J. Wells

J. Wells (born Jon Wells in Chicago, 1983) is an American record producer, record executive, and rapper. He is a member of the Likwit Crew.^[2]

Biography

Wells was born and raised in Chicago but moved to California in his early years, then later to Atlanta, Georgia. He started producing music at the age of thirteen. He took the alias J Roc when he began rapping in local clubs. A high school friend introduced him to K-Boogs, Young and DJ7 with whom he later formed a 3-men group Rocswell (with supporting contributions by DJ7) along with a production company under the same name (Rocswell Entertainment).^[3] The group formed their first album Chilahyork in 1997 and sold 5000 copies out the trunk. They had created a second album Tha Classiks in 1999 and topped the first one with 8000 albums sold out the trunk. As time went by Wells took his productions to other groups and in the summer of 2000 he managed a new Dallas-based hip hop collective of Stylz and Versatile (both Wolfpac affiliate) named Virus by supplying them with instrumentals through the internet since Wells was a resident of Los Angeles those days. After only 6 months working together they were signed to Warner Brothers in 2001. Due to Warner Brothers political problems the label dropped all hip-hop oriented acts thus their first album Outbreak was shelved for unknown reasons. In 2001 He also studied music at Cal-State Northridge during this time he worked at nearby Wolfpac studio and met J-Ro a founding member of the rap group Tha Alkaholiks . Encouraged early on by J-Ro, J. Wells was invited to join the legendary Likwit Crew which includes Tha Alkaholiks, (E-Swift, J Ro and Tash), King Tee, LootPack, Phil Da Agony, and Defari as well as the extended Likwit family of Xzibit, Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia, Madlib, Evidence, amongst others. The next year they took him on the road within Snoop Dogg's 'Puff Puff Pass' tour, where he met Kurupt from the Dogg Pound (with whom he later formed a duo and released an album). He went on to work on the Wolfpac's "Roger Troutman Project" and has put together his own Wolf Pac Mix tape Volume One. This features an all-star cast of Kurupt, Young Assassins, Roscoe, Shyheim and Sun of Man of the Wu-Tang Clan, J-Ro and Tash of Tha Liks, Styles and James Debarge. The Wolfpac Mixtape sold 25,000 copies out the trunk. After creative differences with Wolfpac Records he went on to launched another record label of his own Bonzi Records in 2005 at the age of 22^[4] He then completed his debut album, Digital Master, which was hugely successful throughout the West Coast. This was his debut release on his own label, Bonzi Records. It features new Artist signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records Bishop Lamont, as well as other artists including Method Man, Mitchy Slick, Goodie Mob, Tha Liks, Jayo Felony, Kurupt, Roscoe, and Planet Asia. That year J. Wells also produced the Goodie Mob single, "Play Yo Flutes", featuring Sleepy Brown, for Goodie Mob's album One Monkey Don't Stop No Show. In 2007 J. Wells produced Work It Out on Keyshia Cole's album Just like You. He also produced songs for Snoop Dogg's EP & animated DVD "The Adventures of The Blue Carpet Treatment" He later produced many tracks including music featured in taste maker TV shows such as, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, and F. Gary Gray's blockbuster film and soundtrack Be Cool. His songs are also featured in the video games: EA Sports, 2004 Tiger Woods Golf and EA Sports, 2006 Fight Night, as well as commercials for major corporations including McDonalds, Smirnoff, Starbucks, and Coors Light. He released his collaboration album with Kurupt, "Digital Smoke", under his own label Bonzi Records / Fontana Distribution. This project garnished great reviews in The Source, XXL, Allhiphop.com, LA times and many other media circuits. The album sold massive throughout the US and abroad. He went on to release Digital Master Vol. 2.1 in 2009 which featured Snoop Dogg, Estelle, Rah Digga, WC, Mack 10, and Da Brat. The single Already Famous featuring Da Brat and Kurupt was released on Bonzi Records March 2009 and the video was released without Da Brat due to her incarceration in the Georgia state prison. His first solo studio album will be Inebriated and is under construction.^[5][6][7][8]

Establishing Bonzi Records

Bonzi is an American record label founded by Wells. Fontana Distribution is the distributor for Bonzi. In 2005 after leaving Wolfpac Records Wells' established Bonzi Records and began to release a series of rap music compilations to establish the new brand. In 2006 the label went on to sign a distribution deal with Fontana Distribution, and in 2007 released a Kurupt collaboration album Digital Smoke. Wells then began signing more acts to Bonzi like Q Parker of 112, D. Woods, Kokane, Slimm Calhoun, & Lil' Scrappy .^[9][10]

Productions discography

• West Coast All Stars - Still Mo Bounce (2000)
  • "Crushed Grapes" ft. Merciless Stylz,K Boogs
• J-Ro - "What U Lookin' At?" (single, 2002)
• Wolfpac Records Presents: Still More Bou (2002)
  • "Grape Juice" ft. Merciless Stylz, K. Boogs
• Hieroglyphics present "One Big Trip" (2003)
  • J Ro - "What U Lookin' At?"
• Roscoe- Young Roscoe Philaphornia (2003)
  • "Get Low"
  • "Trouble"
• J. Wells Presents: The Wolfpac Mixtape (full album) (2004)
• Shyheim - The Greatest Story Never Told (2004)
  • "160.15"
• Goodie Mob - One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (2004)
  • "Play Your Flutes" ft. Sleepy Brown, Kurupt
• Kurupt - Kurupt Presents The Originals (2004)
  • "I Didn't Change"
  • "Y'z Up A'z Down"
• Planet Asia - The Grand Opening (2004)
  • "It's All Big"
• The Sopranos "All Happy Families..." series episode music - Roscoe's "Nothin But Trouble" (2004)
• Six Feet Under series episode music (2001–2005)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 EA Sports video game soundtrack - Roscoe's "Nothin But Trouble"
• Fight Night Round 3 EA Sports video game soundtrack - Roscoe's "Nothin But Trouble" (2006)
• Digital Master (full album) (2005)
• Be Cool soundtrack (2005)
  • Planet Asia featuring Kurupt - "G'z & Soldiers" ^[11]
• Prodigal Sunn - Return Of The Prodigal Sunn (2005)
  • "Procrastinators" ft. Freemurder, Young Masta, Bonzi J. Wells
• Digital Smoke' '(with Kurupt) (full album) (2007)
• Keyshia Cole - Just like You (platinum) (2007)
  • "Work It Out"
• stic.man of Dead Prez - Manhood
  • "Black Girl Shine"
  • "Independent Hustler"
• Canibus - For Whom The Beat Tolls (2007)
  • "702-386-5397"
  • "Javelin Fangz"
• J-Ro - Rare Earth B-Boy Funk Vol.2 (2007)
  • "It Don't Stop"
  • "Akser"
• Rza's - "Afro Samurai"
  • "Caught Up" (as performed by Black Knights (rap group))
• Snoop Dogg - "The Great Adventures of The Blue Carpet Treatment" DVD
  • "All My Bitches"
• Ralph Myerz -"Ralphorama" (2008)
  • "We Don't Give A Fuck" Feat. WC
  • "Summertime Heat""
• Tash -Control Freek (2009)
  • "A Penny For My Thoughts (feat. Samuel Christian)"
• Rakim -The Seventh Seal (2009)
  • "You and I"
• D. Woods - "Legalize Me" - single (2009)
  • Executive Producer
• Bizarre - Friday Night At St. Andrew's (2010)
  • "School Teacher"
• Kokane - Gimme All Mine (2010)
  • Executive Producer
• Talib Kweli Presents: Strong Arm Steady • "Arms & Hammers" (2011)
  • "Smoking Drinking" (Bonus Track)
• Jay Rock - "Do You Know Me" - Mixtape (2011)
  • "Do You Know" Feat. Kokane
• Terminal 3 Presents "The Academy" "Kurupt's Welcome To The Academy" (2011)
  • Executive Producer
• Lil Scrappy - The Grustle (2012)
  • Executive Producer
• Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids - "Lap of Lux" (2012)
  • Co- Executive Producer
• Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids - "While You Wait" mixtape (2013)
  • "Hold On, Hold Up"

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Discography

• Rocswell - Chilahyork (1999)
• Marley Marl - Re-Entry (2001)
  • "Foundation Symphony" feat. J. Wells, Larry-O, Miss Man, Seven Shawn(produced by J-Force)
  • "So Good" feat. J. Wells, Edwin Birdsong (produced by Marley Marl)
• Rocswell - Tha Classiks (2002)
• J. Wells - "Presents Wolfpac Mixtape" - (2003)
• J. Wells - Digital Master Vol.1 (2005)
• Kurupt and J. Wells - Digital Smoke (2007)
• J. Wells - Digital Master Vol. 2.1 (2009)
• Inebriated (TBD)

Filmography

• Grand Theft Auto V - MC Clip (voice)

Commercials music composed by

• McDonalds
• Smirnoff
• Starbucks
• Coors Light
• HTC
• Dr. Dre's Beats Electronics

^{[16] [17] [18]}

References