OKLAHOMA'S OWN : CHARLES JOHNSON - ARTIST of the WEEK

Photos courtesy of Charles Johnson 

This week's Oklahoma's Own: Artist of the Week goes by the stage name Charles Johnson. He is a 32 year old Detroit, Michigan native who has been an Oklahoma resident for over 15 years. To call this young man simply a rapper would be artificial. Charles Johnson is an all around entrepreneur. In addition to his rap career, he is also a producer, event planner, mentor and private party bartender. Charles Johnson states that while he is part of a team, he is waiting for the right time to introduce his team to the city and until then, it's just Charles Johnson Big Biznis Records. Although he is a local of Oklahoma, don't mistake him for a homebody, Charles Johnson stays on the move, performing in different cities.

Charles Johnson has been in the music business professionally for about 10 years now. He describes his love for music however, as starting at the age of nine, where he explains the first time he picked up the microphone and he has yet to put it down. He even remembers his first rhyme, following that statement with a short chuckle. Giving credit to Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" album as his passion source for music, Charles Johnson notes Hip Hop greats such as A Tribe Called Quest and Big Daddy Kane as his inspirations. He begins to explain one reason why Jay-Z (in his opinion) is the greatest rapper alive, stating that Jay-Z doesn't just rap with metaphors, but cut off before finishing his statement. He states he doesn't want to give up the reason Jay is the greatest, yet he rather you do the research for yourself, but he leaves it simply as, Jay-Z does one thing other rappers don't. I for one can say I am curious to see if I can find the hidden truth behind this "mystery".



When asked his role in the music game, Charles Johnson explains that he does everything in music from A to Z and it his him that is responsible for his music career. Being from Detroit, Michigan, he explains you could find a battle rap on every corner, which makes sense being one of the major music cities in the country. Charles Johnson has a goal to bring the love and true essence of Hip Hop to the Oklahoma community, in addition to the Hip Hop community itself. He says it is something that alot of people here don't have, and I for one can agree. Oklahoma is somewhat set back or slow to what music really is, and with artists like Charles Johnson, we just may be able to get out of that "setback". He's an artist that is willing to collaborate and network with anyone with a good work ethic, stating, "Why hate on the next man, we can't put Oklahoma on the map ourselves, we have to work with each other." He also states that he is not afraid to steer clear of making mainstream music, he's not afraid to be a true artist, making music that you don't hear on the radio or videos you see on t.v. He's about making music from the heart. That is something I say Oklahoma needs more of.

When asked if he could work with any 3 artists, which would they be, Charles Johnson states, "Talib Kweli is one of my most favorite artist of all time. I could go on and on why i would love to work with him. One reason is his music is timeless. His lyric flow is unmatched. He is not scared to make music from the heart. I know we could make a timeless record together. Jay-Z, simply put he is the best rapper alive hands down. This is part of my music inspiration and why I didn't give up on making music. Biggie would be the last but not least. I would love to make a One More Chance type track with Biggie. His flow game was sick and untouchable. He made timeless music as well."Charles Johnson says that compared to some of the mainstream artists in the game right now he would most closely be categorized alongside Jay-Z, for reasons he won't reveal, but states what Jay-Z does, he does., and Drake, because he is not scared to rap or sing about love, true close to home shit. But he's not saying he sounds like them, just that the subject matter is similar and the way Jay-Z uses his words is similar as well. As for today's Hip Hop music? Charles Johnson says he doesn't personally care for most of today's "Hip Hop". Stating, "I wish it could go back to the early 90's where there was a message in all Hip Hop for the most part. If it continues to go this way, it will just be boring. The same stuff all over the place. Slow beats, slow rapping with no point at all." I asked if his music could make a change in Hip Hop and he honestly says that he wouldn't say he could change Hip Hop, but it could help lead it in the direction it should be going, Hip Hop made from the heart, not for the commercialized buck." Nicely said, if I say so myself. 

If you haven't learned by now, Charles Johnson music genre is of course Hip Hop, but he states that he is willing and already has done crossover projects, because he has a love for all genres and is not afraid to go against the norm. A Mos Def for the local level here. The overall goal with music, is for the world to hear his story, with not only touring the states but overseas as well. He states, its crazy how they love Hip Hop in other countries and while a major deal would be nice, he is enjoying being independent and owning everything. Being independent you just have to have a budget which he does and what he describes as "stupid good credit". He repeats that while he is doing his best to put Oklahoma on the map, he's not able to do it alone. Other Oklahoma artists need to wake up and says, " YOU CAN'T PUT THE CITY ON THE MAP ALONE."


I asked what his opinion is on beef between local artists and while everyone in Oklahoma may not realize there is beef, I see all sides of the music here and so I wanted an honest opinion. With high profile beefs such as Nas and Jay-Z, it's certainly not uncommon for local artists to have issues. He states, "What beef? I don't consider there to be any beef here nor do I acknowledge it. Artists need to step their game up before they have so called beef with another rapper over music. To be honest, there is nothing worth hating on here to me and there are no artists worth being jealous over here, not a one, but that's my opinion."

As for the future, Charles Johnson would love to do everything that has to do with entertainment, including acting, since he is such a natural at everything he does. I encourage that goal, as long as you have a plan, nothing is unattainable. In closing he leaves words of advice for others who want to get a start in the music business, "My advice....Stick to doing you and don't get caught up in the hype of making music that you see on t.v. and hear on the radio. Stick to making music from your heart and remain true to yourself, don't be afraid to be different, but watch your back because you will get robbed." 

Well I personally enjoyed doing the feature for Mr. Charles Johnson and would suggest everyone to go check out his music. He has a track called "36 Bars" that I like personally. I am posting links to where you can find his music and hope that his music is able to motivate at least one person out there. It's refreshing meeting humble and down to earth artists who have a true passion for what they do and aren't focused on being rich and famous or being on the next episode of MTV cribs. I look forward to keeping up with Charles Johnson and until the next time, I'm going to go on a quest to find this "secret" talent that makes Jay-Z what Mr. Charles Johnson calls "the greatest rapper alive".... 


Until next time, this is ya girl Misses S.A.M. -signing out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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