We had the opportunity to interview J.I. the Prince of N.Y.! J.I. is an 18-year-old rapper from Brooklyn who should most definitely be on your radar. Known for his melodic flow, infectious charisma, and powerfully honest lyrics, J.I. has drawn a devoted fanbase that includes over 1 million followers on Instagram. Last year he earned buzz with Hood Life Krisis Vol. 1 — a seven-track project featuring his soulful but hard-hitting single "Need Me" (now at over 11 million streams on Spotify). He later shared the video for "Love Won't Change" and his follow up mixtape, Hood Life Krisis Vol. 2. You may recognize J.I. as a former contestant on The Rap Game – four years later, he's signed to Interscope and is racking up millions of views on each video he posts. Known for his effortless freestyles and his hilarious personality (check out his Genius interview, which went viral on twitter), and being extremely driven, has a lot going for him. He also recently did a freestyle for XXL – check it out! Born to a family of Puerto Rican descent, J.I got his start freestyling at the age of 11. Within a few years he began posting his freestyles on Instagram, and soon caught the attention of legendary rapper/producer/executive Jermaine Dupri. Naming iconic artists like Tupac Shakur, Big Pun., and DMX among his influences, he dropped his debut single "No Static" in 2016. By the end of that year, the then-15-year-old had garnered more than 500,000 views on his YouTube channel, which now boasts over 81.9 million views and 459K subscribers. We want to hear from you! Please email [email protected] www.BringinitBackwards.com www.americansongwriter.com/american-songwriter-podcast-network/bringin-it-backwards-podcast/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/