CJ Fly facts for kids

Chaine St. Aubin Downer Jr. (born July 6, 1993), known as CJ Fly, is a rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York City. He is one of the founding members of the hip-hop group Pro Era. He was featured on many of Pro Era's projects. In late 2013, he released his popular mixtape Thee Way Eye See It.

Early Life and Beginnings

CJ Fly was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 6, 1993. His mother is from Barbados, and his father is from Jamaica. He started writing poetry when he was in fourth grade. By seventh grade, he began rapping.

He went to Edward R. Murrow High School. There, he studied communication arts. He met Powers Pleasant and Capital STEEZ at school. They would often practice rapping together in the auditorium. In 2011, they decided to form the group Pro Era.

CJ Fly's Music Journey

Starting with Pro Era

In 2012, CJ Fly and Pro Era released their first mixtape. It was called The Secc$ Tape. CJ Fly then had important guest appearances. He was on two songs for Joey Bad**s's first mixtape, 1999. These songs were "Hardknock" and "Don't Front".

On December 21, 2012, CJ Fly and Pro Era released another mixtape. This one was named PEEP: The APROcalypse. It featured music produced by other Pro Era members. These included Chuck Strangers and Kirk Knight. Other producers like Statik Selektah also helped.

Tours and First Mixtape

In 2013, CJ Fly went on the Beast Coastal Tour. He toured with other Pro Era members. The groups Flatbush Zombies and The Underachievers were also on this tour. Later that year, he and Pro Era joined Wiz Khalifa's tour. Other artists like A$AP Rocky and Trinidad James were also part of it.

CJ Fly also appeared on Joey Bad**s's second mixtape. It was called Summer Knights. He was on the song "Sorry Bonita". On October 5, 2013, CJ Fly released his first solo mixtape. It was titled Thee Way Eye See It. Many Pro Era members were featured on it. Other artists like Buckshot and Ab-Soul also appeared. The mixtape was praised by critics. It helped him get noticed for the XXL Freshman List.

Debut Album and Recent Work

On December 9, 2016, CJ Fly released his first studio album. It was called Flytrap. This date was also his mother's 49th birthday. He first released the album on TIDAL. Then, it became available on all music streaming services.

After FLYTRAP, CJ Fly released music videos. One video was for his song "Now You Know". This song was first shared with Billboard magazine. The song was also featured in an episode of Love & Hip Hop in 2017.

On March 6, 2020, CJ Fly released his second album. It was named RUDEBWOY. Statik Selektah produced the entire album. Many members of Pro Era were guest artists. Other artists like Haile Supreme and Oshun also appeared.

On January 18, 2021, CJ Fly released The Way I H(ear) It, Vol. 1. This was the first part of his instrumental album series. He learned to make his own beats during the COVID-19 lockdown. This album was inspired by that time.

On August 24, 2021, CJ Fly released his third album. It was called NOT WHAT YOU'RE EXPECTING. This release date honored Kobe Bryant. This album did not feature Pro Era members. Instead, it included Devin Tracy and Amon Tyson. CJ Fly himself was one of the producers for the album.

Musical Influences

CJ Fly gets his inspiration from many famous artists. Some of his biggest influences include The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, and Jay-Z. He also looks up to groups like A Tribe Called Quest and the artist MF DOOM.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Flytrap (2016)
• RUDEBWOY (2020)
• NOT WHAT YOU'RE EXPECTING (2021)
• Healing from Our Wounds (2023)
• PIRANHA (with Stoic) (2023)
• baited (with Stoic) (2024)
• The PhaRaOh’S return 2: NUBIA (with NasteeLuvzYou) (2024)

Mixtapes

• Thee Way Eye See It (2013)

Instrumental Albums

• The Way I H(ear) It, Vol. 1 (2021)

Pro Era Discography

• The Secc$ TaP.E. (2012)
• P.E.E.P: The aPROcalypse (2012)
• The S**** TaP.E. 2 (2014)
• The Shift (2014)