A.J. Crew
A. J. Crew | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Andrew-Jon Phommalee |
| Born | July 1, 1990 |
| Origin | Toledo, Ohio |
| Genres | Hip-Hop, Rap |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, Record Producer |
| Years active | 2009 – present |
| Website | ajcrew |
A.J. Crew (born July 1, 1990) is an American hip-hop artist and producer, born and raised in Toledo, Ohio.[1] He is most notable for his contributions to the Chicago hip-hop scene, in particular his collaborations with Grammy-Award winning, Rhymefest, Naledge (of Kidz In The Hall fame) and producing for Demarco Castle, formerly known as Gemstones of 1st & 15th fame. He previously attended Columbia College Chicago and Roosevelt University.[2]
Early life
Phommalee was born July 1st, 1990 in Toledo, Ohio and grew up on the South End of the city. He was raised by his mother, attended E.L. Bowsher High School and graduated in the year 2008. It was then that he decided to move to Chicago, Illinois to pursue music as a career and went forward with the stage name of A.J. Crew.[3]
Career
Upon Crew’s arrival to Chicago, Illinois, he began to attend Columbia College Chicago. There, he met his former manager, Austin Neely,[4] and together they formed a collective known as Thrift Store Entertainment. This partnership lasted through the release of his debut effort, “Nightmares & Daydreams”.[5] The album was released on September 1st, 2009 via Ruby Hornet,[6] Dope Couture and Soundscape Studios. It featured a guest appearance from Grammy-Award winning songwriter, Rhymefest. Their collaboration, “Destiny & Desire”, was featured on two prominent Chicago hip-hop radio stations, WGCI and Power 92, during their respective Go-Ill Radio and Truestar Radio programs.
Miles Raymer of the Chicago Reader wrote, “...on the album in question, Crew shows a lot of potential - he’s got a talent for punch lines and a way of mixing long lyrical with short chopped lines.”[7]
Soon after, Crew left Chicago and changed schools, which became a detriment to his music career. Crew says of the move, “It’s definitely one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. The whole time I was getting ready to leave a lot of supporters, business partners and friends were asking about it and just being supportive overall.”[8] Thrift Store Entertainment folded shortly after his departure.
Crew continued to stay active in the music scene by producing for other artists. He produced “XL (Excel)” for Demarco Castle, then known as Gemstones, and his “On The Road To Glory: My Story” project in August 2010.
A.J. returned to Chicago in the fall of 2010 to attend Roosevelt University, where he majored in Communications.
In 2011, Crew released a project in conjunction with popular hip-hop blogs, Fake Shore Drive and What’s In My Headphones, to release his “Free Agency - The Remaster” project.[9] He released two music videos from said project, “Wayfarers” and “If I Should”, where he sampled from Dilated Peoples and Chase N Cashe, respectively.
As the title and content reflects upon his return to the city of Chicago, he aligned with Complex Media Network partner, DJBooth.net, to host his “Homecoming, Part II - EP” in May 2012.
Currently, A.J. is set to release his next full-length album, “The Reality Of It All”, for free on May 1st, 2013. He announced it will be released via DJBooth.net and his official website. The album features a collaboration with Naledge from the indie hip-hop duo, Kidz In The Hall, entitled, “Nah Mean?”. The music video for the collaboration was shot in July 2012 and released in late October of 2012.
Discography
- Nightmares & Daydreams
- Free Agency - The Remaster
- Homecoming, Part II - EP[10]
- The Reality Of It All
Production discography
References
- ^ "A.J. Crew". MTV. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "A.J. Crew". Songkick. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "A.J. Crew – Graduated With The Cords". Music Ninja. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "25 Under 25: The Young Leaders of Style". Complex (magazine). Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "A.J. CREW – NIGHTMARES & DAYDREAMS". uproxx.com. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "A.J, Crew: Nightmares & Daydreams LP". Ruby Hornet. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "New music from A.J. Crew". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "RH First Look: A.J. Crew". Ruby Hornet. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "Mixtape: A.J. Crew – Free Agency – The Remaster". Fake Shore Drive. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "A.J. Crew - Homecoming, Part II". DJ Booth. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "GemStones a.k.a. Gemini - XL (Excel)". Fake Shore Drive. Retrieved 13 July 2013.