J. Rhodes
Background information
Birth name	Justin Rhodes
Born	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Education	University of North Texas
Genres	Rap Hip hop Soul music
Occupation(s)	Record producer Composer Filmmaker Artist
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Vintage Rhodes Productions
Website	thesebeatsaintfree.com

J. Rhodes is a music producer, composer, filmmaker, artist, author, public speaker, and educator. ^{[1] [2]} He co-wrote and produced, Welcome to America, recorded by Lecrae, which charted at #16 on Billboard's Hot Gospel chart and earned him a Dove Award in 2015. ^{[3] [4] [5]} He has composed and produced music for Killer Mike, Talib Kweli, the Game, and Royce da 5′9″, among others. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

He wrote, directed, and produced, the hip hop musical It's a Wonderful Plight as well as authoring the book, These Beats Ain't Free. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Early life

Justin Rhodes was born in Oak Cliff, Texas, to parents Joe and Gloria Rhodes. ^[12] He began writing lyrics and poetry while attending Carter High School. During his sophomore year at the University of North Texas, he began experimenting with beat machines and music production. ^{[13] [14]}

Career

Rhodes’ music career began while he was in college. In 2007, he opened the 808 Studio in downtown Dallas where he was a producer and engineer. His song, Hello, which he produced and rapped on, was featured on MTV's RapFix Live in 2010 and he won the IStandard ASCAP, Producer Battle, that same year. ^{[15] [16]}

He is a Dove Music Award winner and has composed and produced music for Killer Mike, Lecrae, the Game, Slim Thug, Talib Kweli, Royce da 5′9″, Styles P, and others. ^{[5] [17]} Rhodes' music has been featured in The Recruit, America to Me, FreeRayshawn, Coffee & Kareem, Black and Blue, Between the World and Me, and at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. ^[18]

As a filmmaker, he produced and hosted the TV reality series for music producers, The House of Beats, which aired on Apple TV in 2018. His music video, MakeItTakeIt premiered at the American Black Film Festival in 2019. ^{[19] [20] [21]} In 2020, Rhodes wrote, directed, and produced the hip hop musical, It’s a Wonderful Plight, which received favorable reviews and was listed on The Summer Movies You Need to See in USA Today in 2021. ^{[22] [23]}

Rhodes authored, These Beats Ain't Free, and has been a speaker and panelist at SXSW, ASCAP's I Create Music, and CD Baby's DIY music conference, and others. ^{[11] [24] [25] [26] [27]} He is an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music. ^[18]

Selected discography

• 2023 – YES! – Killer Mike – composer, producer ^[6]
• 2019 – S.P. the GOAT: Ghost of All Time – Styles P – producer ^[28]
• 2018 – Dime Bag – Styles P – composer, producer ^[29]
• 2017 – Chips – Talib Kweli (featuring Waka Flocka Flame) - composer ^[30]
• 2016 – Tabernacle – Royce da 5′9″ – producer^{[ citation needed]}
• 2016 – Head Up Eyes Open – Talib Kweli (featuring Rick Ross and Yummy Bingham) - composer, producer ^[7]
• 2014 – Welcome to America – Lecrae – composer, producer ^[5]
• 2012 – Congregation – Talib Kweli & Z-Trip – producer ^[31]
• 2012 – Blood Diamonds – The Game – composer, producer ^[8]

External links

• J. Rhodes at IMDb

References