Johnny Love

There is only one thing J-Love is meant to do- and that is make music. The heaviness of his music, infused with melody and lyrics gives you insight into J-Love's entire perspective. For him, it started early in life. He was fortunate enough to have a father and brother who were musicians. Coming from a musical background, there were always instruments readily available to him and instructors willing to teach him about them. J-Love's first real experience in music theory occurred in junior high. The saxophone was his instrument of choice. After several years of performing in his high school band, he was asked to join a Ska Band named "The Specs".Shortly after, he found himself on the road performing with other groups that had later success in music (like No Doubt, The Hepcats, and Skeletones). All these experiences helped usher J-Love into his own path. His love for hip hop music sparked him to form a group called "Black Love", a trio ensemble that fused hip hop with jazzy, psychadelic stylings. Later that decade, he formed another group called ";The Gift Shop" which consisted of himself, MC Tramell Collins, DJ Alex Kohut "Koldcut" and Steve Lefebvre "Stevie Locks". The Gift Shop created a large underground following with their abstract approach to music. They performed with groups such as Pharcyde, The Alkaholiks, Funk Doobiest, Medusa & the Feline Science...just to name a few. The Gift Shop remained prominent in the underground scene and enlisted the help of several club promoters in hopes of gaining attention . Johnny realized that the record industry is only interested in helping those who help themselves. He went back into the studio to record, mix and master his solo music so he could sell them on his own. As it turned out, it was one of the best decisions he ever made. This album is a testament to his journey, his experiences, his outlook on life and people. It is a refreshing mix of abstract hip hop sprung from west coast roots, urban lounge blended with street rhetoric. It is geared towards spreading the Love through awareness and positivity. J-Love insists on quality music that represents his raw essence in creativity. Years later, several groups after, and countless shows behind him, he has created a repertoire of songs drawn from interesting experiences and inspirations along the way.
And with a name like Johnny Love you dont get a nick name.