EJ is a rapper, singer and DJ associated with several different scenes and styles in the available information, including US hip hop, R&B, pop, house, minimal, techno and grime-related tags. One version of EJ is described as a rapper from West Baltimore with a notable presence in the city’s battle-rap circuit; another is a Brooklyn rapper; another is an R&B singer from St. Louis, Missouri; and another is a Singapore-based DJ working in house, minimal and techno. Taken together, the name is linked to a range of musical identities rather than a single fixed act.

West Baltimore rapper

As a rapper from West Baltimore, EJ builds a reputation in the city’s battle-rap scene by winning both the monthly Style Warz competition and the SuperStyle Warz tournament, defeating previous winners. The mixtape The Westside Hustle presents his conversational delivery, wordplay and humorous lines, while also including darker, reflective material about violence and loss in Baltimore. On “Same Ole Thing”, he focuses on the sadness and repeated mourning that follows the city’s high murder rate. The mixtape also includes “B’More Girls”, a collaboration with local R&B singer Mykeey that uses Auto-Tune, and closes with “Bitch Niggaz Pt. 1”, a sequence of insults and punch lines that highlights his comic style.

R&B and hip hop work

Another EJ is described as an R&B singer from St. Louis, Missouri, studying and playing football at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. This EJ is a member of the hip hop group National Ties and appears on the group’s self-titled mixtape. He also works with fellow Wheaton College football players and musicians JCarns and Lakeshow, as well as Buffalo producer AKA TK and Philadelphia lyricist Qvella. His songs include “Heartbeat”, “Family” and “Over for Us”, alongside the Qvella collaboration “Not Be Stopped”. He is also named as a key member of National Ties’ full-length debut album.

Brooklyn single

One listed release for EJ is “Why U Mad”, presented as a debut single from a Brooklyn rapper. The track is written by EJ and produced by Minu Han.

Singapore DJ

Another EJ is a self-taught DJ from Singapore who grows out of clubbing in the city-state’s electronic scene and surrounding region from the early 1990s. This version of EJ works in house, deep house, tribal, tech, electro, minimal, progressive and melodic techno, and cites influences including DJ Aldrin, Dennis Ferrer, Booka Shade, John Tejada, Tiefschwarz, EFFEN, Andrea Parker, Henrik Schwarz and Joris Voorn. She holds a weekly residency at Balcony Bar and also appears at Q Bar Singapore, coccolatte, dempseyHOUSE, ZOUK and venues linked to The Cannery, including PURE@Ministry of Sound, Amino, Aurum by The Clinic and Kandi Bar by Hed Kandi. She also acts as an event programmer, reaches the semi-finals of the 2007 Pioneer Juice DJ Quest, and is described as the only female ambassador for the experimental DJ collective Foundation KL.