J.I. is creating his own route to stardom. Having been a staple on the New York rap scene since he was 15, the New York native is back in his hometown–and it’s never felt better. Back in 2016, the rapper started making a name for himself in the second season of The Rap Game, a television series that featured aspiring hip-hop/rap artists battling it out head to head. Jermaine Dupri, who was the host at the time, first spotted the rapper on Instagram and was immediately attracted to his ability to freestyle. And since then, the young Brooklyn-born and raised rapper has been on the rise. In the intervening years, he’s built up a loyal fanbase, garnered over two million monthly listeners on Spotify, and even achieved a Certified RIAA Platinum status for his single, “Need Me.”

“I'm in the big leagues now,” he laughs, recalling his May 2021 Platinum crowning. “I didn’t think it was going to happen so I didn’t even get my hopes up. Most artists don't get the chance to see platinum or even gold so I never thought it could happen. But when my team told me, I was at a loss for words.”