08 Sep Featured Artist: RJ Griffith
Posted at 04:00h
in RJ Griffith
Ramone Javon Griffith, known professionally as RJ Griffith, is a singer-songwriter who is using his powerful voice to inspire people in love, spirituality, and to chase their dreams. RJ grew up in Bellwood, IL, a suburb located 13 miles west of Chicago’s downtown Loop. He was thrown into the spotlight as a young child appearing in advertisements, commercials, and even shared a role with his twin brother in the movie Hardball. Although he enjoyed those experiences and landed additional acting roles during his teen and college years, RJ soon realized that his singing voice was the reason he was selected for many of these roles and decided to shift his focus to improving as a vocalist.
Inspired by the likes of Michael Jackson, James Brown, Luther Vandross, and Jamie Foxx, RJ’s passion for singing earned him a collegiate choir scholarship to Saint Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, IN) and soon after, an invitation to perform in front of thousands of people each week at his church. RJ loved the feeling of performing and inspiring people through music, which before long motivated him to start creating and putting his own spin on positive upbeat music that everyone could enjoy.
RJ’s full-time music career officially began in 2016 when he was cut from his educator job with Chicago Public Schools due to budget cuts. After losing his job, he and his wife ended up having to sell their house and most of their worldly possessions aside from their car and clothes. This spiraled Griffith into a deep depression for months until one day he decided to go beat shopping online and found the instrumental for his most popular song to date titled “Good Day.” While listening, the lyrics just came to him… “No need to be stressed, I got air in my chest, my life has a purpose, today it will be worth it!” and it was the easiest song he ever wrote because it came from the heart during a trying time in his life. He took this as a sign that music was his calling and that if he couldn’t inspire people as an educator, he could inspire people through his songs.
Although “Good Day” is the song that inspired RJ’s full-time solo career, and eventually an EP titled A Good Day…, his first ever project was an EP titled Prey that was released in October of 2016. Prey quickly earned praise from his peers and was recognized by multiple press outlets, including Nonstop Radio, This is 50, and Sleeping Bag Studios. Sleeping Bag Studios reviewed the EP and had this to say after listening, “Griffith has found all kinds of ways to win through the innovative approach he takes to his material – I dig it!” The fourth song off of the EP, “Haunted By My Past,” was also selected to be sync licensed in the independent movie The Assumptions, which premiered on February 27, 2017 in Palm Springs, CA. In 2019 the production team of the motion picture Canal Street, creatively collaborated with RJ on a music video for the third song off of the EP titled “God Bless Our Enemies.”
With the success of Prey, RJ didn’t keep his fans waiting long, releasing a three song Valentine’s Day love song EP titled Direction four months later. Direction was well-received and soon after the release, his voice caught the attention of National Recording Group, Zion’s Joy. In August of 2017 it became official, RJ joined Zion’s Joy as a lead tenor and toured with the group across the country while continuing to pursue his solo career; tour stops included Nashville, New Orleans, Dallas, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, highlighted by being selected to open for Deitrick Haddon and Jekalyn Carr in Baltimore. RJ also made his national television debut with Zion’s Joy on July 14, 2018 on the Huckabee Show, but has since taken a step back from the group to focus more on his solo career.
