One day, amidst college antics and hours of rigorous study, I found myself punching into a Jimmy John’s POS System for...probably about the fourth or fifth work day so far. That was when I met Conrad. It was 2016, say mid to late September, and I didn’t peg it at first glance but it totally made sense when I did figure it out. After our manager-at-the-time introduced us, we got to the sandwich table-talk. Essential get-to-know-you convo soon led to the inquiry I typically set forth upon familiarizing myself with, well, anyone. But, from him first.
“What’s your favorite kind of music?” To which I’m sure I said something to the effect of…
“I typically run with the motto, ‘if I like it, I’ll listen to it,’ but I usually gravitate toward a lot of metal, rap, and hip-hop.” He stared at me for a long second. Not an awkward second. More like, a successful second.
“You like rap music?” He said, more matter-of-factly than questionnairey.
“Yeah man, I’ve been listening to rap music all my life.” Another one of those stares.
“Alright, check it,” he slid into his cargo shorts pocket, “you’ve gotta listen to this and let me know how you like it.” He held up a whole ass CD. In a thick plastic sleeve. Himself plus graphics of sticks across the face. Hatfield and McCoy, it read.
“This is your music?” I said with inflection.
“Yeah.” That successful stare, again. This time, a smile accompanied it.
“Nice, I’m gonna check this out on my next delivery!” I’m not sure if he believed me at that moment, but I really did pop that CD into my 2004 Buick Century and let those stock speakers bump through the first few tracks. Once I got back to the store, just before Conrad was actually about to head out for the day, I told him I enjoyed his work.
“Really bro?” He had sounded sincere, and I answered.
“Yeah man, you know where to go with your flow and your word play is clever. You just go and let the story unfold. No holding back. I like that!” He smiled, rather cheerily.
“Thank you, man. I feel like a lot of people just tell me they like my music, but you’re genuine. I can tell you mean it.”
I wound up having a few more quality instances with Conrad, formerly SeeJay, actually CJ, before my departure from Ball State, and each time I encountered this guy we bonded with ease. About music, about authentic human kindness, and about gunning for your dreams.
From his early teens up until this very moment and beyond, Conrad has seen a vision for himself that only maintains a consistent pursuit. Formulating the hours of dedication, totally-worth-it sleepless nights, and abundance of energy and sense of sacrifice it takes to follow your dreams to fruit would break even the maddest mathematician’s noggin.
With a profound regional presence in the Midwest and surrounding LA area of the West Coast, Conrad is a music making machine alongside his incredible engineer, DJ Tuna. Releasing his first full-length LP, Ivar Ave, at the height of the summer, among countless teasers of new material, music videos for the aforementioned LP, and a fair amount of guest appearances on other’s track’s, Conrad exudes good-hearted workmanship.
Have fun with his tracks, let them nod your head. They’re prime for chilling in bed, or hiking up your BPM. In between cracks and wise plays about smoking down and partying, you’ll find plenty of motivational cues to believe in yourself and encouragement to help nudge your friends toward the same uplifting attitude. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having an ever-developing friendship with one of the nation’s friendliest rappers, it’s this:
“Stop telling yourself you can’t do it, because you can. More often than not, you’ve just gotta say fuck it, and go for it.”
You can find Conrad Jon’s music on all streaming platforms, merch and more on his website, and all of the in between on his socials. Whatever you do, just be sure to catch yourself listening to Conrad. You will only wind up having a good time.
*all images sourced from Conrad Jon's Instagram here
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