J. Haj is a Hip Hop artist from Dublin, Ireland. He has a released a collection of both mixtapes and albums over the past 20 years. J. Haj has performed live in Dublin city venues and has been a member of multiple rap groups. He has recently released his new EP titled, ‘Late But Always On Time’ and he is currently working on new material that will be released later this year.
Link to the latest music
https://lnk.to/latebutalwaysontime
Where are you based?
Dublin, Ireland
How long have you been making music?
20+ years
What genre would you consider your music to be?
Hip Hop / Rap
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
My love of writing started back in school when my English teacher asked the classroom to write a poem about life. When we had finished, she asked each class member to stand up, one by one and read out the poem they had wrote. When I had finished reading mine, my teacher, followed by my classmates, started to applaud and I was encouraged to continue expressing myself through poetry. This love of writing soon developed into a passion for rap music, with influences derived from the release of Dr. Dre’s ‘Up in Smoke Tour’, Eminem’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ and Tupac’s posthumous album, ‘Until the end of Time’.
What are your biggest musical influences?
In 1998, I bought 2Pac’s greatest hits with my pocket money and although I listened to hip hop prior to this, I fell in love with story telling wrapped up in heavy hip hop beats. Discovering Eminem in 2000 elevated that love of story telling and soon led me to start recording my own music with a friend of mine.
Are you signed to a label or are you an independent artist?
I’m currently unsigned
What have been the biggest challenges in your music career?
In 2015, I decided to step away from rap music due to a lack of notoriety, followed by the birth of my daughter.
How many songs or albums have you released to date?
I’ve recorded over 200 tracks, five of which were mixtapes and five EPs with my latest one titled, ‘Late But Always On Time – EP’.
Can you tell us a few things about your latest release?
I started recording my latest EP back in April, 2022. I was concerned that my 7 year hiatus would have hindered my writing skills but the break done me good as I accumulated a lot that I wanted to say and rap has opened the door again for me to express myself.
Any plans for new music or upcoming projects we should know about?
I have already completed my 2nd EP (untitled) that is currently being mastered and I have started the writing process for my 3rd EP.
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