JuiceKarter (formerly 808 Jesus)

These days rappers love speaking about the same shallow, vain topics of money, being fresh, strippers, and the fancy lifestyle. Have they ever thought about talking about something any deeper? Maybe not, but one artist out of Rock Hill, SC used this to his advantage and is now getting recognition.

808 Jesus’s song “My Dollars” has made Top 100 Most Popular Songs Chart by RadioWave Monitor coming in at 91. Now from the jump you would assume this is just another typical rap song because of the title, “My Dollars”, but it is not. In the words of Jesus himself he states, “Because of the title, “My Dollars” might make you take it as a typical club song praising strippers, but it’s more of a “I’m feeling aggravated by the thirst of this dancer” type song. Everyone always makes a song worshiping the dancer but I had to put a different twist to the stripper movement and how most of us REALLY feel about dancers.”

The Rock Hill artist can only go up from here and especially since he is taking the time to make thought provoking music and stepping out of the regular lane, he will continue to rise…or should I say resurrect? Either way check out the hit below and comment your thoughts!

[Updated] 808 Jesus is climbing to the top of Radio Wave Monitor’s list. He is currently at number 69. Good job and keep it up Jesus! - Touch Of Daz

Successful radio campaigns across the globe was the initial introduction to South Carolina rapper, JuiceKarter. Formerly known as “808 Jesus”, the infamous “My Dollars” rapper instantly garnered a global fan base after hitting the Top 100 urban radio charts in the summer of 2014. Signed by M. Republik Music Group, Karter left his publishing deal to build his own record company, Not Norm Sound.



With a recent 2018 sneaker endorsement deal worth $25,000 with Afrotoonz in South America, to prepping the release of his album, this is the least expected news. JuiceKarter was pulled over on Dec. 28 with felony possession of high-grade marijuana. The amount is unknown at this time. Karter posted a $7,000 bail minutes after he got booked.

With 4 years of patience, a highly anticipated release from JuiceKarter has been the most patient wait of any artist since Dr. Dre. Well known for his self-made marketing strategies, JuiceKarter began distributing CD albums of unreleased music and his clothing brand “Jiraffe” in retail stores across the US in 2017.

We reached out to JuiceKarter’s staff for a comment on his current situation, and they rejected. The 25-year-old rapper is set to release the first single off of his highly anticipated album, “From Sunset To Life” in early 2019.

Jiraffe Clothing: jiraffe.bigcartel.com
Instagram: instagram.com/juicekarter - Huff Post (12+ million followers)

JuiceKarter, formerly known as "808 Jesus", is an American artist/songwriter, former A&R of Record Union, and Founder of his own indie label, Not Norm Sound. JuiceKarter has had 5 hit singles picked up for international radio campaigns, 4 featured on iHeartRadio's New Artist Of The Month, and 1 hit single climb up RadioWave Monitor's Top 100 Chart peaking at #67. JuiceKarter was born Kendall Walker in the small town of Rock Hill, SC in a horror home, later to be put into foster care and become a rare success story in his early 20s. At 22, JuiceKarter is still showing superstar potential, releasing his debut yet progressive album, JuiceKarter. LOCATION: Charlotte, North Carolina, US ALBUM BIO: Spiraling synth-driven energy from the many electric flavors of JuiceKarter; this album is perfect for a few glasses of wine on a winter night.


*how long you been doing music: since 2010 recording on a laptop with a $5 mic lol. I was at a friend's house at the time and we had to record quiet so his parents didn't hear us curse. I think we were rapping about how beautiful women are. Even though I was a virgin at the time.

*describe your style: Imagine that cold glass of Lemonade with some extra sugar in 100+ degree weather in Antarctica... it's that different. You can't duplicate it. I'm just myself. JuiceKarter.

*what makes you unique: Growin up in the country of South Carolina and living in West Hollywood, Cali will make a weird but dope mix.

*when and where was your first performance (what song?): My first show was at a small local club back home in Rock Hill beside a McDonald's. Picture that. I performed a song called Whip Game and was nervous as hell. This was back in early 2012 and all I can remember is wearing 2 watches and messing up my verses.

*An incident in life that you feel made u who you are as an artist: Growing up in an abusive home as a kid and getting out into foster care really made me wanna do it big as a human being. My whole childhood I had nothing to live for, so if I stay alive I gotta be successful.

*words that you live by: Leave every negative individual in the past and work on a positive future. Period.



JuiceKarter, formerly known as "808 Jesus", is an American artist/songwriter, former A&R of Record Union, and Founder of his own indie label, Not Norm Sound. JuiceKarter has had 5 hit singles picked up for international radio campaigns, 4 featured on iHeartRadio's New Artist Of The Month, and 1 hit single climb up RadioWave Monitor's Top 100 Chart peaking at #67. JuiceKarter was born Kendall Walker in the small town of Rock Hill, SC in a horror home, later to be put into foster care and become a rare success story in his early 20s. At 22, JuiceKarter is still showing superstar potential, releasing his debut yet progressive album, JuiceKarter. LOCATION: Charlotte, North Carolina, US ALBUM BIO: Spiraling synth-driven energy from the many electric flavors of JuiceKarter; this album is perfect for a few glasses of wine on a winter night. - Fresh Thoughtz

SURVIVING STREAMING: Artist Sells Over 1,000 CDs Per Week
Living in an era where music is consumed from streaming apps and mobile devices, it’s rare to come across a physical CD from your favorite artist. From 2017-18, RIAA revealed that CD units sold declined from 36 million to 13 million units sold. Having digital access to music anywhere and newer cars being built without a CD player has made it harder than ever for an artist to make a living off CD sales, but one artist proves the future doesn’t reflect his career.
South Carolina rapper, JuiceKarter, got his start when he began distributing his CDs and clothing line “Jiraffe” in both convenient and retail stores across the US in late 2018. Known as the underground hustler, Karter collected over 45 locations nationwide to sell his CDs out of for $10 a copy. Talk about moving in silence! Ahsad Shadid, owner of 7 Eleven in Southeast Atlanta says, “He [JuiceKarter] came into our store, asked if he gave us his first 10 free albums to sell, would we partner with him and allow distribution through his store. Of course we said yes because they were free, but most of all he had a very confident and bold pitch, so we gave him a shot. CDs sold out the first 2 hours and we had to call him back for more.”
Knowing that artists get paid for streaming and also receive major exposure on those platforms, we sat down with JuiceKarter and asked why did he go the CD route?
JK: “Simple. Streaming apps are overly saturated with new and established artists so it’s damn near impossible to get exposure as an upcoming artist. The stores people shop in everyday give you a better chance as far as exposure goes because nobody else is doing it anymore. A CD is $10, and 1 stream is half a penny. I’m not necessarily worried about fame or streaming numbers at this point. Building the foundation for my music business, creating relationships with retail locations, or bonding with new fans one on one is my priority.”
HP: “Streaming apps are crucial for letting artists know where their music is being played. How do you keep track of your audience using this strategy?”
JK: “The CD packaging comes with a small brochure that has a phone number to join my fan base, my social media, website, merch and shows. I would rather have a fan’s phone number. That way I can contact them directly for anything like a new release, tickets, etc. This made a drastic difference in sales when I got my sneaker endorsement with Afrotoonz last year. I had a direct audience of supporters to contact and make them aware of the sneaker in case they wanted merch. Apple Music and Spotify will tell you where your plays are coming from, but they won’t tell you who exactly they are; and it’s for a reason. That’s their customer. They know that person’s phone number, address, email, city and card number, but won’t give you any of their info. I like to know exactly who to contact that supports me unlike most artists.”
HP: “That is genius! When do you plan on putting your music back in digital stores?”
JK: “Definitely early this year. I wanted to distribute “From Sunset With Life” on the streets before I officially released it. I made a goal to myself that I wouldn’t put the album in digital stores until I sold at least 10,000 copies. I’m sure any business would want a lead generation database of at least 1,000 contacts each time they have a message to promote.”
HP: “Where did the idea of the CDs come from?”
JK: “Before I really knew the business, I signed a deal with M. Republik Music Group out of West Hollywood, CA. I had a good run with the label as far as exposure, hitting radio charts, and getting my music played, but I never knew exactly who the people were which bothered me. Long story short, I got screwed over in my deal but I still had spins and plays to show for. Only thing is, I had all of those spins and plays for no reason because I was back at ground zero with no real database as to who exactly listened to my music. The money from streams wasn’t near enough to pay half of my bills. After I left that deal, my number one goal was to have an in house database of my listeners and direct access. That way if I have a sneaker to sell, merch or tickets, I can just shoot them a text and let them know what’s going on, where and what link. That guarantees sales for me. A label, or streaming service can’t supply you that information.”
HP: “What album did you sell as CDs in stores? We see you removed most of your music off of streaming apps.”
JK: “I took down the ‘JUICEKARTER’ album down and put that in retail stores. I also pushed an unreleased album called ‘From Sunset With Life’.”
HP: “What does this mean for new artists coming up in the streaming era?”
JK” You don’t have to dress weird, do publicity stunts, or play fake it till you make to blow up and sign a weak deal you won’t make long term money off of. You can go buy 100 printed CDs for $200 and make $1,000 easy. People will support you based off the hustle and stick with you longer.”
The South Carolina rapper showed us weekly invoices worth as much as $1,300+ for one store location. “Record labels want to know how much money they’ll make with you before they sign any kind of deal. It’s like knowing the value in a company before you invest in them. I don’t show them how many streams or followers I have, I show them how much money I’m already making on my own”, JuiceKarter explains. “I don’t chase fame or numbers, I chase reality. I’m more focused on the fans, my publishing money, and the foundation for my business.”
JIRAFFE CLOTHING: jiraffe.bigcartel.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/juicekarter
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4MnaKTedFNcNmlWmTHdCDx?si=9Y8LxWWqQv... - Wu Tang World