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Influenced by artists like Moby, Dj Shadow, Stereolab,
Dj Krush and Broadcast, Rjd2’s style sits somewhere
between electronic, pop and hip hop. When it comes
to assigning a genre to mister Ramble John Krohn, you
will be hard pressed to find one defining area to place
him, which is probably why he has been able to lock
down such a unique sound as a producer.
He started his career as an Ohio
based DJ in 1993 and eventually went
to work the role as DJ for Columbus
rap group MHz. Rjd2 then signed
to Fondle ‘Em, releasing his mix
CD Your Face Or Your Kneecaps. The
next year he signed to Definitive Jux
and released his solo debut album
Deadringer. He released his second
solo album, Since We Last Spoke on
Definitive Jux in 2004, which blended hip-hop with elements of pop and
landed himself in SPIN’s list of Top
40 Albums.
Influence &
Context
Roots
In 2006 He collaborated with Aceyalone for a
full album, Magnificent City, which led to his
turning point in 2009 after the instrumental
version of A Beautiful Mine, hit AMC television as the theme for Mad Men. In between,
Rjd2 released another solo album, The Third
Hand, on XL Recordings and toured
extensively through 2008.
In early 2010, he released The Colossus - the first album to be released on
his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections. He has since reissued Your Face
Or Your Knee Caps, The Horror, and
Since We Last Spoke as well as a vinyl
LP deluxe box set entitled 2002-2010,
and his latest album More Is Than
Isn’t, came out on his label in
October of 2013.
Significance
Rjd2 has played a huge role in the
area of sample based production and
has pushed this even further in 2010
while working with others for live
instrumentation. He has also done a
wide range of unique collaborations
and projects from full albums, to
single productions and EPs.
Aaron Livingston
Ramble John Krohn
Icebird
Eddie Hayes, famously known as Aceyalone, played a
big role in the career of Rjd2, collaborating as a singer/
rapper on the album a Magnificent City in 2006. Aceyalone started his career in the early 90s as founder of
underground rap group, Freestyle Fellowship and was
also a part of Haiku D’Etat later on in 1997. As Freestyle Fellowship disbanded in 1995, Hayes released his
debut solo album, “All Balls Don’t Bounce”, which led
him to much recognition but still allowed him to keep
his reputation in the west coast underground rap scene.
Returning from a 3 year absence from hip hop in 2001,
Aceyalone came back with Accepted Electric, followed
by Hip Hop and the World We Live in 2002, Love and
Hate in 2003 and a reissued version of All Balls Don’t
bounce on his label Project Blowed in 2004. His next
album was Magnificent City with Rjd2, of which came
the song A Beautiful Mine. Its instrumental version
is now used as the Theme song for AMC’s Mad Men.
Since then, Aceyalone has released, Grand Imperial
(2006), Lightning Strikes (2007), The Lonely Ones
(2009), and his latest album Leanin’ on Slick (2013).
As a musician from Philadelphia, Aaron Livingston was
a participant of the Black Lily Music and Film Festival,
featured on The Roots track, “Guns Are Drawn”, and acts
as lead singer in indie rock/soul group, The Mean, who
currently have two albums out, Meet us Here, and Zero Zero.
Livingston and Rjd2 started working together on the song
“Crumbs Off The Table” for Rjd2’s album, The Colossus.
RJ exclaims that Icebird, the collaboration between them, is
a best-of-both-worlds effort, merging his strong production
skills with the clever and unique vocals from Livingston. The
two elements create a very strong dynamic, which can be
heard on their album The Abandoned Lullaby, released on
RJ’s Electrical Connection, in October of 2011.
Ramble John Krohn is the producer known as Rjd2.
He started in Columbus, Ohio, Djing in 1993 while
attending high school at Fort Hayes Metropolitan
Education Center, graduating in 1994. The name
“Rjd2” originates from another friend who referenced him as “Rjd2” in his raps, and the name stuck.
Krohn has created many albums, releasing on record
labels Definitive Jux, XL Recordings and eventually,
his own, RJ’s Electrical Connections in 2009. He has
collaborated with many artists including, Blueprint,
Kenna, Phonte Coleman, The Catalyst, Illogic, NP,
P.Blackk, STS, Khari Mateen and most notably, Aceyalone for a full album, Magnificent City, and Aaron
Livingston to create the group Icebird.
Aceyalone
Deadringer
- 2002
June, The Horror, Ghostwriter
Since We Last Spoke
- 2004
Exotic Talk, 1976, Someone’s Second Kiss
Magnificent City
Fire, Heaven, A Beautiful Mine
The Third Hand
You Never Had It So Good
The Colossus
The Glow, The Shining Path
More Is Than Isn’t
Her Majesty’s Social Request
- 2006
- 2007
- 2010
- 2013