There is no doubt that Hip Hop has migrated south. Truth be told: the world is sittin’ in the trap, dustin’ Atlanta’s red dirt off their kicks while listening to the likes of T.I., Young Jeezy, and Yung Joc. However, when you travel south of the city and journey within its gritty wooded landscape, you’ll discover a new sound burgeoning in College Park. Never has the music industry witnessed a slick combination of Hip Hop and rock peppered with charisma until now. Meet J. Author and a new genre of music called Thug Rock.

J. Author relocated to College Park back in the late 80s from the rubble of Flint, Michigan’s urban war zone. The young Author experienced a culture shock, having come from the Midwest where radio stations were playing the latest hits from Jheri-curled- enthralled R&B groups like Ready for the World and Force MDs. Atlanta, at the time, was saturated in bass music from Raheem the Dream and MC Shye D. “When I came down here, it was really poppin’. I caught a glimpse of that new shit that was about to pop off. The trend excited me and I knew I wanted to be apart of Atlanta’s new movement,” says the songwriting emcee.

While in middle school J. Author morphed into J. Raw and started a group with classmates Pree, Lil’ Fate and Chris Bridges, otherwise known as Ludacris. The group was called Racket City. The four emcee’s unique sound and sure-fire rhyme schemes made them a favorite among their southern brethren. Raw’s lyrical prowess and charismatic delivery made him a standout. But it wasn’t too long before his business as a street pharmacist began to overshadow his dreams of stardom. After all, business was good.

“Me and Pree moved to West Virginia. We were the biggest drug dealers there. We were doing our thing, but we were still doing music. When we came back to Atlanta Lil’ Fate and Luda started the DTP situation so me and Pree kept the Racket City name going.”

Raw’s life came to a screeching halt when he was backhanded with a federal indictment and sentenced 36 months for drug trafficking and conspiracy to sell narcotics. He was 18 years old. It was the end of a career as a street pharmacist and the death of J. Raw. And although he found himself behind bars, the music enthusiast within him found freedom.

“When I got locked up I just started listening to a whole lot of everything. I was listening to pop, rock, alternative, country. I needed to find a way to bring all this shit into one thing.”

J. Author, the songwriter, began to emerge and started penning storylines that pluck at the emotional heartstrings with the emcee part of him balancing it out with a thugged out delivery. Thug Rock was born.

“Thug Rock is like a mixture of all music. You might hear R&B, you might hear some pop, some country, but it’s on some street shit so all urban people can relate to it.”

Upon his release J. Author took a notebook full of rhymes and converted it into his debut album titled, AUTHORIZED, off the F.U. Pay Me imprint. The first single, “Teenage Girl” is a warning to all low self-esteemed girls looking for fulfillment in the glamorous life. “Riding The Waves,” is a club banging party melody letting folks know how to deal with life’s everyday tribulations. While “Blossom” is an ode to sisters who worry about what other people think of them.

Thug Rock is bona fide much like OutKast, Gnarls Barkley and Black Eyed Peas. In order to maintain its authentic sound, J. worked with a group of up and coming producers who understood his vision.

“This is universal music. If you’re just stuck on some street music or some snap or crunk, you’re not gonna get it. I’m not trying to fall into any of those categories. I’m doing’ something totally new. I’m setting a new trend.”

Thug Rock is officially AUTHORIZED. Rock out!