J-Rel

"Operation GroundWerk that's my shit, and I'm sticking to it!!!" says the new Atlanta bred rap artist J-Rel. When asked what exactly GroundWerk is, the 20 year old artist described GroundWerk as "hard work from the ground up", meaning the job is never done."
And his journey to become one of the industry's elite has been nothing but hard work for the bar broker. Born and bred on the eastside of Atlanta, Ga. Rel is no stranger to hard living, but says that growth and maturity has put him in a position where he doesn't have to dwell on the past, but instead it gives him the strength and wisdom to look toward the future, and the future for J-Rel looks better and better everyday.

In 2004 J-Rel released "Job Security: The 30 Day Review" his application to Hip-Hop, though the package only contained 5 tracks, J-Rel made a statement with the lead single "Who Betta Than Me." yielding such a self-explanatory song title, J-Rel immediately informed underground and mainstream artist alike, that he was a force to be reckoned with. The demo package also contained club bangers like “Act Right” and “Try Me” but as the Cd concluded, J-Rel displayed concept driven depth and total maturation on the track entitled “Loser (Lose Her)” a record derived from real life experiences, and composed due to frustrations with the industry standard “girl song.” Job Security: The 30 Day Review showed that J-Rel possesses what it takes to compete in today’s music industry, though he feels now the effort was immature, clearly his talents weren’t denied, access was granted and he now enters the first phase of attaining Job Security, Operation: GroundWerk.

Late 3rd quarter of 2006 J-Rel released his first mix tape entitled Operation: GroundWerk, v.1 hosted by Mr. 4th of July. The two delivered nothing short of fireworks on the 22-track compilation. Sparks flew early on the front end of the disc as J-Rel hit audiences in the mouth, banger after banger, with tracks like “P’s & Q’s” the re-creation of Rick Ross’ “Hustlin” and also lends Danity Kane 16 bars on their “ShowStopper Remix,” all before transitioning to the streets, revealing what J-Rel calls “curb appeal,” with tracks like “Fix Ya Face”, “Cool on That…” and “It’s Nothing” featuring fellow Bad Company Clique artist Christopher Styles & 3ft Taylor. Just when you think that J-Rel couldn’t possibly add another dimension to his versatile repertoire, he does just the opposite, and presents the “softer side” of J-Rel, on the record entitled “In My World.” To conclude the CD, J-Rel issues a strong statement to record label executives on tracks titled “Push It” and “Welcome.” All in all Operation: GroundWerk v.1 is a solid, well-balanced mix tape, and should leave the listener looking for v.2.
Since the release of Operation: GroundWerk v.1, J-Rel has made a name for himself and his Bad Company Clique, traveling all over the south, and branding his name on the heads of those that follow the underground.
No stranger to the stage J-Rel, has shared the strip with some of the industries biggest names; Young Jeezy, Lloyd, 8-Ball and MJG, Gorilla Zoe and the list continues. “Star struck, why?” was the response J-Rel gave when asked if he was at all in awe when coming into contact with artist of their caliber. “They’re carrying the torch right now, and soon I’ll have a torch of my own, no need for the jealousy.” Watching the 6’7 frame pace across the stage, with so much swagger, and so much energy, but with so much more skill, and so much more professionalism than his underground counterparts, is amazing, it reminds one of an early T.I. delivering one of his high octane performance.
“Today’s rapper thinks this is about getting on stage, spitting your bars, and going home, what they don’t understand is that the performance phase begins at the beginning of your writing phase.” “Breathing techniques, space allowances, and syllable measurements all must be taken into account during the writing process in order for you to have a successful performance.” “Rappers are out here performing to their original mixes and will have six ni**az on stage with them and they all will have a mic, their levels are all screwed up and nobody can understand what your saying unless they know the song.” “ This current movement got ni**az on some other sh*t and not really caring about their craft.”
Outside of the music world, J-Rel, alongside Trunk Klassic Entertainment have come together to form the Operation: GroundWerk Youth Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that focuses on empowering youth with positive re-enforcement, and providing them with a haven to showcase their talents. “ What we have created here, is another avenue for the youth to travel, giving them options, whether it be music, recreational, or intellectual, the kids now have a place to turn that focuses on what their inner talents are.”
When J-Rel isn’t recording, or engaged in events pertaining to the Youth Foundation, he’s searching for other lanes to merge. As of late J-Rel has been avidly involved in songwriting for aspiring R&B artists, and also dabbling in the party promotion and video/music production fields. “This job doesn’t come with a retirement plan.” says J-Rel, “When your done, your done! I’ll find a way!”
J-Rel is currently prepping the highly anticipated sequel to Operation: GroundWerk, slated for a 08 early 3rd quarter release. “This one is going to be major!!!“ says the excited emcee, stating that this effort will contain several guest appearances from several mainstream recording artists. Trying to keep things under wraps, Rel won’t mention names, but he informs that v.2 will also feature quite a few heavyweights in his production corner, along with an all-star DJ cast.
The field is set, the ballots are in and 2008 is among us, while everybody is looking for the next big thing J-Rel boldly says “Look no more!” “This Is My City!, This Is My Music!, THIS IS MY YEAR!!!” positioning himself in such a way that he can only go upward this upcoming season, as J-Rel is looking to dominate in the underground markets, and make a serious push toward the major leagues. “If the first installment of Operation: GroundWerk left you, leaving a hunger for more, v.2 is guaranteed to fix your fast.”