J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO started his music journey back in junior high briefly as a break dancer, but quickly learned that he wanted to be a DJ after he saw a Winston-Salem DJ cutting and scratching on two turntables at hip hop venue. During his sophomore year in high school, J.O.T. DJ'd his first large scale venue at the Sawtooth Center in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina (The same spot he saw the hip hop DJ that influenced him). J.O.T. left his DJ crew after going away to college at Nor...
J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO started his music journey back in junior high briefly as a break dancer, but quickly learned that he wanted to be a DJ after he saw a Winston-Salem DJ cutting and scratching on two turntables at hip hop venue. During his sophomore year in high school, J.O.T. DJ'd his first large scale venue at the Sawtooth Center in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina (The same spot he saw the hip hop DJ that influenced him). J.O.T. left his DJ crew after going away to college at North Carolina State University and became a campus DJ. He soon afterwards DJ’d for clubs and hip hop/rap groups in Raleigh. Though J.O.T. had gained a decent amount of fame and finance throughout North Carolina from being a DJ at clubs and for hip hop/rap groups, he still felt unfulfilled inside with his musical abilities and skills. Before long J.O.T. started producing his own beats and eventually started writing and rapping his own lyrics. This soon led J.O.T. to embark out on his own as a solo hip hop/rap artist and record songs in the studio. In 1996 J.O.T. officially started up his company, SOUL-FULL PRODUCTIONS, with three different subsidiary branches (J.O.T. RECORDS-The record label branch, SOUL-FULL WEAR-The clothing line branch, and SOUL-FULL PUBLISHING-The literature branch). As the first artist to come out on his independent record label, J.O.T. RECORDS, J.O.T. put out eight CD albums, four CD singles, and four 12” vinyl records (entitled NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT Presents…..volumes 1,2,3, 4 and 5). He also has a music video which was shot on film near the college university he attended. J.O.T. considers himself to be the Quincy Jones of hip hop/ rap because he does everything on his CD projects ranging from writing and performing all his lyrics, producing all his music tracks, performing all of the cuts and scratches in his songs, to designing the artwork for the CD layout/CD cover. J.O.T. is also part of NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT, a group of various artists whose music styles range from Rap/Hip hop, Dancehall reggae/Roots reggae, Spanish rap/Reggaeton, R & B, Pop Country, to Positve rap/Holy hip hop. Today J.O.T. has been heard on major FM radio stations, SIRIUS satellite radio, and has appeared on major television news stations. J.O.T. has performed live in both Miami, Florida (In 2003 at UMOJA FESTIVAL, in 2006 at I/O ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE) and Winston-Salem North Carolina(In 2002 at BENTON CONVENTION CENTER NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT hosted by 97.1 FM’s A.C. STOWE, in 2006 at CENTRO CRISTIANO OUTDOOR CONCERT, in 2007 at the Twin City Ribfest, in 2008 at the HISPANIC FESTIVAL “FIESTA”, in 2009 at NC STATE’s “EL SALSABOR” event, in 2009 at the DIXIE CLASSIC FAIRGROUNDS, and also in 2010 at the DIXIE CLASSIC FAIRGROUNDS). In 2004 J.O.T. had his first autobiography published, entitled About J.O.T., which took six years to write. Around 1998 J.O.T. had designed some pieces from the upcoming SOUL-FULL WEAR clothing line that were also worn by him for advertisement. He spelled SOUL-FULL with a hyphen and two “L’s” at the end because his SOUL was FULL because he was spreading the WORD of GOD through what he does. Around that same time J.O.T. designed the first piece from the female division of his clothing line which is called Lady Soul. In 2006 more pieces were designed through collaboration with a female friend. Later that same year J.O.T. had another book published called Breaking Stereotypes, and promoted another 12" vinyl various artist project NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT Presents....volume 4. In addition to that he also promoted his CD album titled NITROGLYCERIN that same year. In 2007 J.O.T. started up the first issue of SOUL-FULL magazine. The year 2008 proved to be fruitful for J.O.T. for he published a third book titled I COULD HAVE GOTTEN REVENGE BUT I DIDN’T. The book featured “two different books in one” (His book and his female business partner’s book), and displayed two different front covers as well. In 2009 J.O.T. has put out a “LIVE” PERFORMANCE DVD and also a CD album titled “PARA GANAR” (which in English means “IN ORDER TO WIN”) and contains songs in both ENGLISH and SPANISH. In 2010 J.O.T., along with his female business partner/music artist MS. CRYSTAL released their CD album "ESA QUE PASA"("THAT's WHAT's UP") which also contains songs in both ENGLISH and SPANISH. Also released in 2010 was another 12" vinyl NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT project(Volume#5) which featured ENGLISH songs like CANCER/MS RAP, and SPANISH TRACKS like ESA QUE PASA as well. In 2011 J.O.T. releases his eigth CD album "LIMPIAR PALABRAS"("TO CLEAN WORDS") which also features MS. CRYSTAL aka BONITA SENORITA as well. To date J.O.T. has put out EIGHT CD ALBUMS: 1)I WON'T STOP BEING ME; 2)NATURE OF MY BEING; 3)ROCKING THE N.C.; 4)UNDERGROUND RAPROAD; 5)NITROGLYCERIN; 6) PARA GANAR(IN ORDER TO WIN); 7.)ESA QUE PASA(THAT's WHAT's UP); 8.)LIMPIAR PALABRS(TO CLEAN WORDS); and FOUR CD SINGLES: 1)SELF ANALYZATION; 2)SNOWFLAKES; 3)BIOLOGICAL WARFARE; 4)NORTH CAKALAK. If there is one thing J.O.T. wants everyone to remember, it is no matter what kind of productions he does (Music, Books, or Clothing) it definitely will be SOUL-FULL!!!!
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