Jason Daniel Rawls (born February 27, 1974 ), better known by his stage name J. Rawls, is an American hip hop musician, producer, disc jockey (DJ), educator and speaker born in Columbus, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Masta Ace, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. His work with Black Star, and their debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Stars, gained notoriety in the late 1990s underground hip hop scene. Rawls has also worked with artists such as Dose One, Domo Genesis, Capital Steez, Beastie Boys, Slum Village, Diamond D, John Robinson, El Da Sensei, Sadat X, Count Bass D, Grand Agent, 9th Wonder, J-Live, Us3 and Moka Only. Rawls has released three solo albums and contributed to the neo soul movement, producing artists such as Aloe Blacc, Eric Roberson, Dudley Perkins and others. Fusing jazz and hip hop, his 2006 work "The Liquid Crystal Project" included collaborations with B-Jazz, Rob Riley, Eddie Bayard and Charles Cooper as well as a tribute to producer J. Dilla. Rawls has a Columbus-based production company and record label, and he performs as a DJ for clubs and private functions around the country.

Music career

J. Rawls' first solo album, The Essence of J. Rawls, was released in 2001 and featured "Great Live Caper," "Check the Clock" and "They Can't See Me." Rawls is one half of the duo 3582, alongside Fat Jon of Five Deez. 3582 released two albums, The Living Soul and Situational Ethics. Rawls released another solo album, The Hip-Hop Affect, in 2011. Respect Game or Expect Flames, his collaborative album with Casual of Hieroglyphics, was released on Nature Sounds in 2012. It was described by Okayplayer as "one of the most consistently dope and balanced albums in 2012." In 2014, Rawls released an album titled The Legacy. In 2019, Rawls and John Robinson released an album, titled Youth Culture Power (YCP), consisting of jazz-infused hip hop tracks produced by Rawls over which the emcees rhymed about the state of educating inner city youth. Rawls and Robinson list many perceived challenges, such as like culturally biased standardized tests, the whitewashing of history in textbooks and the cutting of resources, but also detail potential solutions, such as relating to students, implementing new techniques in the classroom and being attentive to students' lives.

Academic career

Rawls holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Cincinnati, a master's degree in education from Ashland University and a doctorate in education in Educational Administration from Ohio University. From 2012 to 2020, he served as an adjunct hip hop and music business instructor and as a visiting artist at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio. Rawls has conducted multiple workshops on the music industry, focusing on hip hop education and beat-making at major universities around the country. He also has more than 15 years of K-12 teaching experience. Rawls co-authored a book, Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Engagement, with John Robinson, released through Peter Lang Publishers. The book is about the experience of educators and hip hop artists in the urban classrooms, specifically on how to teach students through Hip Hop Based Education (HHBE). In 2021, Ohio University's Patton College of Education implemented the first-ever hip hop-based education program to help pre-service teachers incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy into their own teaching styles. The program, known as Hip-Hop OHIO Patton Education (HOPE), is led by Rawls, who worked as the program coordinator. HHBE strives to teach the value of incorporating hip hop-based education, culturally relevant pedagogy and relational pedagogy into the classroom to build healthy and affirming relationships while improving engagement with students. Rawls was also a featured presenter for the Places of Invention, Bronx, New York, exhibit that opened in July 2015 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. In this exhibit, a virtual Rawls walks visitors through the nuances of how to scratch and mix on a replica turntable.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Singles

Productions