S-Endz with Johnny J at Klockwork Studios, August 2006 -------------------------
from allhiphop.com-------------------------
Producer Johnny Jackson aka Johnny J. died from an apparent suicide in the Los Angeles County Jail yesterday (October 3).
According to a number of reports, Jackson, who was incarcerated on a DUI charge, allegedly jumped from a tier in the prison, resulting in his death, although the official cause of death has not been determined.
Johnny J., who was born in Mexico and raised in South Central Los Angeles, is best known for the body of work he recorded with the late Tupac Shakur.
He started in the music business at the age of 16, but his first taste of success came in 1990, when he produced the Grammy nominated hit single "Knockin' Boots" for pioneering "Spanglish" rapper Candyman.
Around 1993, Johnny J started an affiliation with Shakur, which would eventually produce hundreds of recordings land the producer work on a number of high profile releases.
He produced tracks on albums like The Above The Rim soundtrack, as well as Tupac's Thug Life album, Me Against The World and All Eyez On Me, which contained the hit single How Do U Want It, which was a Johnny J. production.
Johnny J. was prolific as well, having produced or scored music for movies like Blood Diamond, The Fan and The Big Hit.
Johnny J. also released a solo album in 1995 titled I Gotta Be Me and many of his productions on Tupac Shakur ended up on posthumous releases like Until The End Of Time, Better Dayz, R U Still Down (Remember Me) and others.
Johnny J. also worked with a number of artists, ranging from Tatyana Ali and The Outlawz to Lil' Eazy E's group The Kings of L.A.
A documentary on his life was also being produced at the time of his death.
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Hey all. As you can probably imagine, I've been in shock since yesterday when I found out the news. Johnny was not only someone I looked up to for his work (and not just the incredible production he did with Tupac), but, more importantly, I had a great deal of respect for him as a human being since I had the opportunity to meet and interview him for BBC 1xtra a couple of years ago.
Johnny went above and beyond the call of duty to accommodate us. We (myself, DJ Semtex from 1xtra and 1xtra show producer Julie) spent hours at Johnny's studio just outside of Los Angeles, while he played us unreleased 2Pac songs and productions he had done (most of which are still yet to see the light of day) and he was absolutely friendly, candid and laid back. In fact, we chatted so much that at one point we realised "Shit, maybe we should turn the microphone on now and actually begin the interview!". He gave us the tour of his studio and offices, his multitude of platinum plaques for his work on albums such as Me Against The World, and All Eyez On Me. He showed us his SP1200 drum machine that he created so many classics with. He showed us the pass from the Seldon-Tyson fight in Vegas from the night 'Pac was shot, a bottle of Cristal that 'Pac had given him and more. We even posed for photos in his 'Memorial Room', a room that was a tribute to artists that had passed, everyone from Tupac to Selena Quintanilla to Roger Troutman. He signed a bunch of stuff for us, and even gave me a promo photo of Tupac from Interscope, that only 50 copies had been made of, and signed that too. That's been hanging on my wall ever since.
Johnny gave us the answers we wanted to hear and more. He didn't hold back when it came to his grievances at the posthumous remixing of Tupac's music. He recounted fondly experiences with both Tupac and other artists to such a degree that I felt like it could have been my own memories. Heck, I even jammed on his bass guitar a little bit!!
We interviewed him for at least an hour, and his interview was chopped down heavily to be broadcast as part of a 2-hour Tupac Documentary that I hosted. After the interview, we stayed and kicked it with Johnny some more, before we jumped in his car and he gave us a ride to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in Hollywood.
After the documentary had aired, I stayed in contact with Johnny. We exchanged emails for a few months. I tried calling him at one point last year and realized his number had changed, so I sent him a message here on MySpace to which he responded, giving me his new number.
Fast forward to Summer 2008. I'm on tour with Swami in Canada, when I meet hip-hop activist Deejay Ra. I knew that Ra ran in the same circles as me when it came to Tupac and his associates, so I brought up the subject of Johnny. Turns out, Ra works with an artist called Imaan Faith, and Johnny had produced on Imaan's album. Ra gave me a copy of the album, and we got to talking. As it had been a while, I asked him if Johnnys number was still the same. He looked it up on his phone and the numbers matched. I told him I would mention his name to Johnny when I next spoke to him.
But, that leads you to today, and I never got the chance.
So Johnny - I want to write here the things I never got to say to you. I want to say thanks for everything, from the music you created that inspired me in doing what I do, to the incredible amount of love you showed when we met. You were a true souljah, and I hope you, 'Pac and Roger are jamming in the afterlife. I'll miss you.
My deepest condolences go out to your wife and children....
R.I.P Johnny 'J' Jackson
'UNTIL THE END OF TIME'
P.S - I'm currently attempting to track down some video footage that was taken of me and Johnny. I'll upload it here if I can get a hold of it.