Jon Connor facts for kids

Jon Kevin Freeman Jr. (born April 13, 1985), known as Jon Connor, is an American rapper and music producer. He has released many mixtapes and albums throughout his career. These include The Blue Album, which was inspired by Jay-Z, and The People's Rapper LP, inspired by Eminem. His first studio album, Unconscious State, was released in 2013.

Soon after, he signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was with them from 2013 to 2019. In 2015, he became well-known for being featured on Dr. Dre's album Compton and The Game's album The Documentary 2.5.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jon Freeman Jr. was born on April 13, 1985, in Flint, Michigan. His father, a musician who became a Christian minister, was his first musical influence. Jon Connor has shared that he grew up listening to local music groups from Genesee County, Michigan. These groups included Top Authority, The Dayton Family, and MC Breed.

He finished high school at Flint Powers Catholic High School.

Starting Music Young

Jon began writing songs when he was ten years old. In middle school, he started selling his own mixtapes. He sold them from his backpack and from his mother's car. When he was 14, his mother supported him in starting his own independent record label, All Varsity Music. By the time he was 16, he had saved money from odd jobs. He used this money to build his own music studio at home.

Music Career Highlights

Early Mixtapes and Collaborations

Jon Connor performing at a concert

On January 1, 2005, Jon Connor released his first official mixtape, The Calling, Pt. 1: The Prequel. He then released Everybody Hates Connor in 2006. His third mixtape, The Calling Pt. 2: The Second Coming, came out in 2008. In 2009, he teamed up with basketball players Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson. He also worked with Kendall "Young Sav" Freeman, who was a vice president at Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group label. Together, they officially started a record label.

On September 29, 2010, Connor released his fourth mixtape. It was called Jon Connor as Vinnie Chase: Season One and was inspired by the TV show Entourage. Most of this mixtape was produced by Connor and Optiks from All Varsity Music. Rappers Saigon and Consequence were featured on a remix of his song "The Message".

Salvation and Season 2

On July 12, 2011, Jon Connor released Salvation. This was a collaboration album with producer Rob "Reef" Tewlow. Critics gave the album good reviews. William E. Ketchum III from HipHopDX said that Salvation showed a real passion that is hard to find in hip hop today. Later in 2011, Connor considered signing with Def Jam Recordings, but the deal did not happen.

On December 12, 2011, Connor released his fifth mixtape, Season 2. This mixtape was a follow-up to Jon Connor as Vinnie Chase: Season One. It featured guest artists like GLC and Freeway. The mixtape was downloaded 130,000 times on Bandcamp in just three months.

"Best in the World" Series and While You Were Sleeping

On February 14, 2012, Jon Connor released The Blue Album. In this mixtape, he rapped over different songs from Jay-Z's Blueprint albums. The mixtape's title also refers to Blue City Club, a music group he leads. This group includes Mickey Wallace, Caas Swift, Brandon Bars, Lia Mack, and D. Wayne. All of them are featured on the mixtape. Connor told MTV that he wrote the entire mixtape in four days.

On April 13, 2012, Jon Connor released The People's Rapper LP. This was the second part of his "Best in the World" mixtape series. In this mixtape, he rapped entirely over classic Eminem songs. The mixtape received positive reviews. After releasing The People's Rapper LP, Connor toured the Midwest United States with rapper Big K.R.I.T..

On July 26, 2012, Connor released his eighth mixtape, While You Were Sleeping. This mixtape featured guest artists like Bun B, Mistah Fab, and Kid Ink. Unlike his previous two mixtapes, While You Were Sleeping had all new music. Connor said this mixtape was his most personal work so far. In late 2012 and early 2013, Jon Connor toured with American rapper Xzibit. This tour led him to meet the famous producer Dr. Dre.

Unconscious State and Signing with Aftermath Entertainment

In early 2013, Jon Connor shared that he was working on several projects. These included his first studio album, Unconscious State. On July 2, 2013, Jon Connor released Unconscious State through All Varsity Music. The album featured guest artists like Danny Brown, Chris Webby, and Talib Kweli. The album reached number 35 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also reached number seven on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums charts.

On July 20, 2013, it was announced that Jon Connor had been working in the studio with Dr. Dre. Connor told MTV that they immediately connected. After working together for several months, Dre signed Connor to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment. This label is part of Interscope Records. Jon Connor announced his signing to Aftermath Entertainment during a freestyle performance at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards on September 29. His performance was highly praised.

On March 18, 2014, Connor released another mixtape in his "Best in the World" series. It was called The Late Registration of a College Dropout Who Had a Dark Twisted Fantasy of 808s and Heartbreak. This mixtape also received good reviews from music critics. He released another mixtape, BestInTheWorld: A Tribute To The Notorious B.I.G. Vol 1, on April 14, 2014. In this mixtape, Connor rapped over songs by The Notorious B.I.G.. Connor was also chosen for the 2014 XXL freshman class, which highlights new artists.

In January 2016, Connor released a song about the Flint water crisis. It featured singer Keke Palmer. In May 2019, Connor announced that he was no longer signed with Aftermath / Interscope. He shared that he would be releasing new music independently soon.

Musical Style

Jon Connor is known for his strong and honest lyrics. Many famous rappers have praised his style. These include Busta Rhymes, The Game, Scarface, Nas, Rick Ross, and fellow Michigan rapper Big Sean.

Discography

Studio Albums

Collaboration Album

Mixtapes

• 2005: The Calling Pt. 1
• 2006: Everybody Hates Connor
• 2008: The Calling Pt. 2: The Second Coming
• 2010: Jon Connor As Vinnie Chase: Season 1
• 2011: Season 2
• 2012: Best in The World: The Blue Album
• 2012: Best In The World: The People's Rapper LP
• 2012: While You Were Sleeping
• 2014: BestInTheWorld: The Late Registration of a College Dropout Who Had a Dark Twisted Fantasy of 808s and Heartbreak
• 2014: BestInTheWorld: A Tribute To The Notorious B.I.G. Vol. 1
• 2021 Best In The World: Delirium
• 2022 Best In The World: The N Tape

Singles

As Lead Artist

Guest Appearances

Jon Connor has also been featured on many songs by other artists. Some of these include:

• DJ Kay Slay – "Redemption" (2011)
• Willie the Kid – "One Time" (2011)
• Statik Selektah – "Samuel L Jackson" (2011)
• Jarren Benton – "Billion Bucks" (2012)
• Chris Webby – "Whatever I Like" (2012)
• Talib Kweli – "Makes No Sense" (2013)
• Dr. Dre – "One Shot One Kill" on Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre (2015)
• The Game – "Moment Of Violence" on The Documentary 2.5 (2015)
• Dizzy Wright – "Apart of the Plan" (2017)
• Chris Webby – "HipHop Legend" (2018)
• Psalm One — "Unfuckwitable" (2020)