J. Rawls

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Jason Daniel Rawls (born February 27, 1974^[2]), better known by his stage name J. Rawls, is an American hip hop musician, producer, disc jockey (DJ), educator and speaker born in Columbus, Ohio.^[3] He is best known for his work with Masta Ace, Mos Def and Talib Kweli.^[4] Because of his work with Black Star, a hip hop group composed of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, and their debut studio album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Rawls soon became an independent hip hop mainstay. The album became a success and was part of the late 1990s underground hip hop explosion.^{[citation needed]} Rawls has also worked with artists such as Dose One, Domo Genesis, Capital Steez, Beastie Boys, Slum Village, Diamond D, John Robinson, El Da Sensei, Sadat X, Count Bass D, Grand Agent,^[5] 9th Wonder, J-Live, Us3 and Moka Only.

Rawls has released three solo albums, as well as having contributed to the Neo soul movement producing the likes of Aloe Blacc, Eric Roberson, Dudley Perkins, and others.^[6] Fusing jazz and hip hop, then coining the term "Jazz-Hop", his 2006 work with "The Liquid Crystal Project"^[7] led to national acclaim for his collaboration with B-Jazz,^[8] Rob Riley, Eddie Bayard and Charles Cooper and their tribute to producer J. Dilla. His Columbus-based production company and record label continue to make an impact in the national hip hop scene, and he is in demand as a DJ for clubs and private functions around the country.^[9]

J. Rawls' first solo album came in 2001, with The Essence of J. Rawls, which featured "Great Live Caper", "Check the Clock" and "They Can't See Me".^[10]

J. Rawls is also one half of the duo 3582 alongside Fat Jon of Five Deez.^[11] 3582 released two albums, The Living Soul and Situational Ethics.^[12][13]

He released another solo album, The Hip-Hop Affect, in 2011.^[14][15][16]

Respect Game or Expect Flames, his collaborative album with Casual of Hieroglyphics, was released on Nature Sounds in 2012.^[17] It was described by Okayplayer as "one of the most consistently dope and balanced albums in 2012".^[18]

In 2014, J. Rawls released an album, entitled The Legacy.^[19]

In 2019, J. Rawls and John Robinson released an album, entitled Youth Culture Power (YCP), consisting of J Rawls produced, jazz-infused hip hop tracks over which the emcees rhyme poetic on the state of educating inner city youth today. Rawls and Robinson list the many challenges; like culturally biased standardized tests, the whitewashing of history in textbooks and the cutting of resources, but counter with a wealth of solutions, like relating to students, implementing new techniques in the classroom and simply being attentive to the happenings of their lives.^[20]

Rawls 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 education in Educational Administration from Ohio University.^[21] From 2012 to 2020 he served as an adjunct hip hop and music business instructor, and as a visiting artist at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio. He had conducted multiple workshops on the music industry, focussing on hip hop education and beat making at major universities all around the country. He also has more than 15 years of K-12 teaching experience.

Rawls co-authored the book, "Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Engagement" with John Robinson released through Peter Lang Publishers.^[22] It is about the experience of educators and hip hop artists in the urban classrooms, specifically on how to focus their efforts to teach students through Hip Hop Based Education (HHBE).^[23] They argue that hip hop culture could be useful in establishing relationships among students by helping to increase their classroom engagement. The purpose of this book is to present a fresh take on why educators should not discount the culture of youth within the classroom.

In 2021, Ohio University's Patton College of Education implemented the first ever hip hop based education program to help prepare pre-service teachers to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy into their own teaching styles.^[24][25] The program, known as Hip-Hop OHIO Patton Education (HOPE), is led by Rawls, who worked as the program coordinator. HHBE strives to teach the value of incorporating hip hop based education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and relational pedagogy into the classroom to build healthy and affirming relationships, while improving engagement with students. Although this type of approach has been taught before, according to Rawls, this is the first time it will be incorporated into a college of education's teacher education program.^[26][27]

Rawls was also a featured presenter for the Places of Invention, Bronx, New York, exhibit that opened in July 2015 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. In this exhibit, a virtual Rawls walks visitors through the nuances of how to scratch and mix on a replica turntable.^[28][29]

• 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)

• Hotel Beats Vol. 1 (2009)
• Hotel Beats Vol. 2 (2014)
• Bringing it Home Vol. 1 (2001)
• Bringing it Home Vol. 2 (2006)

• Rawlzey (2015) (with Coolzey)
• The Profit (2019) (with Nova)
• Valor (2020) (with Eloh Kush)^[30]

• "Check the Clock" (2000)
• "Great Live Caper" (2001)
• "They Can't See Me" (2001)
• "Soul" / "Bailar" (2005)
• "Pleasure Before Pain" / "Miss You (Bring It Back)" (2005)
• "A Tribute to Dilla" / "Too Personal" (2006)
• "A Tribute to Troy" / "So Fly" (2006)
• "Til the Sun Comes" (2008) (with Middle Child)
• "Music Over Madness" (2008) (with Middle Child)
• "A Tribute to Da Beatminerz" / "A Tribute to The Beatnuts" (2008)
• "Another Tribute to Dilla" / "Digital Funky" (2008)
• "A Tribute to Souls" / "Capricorn's Reprise" (2008)
• "A Tribute to De La" / "Stakes Still High" (2011)

• 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)

• Official website
• J. Rawls discography at Discogs