A little article about Johnny J:
TUPAC'S MAIN PRODUCER JOHNNY J IS COMING TO THE FOREFRONT WITH HIS NEW LABEL KLOCKWORK ENTERTAINMENT
Johnny Jackson is a Mexican raised in South Central Los Angeles. At 34 he has lived enough for two lifetimes. A self-taught musician, producer, writer and mixer, Johnny J's first album produced was "Knockin' Boots" by Candyman (which went platinum when he was just 17). He went on to produce for Jon B, Tyrese, Bizzy Bone, a slew of soundtracks and for legendary rapper Tupac. It was with Tupac where he really made a mark on the industry producing over 150 songs, some of them are still bring released today.
"Working with Tupac was like hitting the lottery," Johnny J says. "We worked together for ten years and finished over 150 songs."
He points out that he never did sign to Death Row, "I played it smart" he says.
Johnny has sold over 60 million albums, surpassing most of the high-profile artists out today. His new label, KlockWork Entertainment, is about to release rapper Napoleon (of the Outlawz, a group of the late Tupac), a double CD titled "Have Mercy." He says the reason why his career is still going strong today, while others are going up and down, is because he knew his limitations (and his wife keeping good records, as far as royalties are concern).
"I don't have time to nurture artists and I'm not going to start from scratch," he says about the types of acts he's looking to sign to his label.
Johnny J points out that there are not too many major labels left and that artists should watch who they sign with because they could get robbed. He notes networking, attending night clubs and events is the way to go. He says it happened to him through "word of mouth" (that's how he hooked up with Tupac) and therefore it can happen to you.
