JJ Whitefield is a German-born multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer, perhaps best known as co-founder of the group, the Poets of Rhythm. Even though it may have seemed improbable to the Poets of Rhythm at the time, the band’s commitment to a punchy, gritty, deep-funk aesthetic made them the honorary forefathers and Godfathers of the late 90s/early 2000s soul and funk revival. Whitefield continues to make genre-blurring music with groups like Karl Hector & the Malcouns and African music legend Ebo Taylor.