Japiro

James Nealy II (Japiro) was born November 4, 1981. Japiro holds many rare qualities over many upcoming artist’ in the game today as an artist, talented producer, and songwriter. In his spare time Japiro holds a passion for video directing, and photography. Japiro’s name recognition, rousing lyrics, and top-notch production make him a standout amongst the crowd. Though he weighs in quite slender and preppy at 5’9 and 130 pounds Japiro’s voice reigns with a vibe and tone that is enough to speak and set trends to millions of people across the globe.

Japiro’s rap career began to take off in the summer of 1996 when he was recruited by a neighborhood friend who began to show James the ropes of production and song writing at the age of 15. During James’ years of high school he lead battles and impromptu freestyles in school hallways, lunch tables, and during school events. After meeting his two best friends/brothers Alcatrez and Panama at Baltimore City College High School they eventually formed the three man group M.E.P (Making Everything Possible) Dating back to 1998, M.E.P moved their material up and down the East Coast for 10 years straight. Across the city of Baltimore from East to West Japiro and M.E.P began to work with numerous artists to build one of the biggest catalogs in music history.

Japiro graduated from Morgan State University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Public Relations. During this time, Japiro began to focus on broadening his solo career which began to blossom after releasing four solo albums Mention My Name, Second to None, The Book of James & True Veteran (iTunes). James began directing and editing videos and began networking with promoters, dj’s, and other artists to complete his 7 volume mixtape series Piromania. With other projects in line James pursued his quest to pursue a solo career. With no manager, no job, and no promising deals on the table James ventured out on his own in early 2008 and officially began PMG Records. With experience performing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (2007), becoming the 92Q Cipher Line Champion (1999), winner of the Heritage 50 MC Battle (2002), and the 5 Seasons Battle hosted by C-Love in (2006) Japiro began performing and was eventually paid to host two different Open Mic shows at the Eden’s Lounge and at Cibo’s in Baltimore, MD.

Japiro’s stage presence was enough to earn him top dollar for performing and hosting at various venues and helped to begin broaden his fan base. As Japiro continues to explore the mature entertainment and nightlife scene in Baltimore he decided to take his show on the road state to state while pursuing his Masters Degree in Education and will continue to brand himself with self-produced albums, videos, and mixtapes along with his business partner James Stepp IV. His plan to bring creativity to a culture that has been severely hit by a decline in sales is challenge that many fail to overcome. In due time, Japiro will maximize the essence and urgency of the Internet to build an empire that will be around for years to come.