CJ

CJ's music from Staten Island pulses with an urgent, high-voltage drive. Breaking through commercially in 2020, the rapper scored with "Whoopty," a bold track steeped in Brooklyn drill that climbed to a Top Ten pop placement the next February. Anchoring his first EP, Loyalty Over Royalty (2021), the song opened doors to guest spots alongside El Alfa and Farruko. Further joint efforts with DJ Drama and SiAngie Twins, plus standalone releases like the 2023 single "Gangsta," have kept his momentum going.

Born Christopher Daniel Soriano, he began writing rhymes during his teenage years and posted tracks under his artist name prior to turning 20. Early notice arrived in 2018 via "Pop," a collaboration with 6ix9ine, followed by a step forward in 2019 with the smoother "Understood." The Brooklyn drill scene, particularly its Pop Smoke strain, shaped "Whoopty," which surfaced in 2020. After an initial independent drop, Warner signed it and placed the track on the Billboard Hot 100 that November—the same month CJ appeared on a remix of Busta Rhymes' "Czar." By February it had reached number ten stateside, after Top Ten showings in the U.K. and Belgium, prompting the eight-track Loyalty Over Royalty EP that housed both "Whoopty" and the well-received "BOP." Additional singles and pairings with El Alfa ("La Mamá de la Mamá"), Funk Flex ("You Know"), and Farruko ("Love 66") arrived before 2021 closed. Activity slowed in 2022, yet CJ sealed a fresh AWAL Recordings agreement and released "Dubai." The following year brought "Big Dog Status" with DJ Drama, "L.O.V.E." with SiAngie Twins, and the introspective yet forceful "Gangsta" in between.