L J Online UK

L J was born in Manchester (Jamaica) and came to London as a youngster. He has been rapping ever since he started doing mixtapes with his friend Silable back in the late 90s. He was hooked on Hip-Hop growing up in London so was only a matter of time before he started rapping. His smooth delivery, witty rhymes and stage presence has seen him gain admiration from his peers and listeners.
Former member of unsigned Hip-Hop group SouTHErn Suspects, he is now back in London after returning from Brighton where he was based for 7 years and is now pursuing his own solo projects.
SouTHErn Suspects was formed in the summer of 2002 in Brighton. Members included Nemma, KingPin, Silable, Linx, DJ OffKey, Si-Fi and Hugo. From the group's humble beginnings performing at Sussex University's culture show to performing at BBC 1Xtra's Hip-Hop Weekender, the group achieved many things as an independent unit. The group shared the stage with the likes of Blade, Roots Manuva and Chester P to name a few. The group also made regular appearances at Brighton Hip-Hop Festival which is now known as Rising Styles.
2004 saw the group’s first big break when they headlined Brighton University’s Freshers Ball on a bill which included 1Xtra’s Rampage. SouTHErn Suspects never looked back after that show.
The group then started working with the BBC Roots Project in Brighton headed up by Sarah Lee and Phil Jackson. The project is due to end in June 2009 but it helped SouTHErn Suspects progress even further. During the World Cup football finals in 2006 the group did a live session for Phil Jackson’s radio show with a 3 piece band. The project also secured bookings such as Brighton Live.
In 2006, 1st Coming Mixtape was released which featured appearances by Legs MC, Tec Diesel, Akin Davies and Merve Gursoy as well as guest production by Show N Prove, DJ U.C (G.R.I.N.D. Clothing) and Sovereign. The release also included Hoodies & Hats produced by David Richtor which was a big hit especially at live shows and received radio support. Late Nite produced by KingPin and was L J’s first solo track, inspired by a stop and search incident in Brighton and received strong support also.
July 2008 DJ Lyke presents Beat Robbers Vol 1 was released during the Rising Styles festival and featured the singing of Lorena Wright. This release was a selection of hit records such as “Break The Ice” and “Lollipop” refixed by L J, Silable and Nemma. Their own versions of these tracks have excited their fan base with favourites such as Suspect Boys, Everbody Knows, Break The Ice and Chuppa Chups.
Summer 2008 also saw the group land big festival gigs including The Great Escape alongside Beardy Man and Beachdown on the BBC stage. Both festivals were a great experience for the group and a taste of what’s to come. However, the group disbanded in February 2009 as individuals wanted to pursue their own music.
L J is currently working on numerous projects including his 1st solo project Hot Peppa EP, Sunday Sessions UK, Rising Styles Hip-Hop Festival and a mixtape produced by AWAX in collaboration with Silable. L J is also closely working with former SouTHErn Suspects member KingPin who is his producer / DJ.
Hot Peppa EP will feature production from KingPin and AWAX. It’s a 6 track EP and gives you a taste of his potential as a solo artist. Previews of No Escape produced by AWAX and Janglish Boy produced by KingPin are available on his Blogger site. Talks are currently on the way with a Brighton based film-maker to shoot a video for No Escape. His EP will also be released as a double feature with Frisco’s Fresh As F*** EP which is produced by KingPin and features production from AWAX. The release will feature 17 tracks in total, 2 EPs in one package which will also feature tracks from Sunday Sessions UK featuring both MCs. L J and Frisco’s styles are very different so will be a treat for Hip-Hop lovers.
Sunday Sessions UK has been established since March 2008 and has made 46 tracks so far. The core team is L J (MC / Blogger), Frisco (MC), KingPin (Engineer / Producer / DJ) and Bruce Thornton (Producer / Guitarist). The team welcomes any musicians / performing artists who want to attend the sessions which are based in East Grinstead. Musicians such as Tom (guitarist for Punk band The K.A.D.T) have contributed. One of the sessions LiveO was done at BBC Broadcast House in Brighton for Phil Jackson's BBC radio show South Live. It was done in approximately 90 minutes in collaboration with Andy Grant (acoustic guitarist / performing artist). Visit http://thesundaysessionsuk.blogspot.com/.
Rising Styles is the UK's largest celebration of International Hip-Hop culture. L J is a member of the team which is a non-profit organisation and now in its 6th year. Visit http://www.risingstyles.com. This year's festival will take place in Brighton on October 1st - 4th 2009.
L J is available for bookings. Click here to view my EPK as a PDF file.
L J on Blogger click here .
Contact "L J" on +44 (0) 7508 777982
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