage with him. It was really cool. Everybody was like, ?That's
LL Cool J's son!'" Not long after that, his attraction to the stage led him to talking his way into a concert venue--and onto the stage with the Fugees. The crowd was won over by his dynamic presence and irresistible charm.

Soon, as fate would have it, the buzz on Lil' J found its way via Richard Tucker to Orlando, Florida-based Trans-Continental Records, the star-making machinery behind pop heavyweights N'Sync, The Backstreet Boys, LFO and O-Town. So thoroughly impressed with the then 14 year-old, they immediately flew him to their Orlando headquarters to perform and record with the stable of writers and producers. He was soon signed to Hollywood Records by manager Livio Harris and former Hollywood Records executive Vaughan Halyard where he released his debut disc ALL ABOUT J in 2001. He has now transitioned to the highly successful Redondo Beach, CA based independent label D3 where he can call Keith Sweat, Jessie Powell, Mack 10 and Onyx label mates. Though Lil' J is well on the way of being a self-made entrepreneur, look for him to continually expand and hone his talent for MCing, dancing--and of course acting. Already an incredible talent, it's amazing to realize that Lil' J is merely beginning.

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Tracklisting

Lil J - Back 2 J