J. “JAEWAR” King draws on his Jamaican and Haitian heritage and engineering background as inspiration for his music, his band, and his production style. The Brooklyn-born, Tidewater Virginia-raised artist--whose full name means "peace-loving lion-king"--shares his passion for music, fashion, and futbol with his international audience. JAEWAR fuses samples, 808s, beats, and bars to split the difference between groove driven funk, neo soul, hip hop, reggae, and rock. A power player in the Virginia music scene, he fronts the band Vibe Riot and spearheads Vibe Fest, a grassroots music festival that has expanded his reach globally. With what Spain-based music influencer Pettans calls "elegant percussion, deep vibes, and pleasant sounds," JAEWAR campaigns to be the Bob Marley of hip hop. A charismatic storytelling bright vocal timbre draws comparisons to JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak. Music critics describe his smooth percussive flow as hypnotizing and deep, while the content of his lyrics ranges from defiant to sexy. But, "even when JAEWAR's talking about politics," Erin O'Hare of CVILLE Weekly observes, "he's really talking about love."
JAEWAR & VIBE RIOT
Normally billed as JAEWAR & VIBE RIOT, the East Coast indie group fuses reggae bass, jazz blues guitar, distorted keys & horns, and 808s & Afro-Cuban percussion. Include the powerful vocals of JAEWAR, Ev33, Xe Jah’Twi and Nina Mallia, and you get VIBE RIOT.