ALTERNATIVE HIP-HOP/SPOKEN WORD ARTIST

Born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, raised in the Central Valley of California, and now residing in Oakland, California. Johnny, Why? is an alternative hip-hop artist who has a passion for the urban community. Upon moving to the Bay Area, he was conflicted by the realities of privilege and all that results from this unfair “inheritance”. It was a hard pill to swallow (pause) in the beginning but through Lyrical Opposition workshops and group discussions at his church, Oak Life at New Parkway Theater; Johnny has been able to process this topic with those on all sides of the discussion (which is far from over), and has proven to be fruitful, to say the least. Musically speaking, Johnny has always been passionate about creating and performing. He started writing poetry early in life and in high school formed a street punk band with some friends, where he was the lead vocalist. In 2009, Johnny began rapping and hip-hop has since become a deep love and member of Johnny’s life. Thanks to his punk rock roots, Johnny brings something different to hip-hop's table and is self-described as the “jaded edge” of Lyrical Opposition. In 2014, Johnny released his first project “Faded Fantasy”, this project is the result of seasons of suffering in his personal life and reflects his darker side, yet ends by revealing the radiance of grace. Johnny is a follower of Jesus but is not afraid to go against the grain of popular culture, be it Christian or otherwise, ultimately his desire is to know Christ and make good art. He wouldn’t consider his art to be for Christians or non-Christians, but for everyone, however, Johnny has no desire to be a “youth group rapper”, Johnny wishes to address topics and utilize language that fit and resonate with an adult audience.