Chris Johnson, business major and rising hip-hop artist, blends his collegiate experiences with his modern and idiosyncratic music.
On a hot and sticky day in August of 2008, Alex Estela was moving into his freshman dorm room in Travers Hall. To keep his energy going and stay entertained while carrying large, bulky boxes up to his fourth floor room, Estela connected his iPod to speakers and began to play music through the halls. With each passing song, Estela was greeted at his room’s doorway by a tall young man with a strong, athletic build and a handsome smile.
‘That’s a good song!’ he would say with each visit. Estela soon realized that he and the young man who lived across the hall had the same taste in music.
“From there I knew we were gonna get along just fine,” said Estela.
And he was right. Three years later, Estela and the young man, who would later introduce himself as Chris Johnson, or CJ for short, would be known as best friends connected through lyrics, music, and Johnson’s extraordinary mastery of the two.
Now in the second semester of his junior year, Johnson is currently juggling a business major and a music career. Although he may find himself buried under immense calculus textbooks and equations, Johnson lives another life outside of TCNJ’s quaint college campus—in a small recording studio in East Orange, New Jersey.
Facing the Music
Just as Johnson had been enamored with music during his first day in college, he had been as a young boy as well. Growing up in urban Newark, New Jersey, Johnson’s surrounding diverse community paralleled his own mixed descent. A quarter Liberian, a quarter Irish, and half African-American, Johnson’s mix has allowed him to be open-minded over the course of his life.
Throughout his childhood, Johnson‘s parents allowed him to be unbound in his creativity, giving him to be whimsical and imaginative. At the young age of ten, Johnson already had lyrics floating around in his head that had been influenced by his diverse taste in music.
From Kanye West to The Doors, Johnson immersed himself in every phrase and note, falling deeper into the realization that he wanted to become a musician and blend his differing tastes into his own songs.
Approaching his father as a young boy with dreams of becoming a musician, Johnson’s talent soon became unearthed by his family.
“My dad said, ‘Listen if you really feel like you can do this we can look into some options,’” says Johnson. “My dad then contacted a producer he knew named Rashad. [Rashad] was my gateway to the world. He had so many connections, so much equipment.”
Impressed by his talent, Rashad Muhammad took on Johnson as a new project and granted him free recording time.
“[Rashad] was the middle man in helping me become an artist,” says Johnson. “At the end of the day he made it happen for me.”
Within a few years, Johnson had put together a compilation of about 15 songs he’d written himself. It wasn’t long before the budding artist was offered a record deal after his tracks had been shopped around in California. Despite the $500,000 offer, Johnson declined because it wasn’t right deal for the music he had produced. In the end, Johnson just wanted to be a kid.
As the years passed, Johnson occasionally retreated back to his songwriting, but at the time he was more focused on his teenage years and getting into college. Little did he know that his experience at TCNJ would revive his passion for music in full-force, with a fresh outlook and influence on his writing.
Music to Their Ears
When Estela had first become friends with Johnson during move-in day of freshman year, he had never imagined what a remarkable talent his new friend possessed.
“Over winter break he spent a lot of time at my house,” said Estela. “One day I was on YouTube with him watching videos of people covering songs. He then told me that he had done his own cover and looked up the video on YouTube. CJ showed me his cover of a John Mayer song where he added in a rap. After hearing it, I was amazed. All I could say was damn, that was pretty good.”
Astonished by Johnson’s artistry with words, Estela was even more shocked to discover they had been written when he was just about 13 years old. Knowing his friend was wonderfully gifted, Estela encouraged Johnson to continue to pursue music.
Over the weekends and during breaks, Estela and Johnson would collaborate in creating lyrics and music.
“We used to put on instrumentals and he used to freestyle and vibe,” said Estela. “Soon enough he had gotten back to the studio and had tracks recorded.”
When Johnson began to get back into music and played tracks for Estela, the reaction was similar to those from his producers and family. “The first song I heard was ‘Don’t Believe it’s Bad’ [by Johnson],” said Estela. “I was almost speechless because it was pretty amazing and I enjoyed it so much.”
A Brand New Beat
Currently writing a song called ‘Schizophrenia,’ Johnson says that the lyrics are descriptive of his life as a college student and a musician, calling it a “split between my two minds.”
Although his “two minds” can often become a lot to handle, Johnson has found that both often beautifully coincide. Johnson’s daily experiences in college have allowed him to create clever lines and thoughtful prose on which his listeners can reflect.
“Right now, college is a big influence for me,” said Johnson. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t writing about the things I am writing about now.”
Watching Johnson mature as an artist, his father Orlando Johnson witnessed his son’s music evolve into a new form of hip-hop. He describes it as intellectual hip-hop, with its clever, thought-provoking lines. “You have to think a little harder to catch some of the things,” he adds.
Along with Orlando Johnson, Estela has followed Johnson’s musical transition and growth in becoming a powerful force in hip-hop music.
“My adjectives to describe his songs would be real, unique, personal, and positive,” says Estela. “He never follows a trend, he is original. He doesn’t copy anyone who is mainstream. He is fresh air and really talks about life in a much brighter way.”
Dubbing his own style as ‘New School Hip-Hop,’ Johnson calls himself a pioneer in the music industry, producing lyrics and a sound that is both unique and marketable. “If I make it I’m going to try to be as different as possible,” said Johnson, who hopes to extend his musical talents to rock music and possibly other genres.
“I’m just waiting for my chance to get a little better at guitar so I can get on stage to rock with John Mayer,” says Johnson. “It’s like a little osmosis. I have aspirations to make a whole bunch of music and I think that comes out in my songs now.”
But his first love is hip-hop.
“I’m trying to stay true to hip-hop as much as I can before I get my foot in the door,” said Johnson. “All and all, I love it. It’s something amazingly interesting to experience.”
An Electric Flow
Sitting together in a messy townhouse on campus, listening to Sade, Johnson discusses with Estela his upcoming plans to record some new tracks in the studio.
Estela, who has visited the studio with Johnson and has even helped produce a song, is also excited about his best friend creating more songs and strategizing for an album release in the near future.
“If you get him next to someone like me, with an open mind, it’s just fireworks,” says Estela. “Fireworks every time.”
Like the fireworks ignited upon their meeting three years ago, just by pushing play on an iPod, the fireworks are still bursting in Estela and Johnson’s friendship and are sparking an electric flow in Johnson’s lyrics and sound.
To check out Johnson’s music, visit his fan page!
http://www.facebook.com/ChrisstylezMUSIC