Meet the lyrical maestro whose words paint vivid narratives and melodies that resonate with the pulse of the streets, JB Dreamz is a up and coming rap artist whose journey from humble beginnings is elevating to greater heights on and off the campus of Florida A&M University.
Joshua Lemuel Brown, also known as, “JB,” is a 23-year-old, fifth-year electrical engineering major from Middleburg. He grew up with one sister in the small town right outside of Jacksonville.
Brown has many hobbies including martial arts, meditating, playing basketball and, of course, rapping. He recalls getting his start after the passing of his uncle who was battling COVID-19 and leukemia at the same time, while also being incarcerated. This, added with stresses of his major caused him to be in a state of depression and suicidal at one point, but he says this is when he got closer to God, and unlocked his rap potential.
“I was telling people I feel like God miraculously unlocked my gift one day, when I finally isolated and focused more on him,” Brown said. “God was speaking to me in ways, I just got these feelings that I should do this, it was thoughts I never had before.”
Brown says his journey started with vlogging. He would record himself free styling, doing skits, skateboarding, and even racing cars in order to build consistency within himself, posting at least once a week for six months straight. He posts on YouTube and Instagram frequently, tagging big names such as XXL (double XL) and Wu-Tang Clan to boost exposure. Friends originally told him that rapping probably wasn’t for him, but after a few months his skills got better.
“My rhymes were good but my delivery, I didn’t know how to switch from nerd to rapper voice,” Brown said.
Eventually he developed to where he is now. “I’m writing every day, my rhymes are equivalent to somebody who’s been writing for five years,” he said.
Brown later joined Venomous Entertainment, FAMU’s on-campus record label. There, he was able to perform at open mic night’s and mature as an artist. Brown has become a notable persona on campus and off campus, performing outside of places such as the student center, after basketball games, and even outside of party venues like Potbelly’s.
Brown says he got the idea from a friend after being snubbed of an opportunity to perform at a pep rally. He printed out flyers, got his own speaker and stood on a pallet to rap outside of Gaither gymnasium after the rally ended. When he’s not performing on FAMU’s campus, he is often performing at FSU.
Brown says a lot of his inspiration comes from great rappers like Nas, Lecrae and J. Cole. He says that he relates to J. Cole in the way that they were both raised in discriminatory areas as it relates to the color of their skin, they chase their dreams, and even coincidentally remixed some of the same beats.
Brown aims to one day create his own record label, Audacity Records, using his engineering career as a financial pathway to fund his passion.
“The state of rap right now is bad … I’m gonna use these new age Cardi, Travis Scott-type beats, put some auto-tune on it, but rap for real with an old school flow,” said Brown. “I see myself in five years being a part of the new school of hip-hop that bridges the gap between old and new, not only cementing hip-hop and giving homage to legends but taking it in a new direction.”
Brown’s raps are aimed to have little to no cursing, as he says he does music for Jesus. He wants to be a beacon of hope for others chasing their own dreams.
“Setting your mind to anything inside the purpose God has given you, then you can do anything,” Brown said. “Dreams only die if you let them, so don’t let them die.”
His newest project, “Infinite Heart,” is out now, and can be found @JBDreamz on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.