Johnny Jackson (August 28, 1969 - October 3, 2008), commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums "All Eyez on Me" and "Me Against the World", as well as many of Shakur's subsequent posthumous albums. He was born in Juárez, Mexico, in 1969 and raised in South Central Los Angeles. Johnny "J" was co-owner and CEO of Klock Work Entertainment.
Johnny "J" met 2pac and recorded nine tracks with him in three days. Following these recordings Johnny produced "Pour Out a Little Liquor" which appeared on the Above The Rim soundtrack and 2pac's Thug Life album. The soundtrack eventually went Double Platinum and won the the Soundtrack of The Year Award at the 1995 Source Awards.
Johnny produced the track "Death Around The Corner" which ended up on 2Pac's third solo album entitled Me Against The World That album eventually went to the top of the Billboard 200. Johnny specially created the track for 2Pac's "Death Around The Corner", because 2Pac originally wanted the track from Johnny's album song titled "Better Off", which he finally got for the song "Picture Me Rollin", if you listen to Picture Me Rollin and Death Around The Corners they sound similar.
In 1993, Johnny "J" recorded his debut rap album I Gotta Be Me, which spawned two singles: "Get Away From Me" and "Dig Um' Out". Tupac Shakur was in attendance for the recording sessions getting tracks from Johnny Jj". A music video was shot for "Get Away From Me". Jackson produced the entire album, and even showcased his singing abilities on such tracks as "Love's the Way". The album was released in 1994. The beat for "Better Off" would later be recycled for 2Pac's "Picture Me Rollin'" in his 1996 album All Eyez On Me. I Gotta Be Me is now out of print and hard to find.
After 2Pac's release in late 1995, the two began collaborating for 2Pac's Death Row Records debut All Eyez On Me. The double album was released early next year, and Johnny "J" produced the chart topping hits "All Bout U", "How Do U Want It" and "Life Goes On". He also produced "Thug Passion", "Shorty Wanna Be A Thug", "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch", "Run tha Streetz", "All Eyez on Me", "What'z Ya Phone " and "Picture Me Rollin'"
The album is one of the most influential albums in hip hop history, and according to the RIAA, 9 million copies of the album were sold in the United States alone by June 18, 1998.
Prior to Tupac Shakur's death Johnny produced over 100 tracks for the rapper, a great deal of them unreleased. Many of Johnny's collaborations with Shakur ended up being remixed for his posthumous releases such as "Until The End Of Time", "Better Dayz", and "R U Still Down? (Remember Me)", while only a select few remained in their original form.
Johnny had composed a few music scores in such films as Gridlock'd. The first artist Johnny collaborated with after 2Pac's death was Bizzy Bone from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Johnny produced "Thugz Cry" and "Nobody Can Stop Me" off of the Heavenz Movie album, a release that would eventually go gold.
Along with Napoleon from the Outlawz and Val Young, Johnny released "Never Forget" in 2004, a tribute song to 2Pac. A music video was shot for the song, and includes many guest appearances from many of Shakur's close friends.
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