Last summer Spotify announced their newest RADAR partnership with Brooklyn’s own, J.I. Launched in March 2020, RADAR has served as the platform for Spotify’s Global Emerging Artist Program, encompassing over 20 global sister programs, and represents Spotify’s commitment to supporting artists across all stages of their development across all genres. Today, the rising artist to watch releases his inaugural Spotify Singles. Recorded in his NYC hometown last fall, Side A is a stripped-back, piano-driven version of J.I.’s single “Letter 2 U,” off his recently released Hood Life Krisis Vol. 3 EP and Side B is a gorgeous cover of Drake’s iconic “Marvins Room.” Of the tracks he shares “The reasons why I picked these tracks are because ‘Letter 2 U’ was the first single off HLK V.3 and was very well received. I picked to cover Drake because he is a prolific staple for Generation Z. ‘Marvin’s Room’ is a vibe so recreating this song made sense.”
J.I. – Dual eSingle “Spotify Singles” (Spotify Exclusive)
“Letter 2 U” Acoustic: HERE
“Marvins Room”: HERE
The exclusive Spotify singles arrive fresh off the heels of the latest installment of his mixtape trilogy, Hood Life Krisis Vol. 3 which features 7-tracks including a solo Reggaetón single, “Suficiente” (Sufficient) as well as the highly anticipated collaboration, “R&B Shit” featuring fellow NYC rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (which XXL listed as on of their 13 best news songs of the week). Released via G*Starr Ent./Geffen Records the project garnered attention from Complex (“has quickly grown to become one of the brightest acts out right now”), Billboard (“J.I. looks to bearhug the NY rap scene once more with his third installment.”), HotNewHipHop (the young emcee did not disappoint on the new project”) and more. He was also named one of Rolling Stone’s “Biggest Breakthrough Artists of 2020” and landed a spot on The New York Times “Best Songs of 2020 Playlist.” At 19-years-old, J.I. continues to be a force to be reckoned with.
Driving more than four billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love. The Singles scope includes a unique version of each artist’s own song (Side A) and a cover song of their choosing (Side B). To date, there have been over 300 Singles recorded as part of the program.
