RJD2

July 27, 200718 yr

RJD2 (born Ramble John "RJ" Krohn on May 27, 1976) is an American hip hop producer. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label and has produced tracks for many prominent independent rappers. However, it seems he has now left Def Jux and has signed with XL Records.

Biography

RJD2 originally began his career in Columbus, Ohio, DJing in 1993 with a pair of turntables bought from a friend. He claims his name originates from another friend who referenced him as "RJD2" in his raps, and the name stuck.[2]Originally working the role of DJ in the Columbus rap group MHz, he later signed to Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em label, releasing the self-proclaimed "mix CD" Your Face or Your Kneecaps. A year later he signed to rapper/producer El-P's label Definitive Jux, where he released his solo debut Deadringer. In 2002 RJD2 collaborated with Columbus rapper Blueprint under the name Soul Position, releasing Unlimited EP, and 8 Million Stories in 2003. He released his second solo album Since We Last Spoke on Definitive Jux in 2004 and released Soul Position's third album Things Go Better With RJ and Al in 2006. He still continues to produce tracks, working with many independent rappers, such as Copywrite, Cunninlynguists, MF DOOM, Diverse and Aceyalone. Recently he contributed a cover of "Airbag" by Radiohead for the 2006 album "Exit Music". He has recently announced that he has left Def Jux and will be going for more of a 'pop route'.

Discography

Albums

Your Face or Your Kneecaps (2001)
Deadringer (2002)
Loose Ends (2003)
Since We Last Spoke (2004)
Constant Elevation (2005)
In Rare Form Unreleased Instrumentals (2005)
Magnificent City Instrumentals (2006)
The Third Hand (March 6, 2007)

EPs

The Horror (2003)

Singles

"Rain"
"Here's What's Left"
"Let The Good Times Roll"
"June" (w/Copywrite)
"1976"
"Through the Walls"
"The Horror b/w Final Frontier (Remix)" (w/Blueprint, Vast Aire, Aesop Rock & Murs)
"Ghostwriter (Cat-Gut Edit)"
"Exotic Talk"
"Counselling" (w/MHz)
"True Confessions"
"Get Off My Spaceship Bitch"

Collaborations

Pryor Convictions - The Dirty Birds (RJD2 & Poppa Hop)
Unlimited EP - Soul Position (RJD2 & Blueprint) (2002)
8 Million Stories - Soul Position (RJD2 & Blueprint) (2003)
RJD2 Meets Diplo from Hollertronix - Diplo (RJD2 & Diplo) (2004)
Haul & Mason 11th Hour Mega Mix - (Haul & Mason & RJD2)
Magnificent City - Aceyalone (Aceyalone & RJD2) (2006)
Things Go Better with RJ and AL - Soul Position (RJD2 & Blueprint) (2006)

Appearances

The track "Ghostwriter" has been featured in a number of advertisements, including those for the Washington state lottery, Wells-Fargo financial services, Anadin Extra painkillers in the UK, and Saturn. It is also the theme song to TNT's "Inside The NBA", and appears in the soundtrack for the movies Prime and Wimbledon. The song also appears in the freestyle skiing movie, The Hitlist in 2004.
The track "The Horror" is featured in a Levi's commercial in the UK (titled "Moonbathing").
The track "Clean Living" appears in the video game "NFL 2K5".
The track "Act 2" appears in the video game "NBA 2K5".
The tracks "Schoolyard Scrimmage Intro" and "Schoolyard Scrimmage Outro" appear in the video game "NBA 2K6" and its soundtrack.
The track "Good Times Roll Pt. 2" has appeared in PBS station WTTW's advertisements.
The tracks "Welcome To New Radius", "Vandal Squad! Laylo Mix", "Opening Scene", "C.C.K. Turf", "Still Free Crew", "VaNR Turf" and "Hello My Name Is Mr. 9_06" in the video game "Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure". All of the tracks apart from "Opening Scene" also appeared on the CD bundled in the limited edition of the game which formed the soundtrack.
The track "De L'Alouette" appears in Adidas José + 10 aired during the 2006 FIFA World Cup
The Track "Since We Last Spoke" appears in the Mountainbike Film ROAM from 2006. The song also appears in the freestyle skiing movie, The Hitlist in 2004.
Multiple tracks have appeared in Paul Rodriguez's skateboarding video, "Forecast".