Born Jeremy Marti, independent artist Jj Marti is a man of faith, saying Jesus Christ is his biggest inspiration. He has even integrated that aspect of his life into his stage name stating, “The uppercase J comes first and represents my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The lowercase j is me tagging along behind the LORD…I plan on removing the last name and eventually changing it to simply Jj or JAYjay.”
The Jersey City native has been in love with hip hop since he was young, but did not consider it as a career path until 2012 when he was born again and became a Christian. Changing his mindset and overall look on the world, Jj says he is truly just beginning, only previously having dropped a few singles sporadically over the years.
While most artists dream of fame and fortune, Jj has an ulterior motive. When asked where he sees his career going, he answered, “I don’t [aspire] to be a star. All I want is for my music to be used by God to bring people to Jesus.”
When asked to describe his image, he provided bible verses saying, “Light to the world. MATT 5:14, Salt of the earth. MATT 5:13, King and priest of the Kingdom of God. REV 1:6.”
Musically, Jj has found inspiration from Jay Z, DMX, Nas, and many more, stating “…they have definitely molded my rapping style.” As for his genre, he does not put himself into one particular box, but says he is a conscious MC and leans into gospel and Christian hip hop.
One major aspect within the industry is collaboration. When asked who he would like to work with, he said fellow artists Lacrae and nobigdyl.
The Jersey rapper hopes moving into 2023 to start performing again as it became a highlight of his career doing so. Aside from music, he wants to leave a legacy of love and faith, giving his thanks to God; Jj will continue to follow the Lord and trust whichever path God intends for him.
While he has had fun moments, the road here has not been easy, Jj expressed, “I grew up quite poor and in a broken home which caused me to have many problems psychologically and emotionally. I’m just starting to realize the depth of my scars and address them in my music more and more. It’s been extremely hard to stay on the path and do music. “
His personal struggles have also led him to caring deeply about his community. He stated, “I have been a part of a few “Jersey City GO” events where churches meet up and plan a way to serve the community…we painted art in an area of downtown Jersey City…we repainted the railings near the waterfront…we cleaned, gave out food, etc.”
The industry is of course, a lot of work, leading to his wish of understanding that prior to settling into this career choice. One quote that Jj lives by is the bible verse Romans 8:18 which says “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” So, while the industry can be a lot to handle, he would not have it any other way.
Jj writes, produces, and engineers his music all on his own, becoming his creative outlet; This is his favorite part about being an artist, along with the self-discovery that comes with it. Outside of the studio, Marti can be found studying the bible, playing video games, and watching football games.
On July 7th of this year. Jj Marti will release his debut album including over 10 unreleased songs and a few fan favorites as bonus tracks. For now, a pre-release single is set in place to drop with visuals. Additionally, him and another artist named Echo are putting out a project to be featured on both of their albums.
When asked why people should listen to his music, Jj said, “My music encourages you to live a better life and glorifies God. If you want to know God, my music will help draw you to HIM. “My music puts Him at the forefront and me in the background.”
Finally, as a message to the fans, he provided the bible verse ROMANS 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”
SOCIAL SITES
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_201jj/
YouTube: JJ Marti https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiCD21qhWqLj4ftECXvBtdQ
TikTok: @_JJmarti
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jj-marti/1564814457
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7xJeUMXVkejzHMZZEINkpc
WRITTEN BY BRIANNA RIZZI