College Park representative J Prezidente has been lifting the city’s talent up for years.
Years before record labels began checking social media to find talent, they relied on talent scouts and A&Rs who helped them find the top artists to sign. These A&Rs and scouts had to know the pulse of the streets, and most of all, serve as the bridge between the unrelated worlds of the streets and the music industry. Over time, we know a lot of them by name, but there remain a few who operate all around us, simultaneously lifting the indie artists and connecting them to the ones in power. College Park’s own John J. Prezidente is on a mission to give voice to the city’s growing music scene.
As one of several hosts on the city’s Afterset Show and Down in the Dirty Mix Show, he gives a platform for artists to submit their music onto the radio. When he’s not promoting new music on the radio, you can find him helping to promote one of the city’s biggest talents, Big A Prado, or working alongside the city’s biggest talent showcase, The Iron Fist Cook Up.
Born and raised in the Pointer Ridge neighborhood of College Park, Georgia, J Prez grew up like any normal child, riding bikes, spending time with his friends, and listening to music. Rap in Atlanta was in its infancy then, guided by stars like The Electrifying Mojo and later MC Shy D and Raheem the Dream.
When asked about the music scene in College Park, J Prez described it like this, “Where I grew up we had talent shows instead of open mics. There wasn’t a lot of rap back then. The J Team mixtapes, Raheem the Dream and Shy D were what we listened to.”
As a teenager, Prez went to school at Benjamin Banneker High School, sitting in classes with future rap tastemakers like DJ Smurf, but even then wasn’t sure how music would play a role in his future.
After high school, he began working as a mechanic to support his wife and family, and so music wasn’t a real thought for Prez. Everything changed around 1998 when a friend asked him to help him package cds’.
“I went to my friend Todd Smith’s house and ended up hearing Pastor Troy’s song, “No Mo Play in Ga”. That started me to do promotion. I took the CDs to work and sold them for my friend, says Prez.
Doing that favor for his friend with Pastor Troy’s first album lit a fire and from there he began going to different talent shows around the city looking for talented artists on the come up.
While working at Hartsfield Airport, J Prez got the chance to work with a radio company Riding Durty Radio. The show’s owner, Victor Walker, played music that resonated with Prez and on a day off he came down and introduce himself to Walker. They struck up a bond and soon Walker allowed him the chance to not only share music but eventually allowed him to host.
Prez took advantage of the situation and began spreading the radio station out to his friends, encouraging indie artists to submit their music to the station to get spins. “I started sharing the radio station and telling people you don’t have to pay to hear your music. From there, artists tap in and it grew from there, says Prez.
Prez’s name spread and soon after he met another woman, Christiana Davis, who invited him to work on an internet radio station named Atlanta Hott Radio.
“She got in touch with me and we started doing our thing. That’s when we met YFN Lucci and a young Miss Mulatto or Latto as she’s known now. At the time, internet radio was new and people were trying to figure it out. Latto was interviewing and playing her music as a thirteen-year-old. Her dad was her manager, and we saw her come up. She was practicing and getting better, so we knew.”
Prez also remembers interviewing the Migos on Atlanta Hott Radio and Yung Joc, Big K.R.I.T. and more. The city’s music movement, propelled by the swag movement, caused the city to swell. To keep up with it, Prez stayed “outside”, networking with various DJs, artists, promoters, and producers to keep his face card strong. “We had to take ourselves seriously. We marketed our station and then did a Hot or Not Challenge. We got people’s music and if it wasn’t good, we didn’t sugarcoat it, says Prez.
“Part of being serious about what he did involved getting the certifications to run a radio station. Prez took his sound engineering course, and from there became a part of WRLG’s Riding Durty show. Years later, after Victor Walker retired, Prez, and another Atlanta figure, DJ PowerLord, teamed up to create The Afterset Show. “I told PowerLord and once we passed the class, we decided what we want to do. We realized no one was talking about Bass Music or Atlanta history. So once Victor retired, we started our own thing called The AfterSet Show, says Prez.
In a time where Atlanta’s rap scene is over-saturated, there are many outlets that mistakenly point to OutKast as the origin of the city’s music scene. When asked what the goal of the show is, Prez explains:
“The AfterSet show’s goal is to change the narrative of the Atlanta music scene. Everybody says OutKast started the music scene. Shoutout to them, but it’s untrue. We had Kilo Ali, Mojo the first Atlanta rapper, Success N Effect, Kizzy Rock, Hitman Sammy Sam, and more. We had to put some respect on the Atlanta OGs.”
Now at the helm of a radio show, Prez began helping indie artists get spins, starting with Trap Banks from the Southside whom he discovered at a showcase. His greatest collaboration, however, came when he offered his services to rapper and writer Big A Prado. “Seeing Big A serve on Coi Leray’s writing team makes me feel proud. Getting his name out there and picking me as his manager also makes me feel good.”
J Prezidente not only hosts several radio shows but also offers assistance for artists who need graphic design and more. His ear remains just as sharp and after sharing the names of Atlanta rappers like Panama Jane, Soulie, Fast Lyfe Homie, 2PointOTNT, AsiaNae, and producers like Real MAPA, he shares his thoughts on how he picks the music.
“I promote what I like is all. I don’t try to be a critic. I pay it forward with talented artists, says Prez.
Wright World 