ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JusPaul

JusPaul received his first drum set at 5, and since, he’s been able to pick up any instrument and play it. When he was 9, he discovered he could also sing but as adolescence approached, singing morphed into rapping. Though he made his bones battle rapping as a teen and performing in a DC Tobacco-Free Families commercial, he decidedly preferred how he sounded singing, and has been using his voice as an instrument ever since.

The variation and experimentation JusPaul experienced with music early-on has led to the diversity in the music he creates now. When Chuck Brown fused funk and jazz, he forged an evolution in music by creating go-go. JusPaul has birthed yet another genre through his fusion of R&B, funk, and house music he refers to as BlueHouseFunk. A fan of Charlie Wilson, The Jackson 5, and Usher Raymond, JusPaul is currently the youngest member of the famed R&B/jazz-funk fusion band The Blackbyrds. Since high school graduation, he’s been performing with them – from the Vanguard Festival in Copenhagen to sold-out shows in London.

Last spring, JusPaul released a mixtape hosted by DJ 837 titled Dirty Dabbin, which featured a mix of renditions and original songs. This spring, he’s releasing a project titled XIII with his producer Kid Cannibal. Aptly titled because of the fear surrounding the number 13, XIII symbolizes embracing – rather than being afraid of – the different, the odd, and the unknown. XIII features 13 tracks, will be released on April 13th, and if its lead single “I Wanna Be With You” is any indication –it’s going to be huge.

Through the advent of great marketing, JusPaul envisions himself attracting more business and bookings, performing at more festivals, and charting a career path that lands him aside –and in competition with — Jason Derulo, Bruno Mars, Nick Jonas, and Flo Rida as an international phenome. JusPaul has a #1 record in him – he knows it, the DMV knows it, and anyone who has ever met him or listened to his music knows it.Evolution is real and inevitable, and he will continue to evolve. There’s no other artist from Southeast D.C. making this kind of music – there’s only one JusPaul.

Connect with JusPaul on Instagram , Twitter , and Snapchat (Bobbybrown_jr).