Who is Jon Hope?

Jon Hope says “I use my life as the foundation of my music. That alone allows me to be original because no one else can speak from my perspective.” That outlook fuels the genre and cultural defying messages that live in his rhymes. Born and raised in Providence Rhode Island. Raised by a single West African mother, as young boy, Hope endured the hardships of foster care, his father’s absence, and all that growing up in the inner city entails. Hope embraced these challenges and experiences, using them as motivation for success, channeling his thoughts and ideas through a pen and a pad.

In his early teens, Hope began to write music, mimicking Kris Kross, Lady of Rage, and MC Ren. He would spit in neighborhood rap ciphers, and battled local rappers honing his skills.. As years went by, many of Hope’s close friends would encourage him to take his musical expression beyond the parameters of his Arbor Glen apartment complex. He took heed of their advice and Jon Hope hasn’t looked back since.

In 2006, Jon Hope released his first mixtape “To Whom It May Concern” hosted by fellow Providence native Theo Martins (formerly known as DJ S-Class) .The inaugural mixtape included the breakout single “Breathin’” featuring longtime friend/producer Taktix. The street -conscious single was inspired by the horrific events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. For his next project, he aligned with legendary New England DJ/Producer Statik Selektah. “The Audacity” exposed Hope to a nationwide audience through features on Allhiphop.com (Breeding Ground), HipHopgame.com, and Billboard.com. Increasingly, Hope skills found him featured on high profile blogs like Okayplayer, Nahright.com, and 2dopeboyz.com. To capitalize on his buzz, Hope set-out on a college tour spanning 14 dates. During the grassroots trek, Hope shared the stage with several hip hop notables, including Rakim, The Lox, K’Naan and Nas, for whom he opened on several dates of the Jones Experience Tour.

On April 7, 2009 Jon Hope released his debut album “Somekind of Wonderful” instantly gratifying hip hop purists. The record put Hope on the national radar, with a feature in XXL Magazine’s coveted Show and Prove section and rotation on MTVu for his video, “Breathin’” The classic debut was listed as one of the Top 100 indie albums of 2009 by legendary music writer Dart Adams.
Jon Hope remains optimistic about the future of his music career. He reflects “as long as I stick to the notion that this is a labor of love, I’ll never be unemployed!” 2010 looks very promising, as Jon Hope continues to inspire and give the world ‘hope’ through his voice and music.

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One Response to Biography

1.
Carleitta says:
July 21, 2010 at 5:05 pm

I am soooo proud of your RI!! Oh, excuse me, Jon Hope! Stay true to your dreams, and soon enough reality will set in!
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