Element

About the Artist Born December 16, 1986, in Los Angeles, California, ELEMENT (Jeremiah Sojourney) is the consummate rapper. As the son of an avid R&B singer, ELEMENT grew up in a household that influenced and nurtured his passion for music and rapping. His father, Oliver Johnson, would frequently play the piano and sing at home. Although ELEMENT received constant exposure to music, life at home was not so easy. ELEMENT’s mother was very abusive towards him. To escape the physical and psychological abuse, ELEMENT turned to reading to escape the tortured reality of his youth. He also wrote poetry as a therapeutic method of coping with his pain. This tradition of exploring his psyche through poetry continues today. By the age of 15, ELEMENT was well on his way to perfecting his rap style by writing, listening to music, and rapping incessantly. By 2001, ELEMENT was making his presence known in Los Angeles’s hip-hop underground scene by free styling and battling at every event he could attend. That year, he also entered the World Rap Championships (WRC) with Franco, an emcee from Northern California. At the WRC, ELEMENT competed against some of the best emcees in the world. While pursuing his rap career, ELEMENT also began delving into Los Angeles’s street culture. At this time, a bond had formed amongst a group of friends equally interested in making music. Scoobs, Six, Aneek, Bluff, and ELEMENT formed Custom Made. Together, they traversed the streets of L.A. to appreciate the challenges and struggles of the people living there. This time of exploration was also fraught with peril. They encountered dangerous situations and had many altercations in the streets of L.A. Most of Custom Made’s members ended up in jail because of those dangerous situations and altercations. Despite these setbacks, ELEMENT and the remaining members continued creating music incorporating their life experiences into their rhymes. In 2005, Custom Made signed their first record deal with BabyGrande Records. Custom Made were now label mates with legendary artists such as GZA, Hi-Tek, Canibus and JedI Mind Tricks. Custom Made soon released their debut album Side Walk Mind Talk as a CD and DVD. In 2007, Custom Made signed with Rawkus Records to release their second album Truth Be Told. ELEMENT’s debut solo project is Great Expectations. His solo project features production by Abstrakt Soundz. ELEMENT and Abstrakt Soundz also worked together on ELEMENT’s junior album release Battle Cry. Battle Cry explores a wide range of issues including poverty, politics drugs, and everyday situations. The concept behind Battle Cry is to discuss pressing issues that everyone can identify with while keeping the music distinctly hip-hop. The music along and his lyrics is designed to inspire thought in the minds of the listeners