J Jurkin

Jarrett Juran AKA J Jurkin was born on May 27, 1984, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and lived in Middletown, PA all of his life (Excluding a recent move to New York City for a year).

He was first introduced to rap, listening to Notorious BIG at the age of ten. By the time he was thirteen he started to write his own lyrics.

Due to his interest in rap music at such a young age, J Jurkin has pursued rap in numerous contests in Pennsylvania and New York City including trying out for MTV's “Making the Band.” J Jurkin was given approximately ten seconds to perform and rapped four lines before being thanked by the judges. This inspired J Jurkin to enter into his second contest, MTV's "Battle Competition". After waiting seven hours in the freezing cold, a fight broke out, in a crowd of approximately 3,500 people, forcing everyone involved to leave.

After realizing New York was the place to attend these competitions, J Jurkin decided to move to the city and get in the underground scene on the streets. Battling every night on the streets gave him experience and promotion. J Jurkin also visited TRL as an audience member and he had the chance to battle three people during a commercial break. This opportunity caused him to develop a good friendship with the staff at MTV and has since been invited on the show; meeting many of his inspirations.

On a more local level, J Jurkin won a battle competition on 99.3 KISS FM, receiving free promotion after his victory. J Jurkin also entered “Battle of the Emcee's” for KISS FM, and prevailed over all the other competitors. This resulted in studio time, also getting a song of his on the radio. Although this was yet another exciting experience in his career, one of J Jurkin’s greatest accomplishments was earning the chance to audition for BET’s 106 and Park, Freestyle Friday. At five o’clock AM, he showed up to 106 and Park and waited in line for over six hours in order to battle three opponents, successful each time. J Jurkin then received a phone call, offering him a spot on the show. Three days later while he was living in Pennsylvania he received a call saying they needed an emergency fill in, because the scheduled contestant was scared to battle the opponent he was facing. With little to no preparation, J Jurkin had to battle a five-week current champion. He gained respect, although he is confident he
has greater potential. He earned one out of the three votes from the judges, respect from everyone in the building, and street recognition everywhere in NYC.

Just recently in April, J Jurkin was invited for an MTV battle, which he won. He is now one of the few artists to have battled on both BET and MTV. It was a great experience because he
gained exposure on a nationally televised program. After the battle, J Jurkin was invited to battle at Fight Klub on 38th Street. He is recognized everywhere in the city and most importantly, people know his name.

J Jurkin (Hate Workin’, Stay Flirtin’), writes and Co-produces all of his songs, manages his website, DVD, CD, promotions, marketing, and studio time. All of the videos on www.jjurkin.com including the upcoming music videos from his debut album, “J Jurkin Everything,”are directed, edited, and produced by J Jurkin independently. J executively produced his entire album as well. He is now focused on releasing his debut album and doing shows until any future projects arrive.

Some of J Jurkin’s biggest inspirations include:
Notorious BIG, Tupac, Big L, Big Pun, Eminem, Canibus, and Rakim.