A talented writer and producer in his own right, CJ plays multiple instruments -- most of which he learned from his days in church -- and writes most of his music. He draws from his experiences as well as those of his close friends, with topics covering “women, to how hard it is being in Baltimore, going to parties and having fun, just anything.” On the track “It Ain’t Easy,” he talks about a widespread experience facing many young parents; the hardships of dealing with the baby mama. But he notes it’s not one-sided. “A lot of my homegirls in Baltimore [go through the same thing]. It’s just real-life situations that I hear about all the time.” The Bangladesh-helmed lead single, “Slow it Down,” offers up the producer’s signature East Asian-flavored style. CJ muses, “It’s a party joint but it’s just exotic, different.” CJ describes his sound as “soulful but young.” While he cites influences such as Usher and R. Kelly, he also admires old-school veterans like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and he’s on a mission to represent old soul from a young perspective. “I don’t feel like there are any young soulful dudes, like Musiq Soulchild, John Legend -- I feel like a lot of young cats are scared to do stuff like that. So I wanna be the ringleader and make it happen.” CJ’s long-term goals include, of course, winning a Grammy, but also doing more production for other artists. “I love helping people figure out where they wanna go on their album and define themselves. It’s fun, because I am a musician and love to create sounds and put stuff together. It’s a thrill.”