We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting “YJO BEATS” was really to be able to provide for my family, but do it while being present at home with my family. The stigma of today is working outside the home which in return causes people to miss out on precious time with family. I didn’t want that for my family. I didn’t want to miss my son take his first steps, miss his first words, or miss out on time with my wife because I’m not present. I wanted more out of the time and talent I have, thus leading me to start my own business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up going to my father’s church, and ever since I was young God and music has always been a major part of my life. I learned how to play drums at 4, saxophone at 10, and piano/organ at 16. When I turned 17 I dove into making beats and started professionally as a producer at 19. As got older I begin to see a lot of the chh artists that I grew up listening to stray away from the gospel, so that was one of the main factors that pushed me to start doing music of my own filled with gospel of Jesus Christ. I prayed for God to open the door for me to be able to do Music full time, so I would be able to be home with family. He provided that door and is yet providing for me and my family, so I pride myself on making industry quality music while spreading the message of Jesus. Because of this, He’s allowed me to work with gospel artists I grew up listening to as a child, win awards, do music in films, win audio engineering awards for films, etc. The road taken was not easy. It was MANY obstacles that I had to endure to get to this point in my career. From bad deals, leaving a corrupt label, losing residency while married with a child, and having no income for 6+ months. With all of those challenges God still made a way for my business to thrive tremendously in the end. I started “YJO BEATS” in January 2020, and started the collective I’m currently apart of “True Life Music (TLM)” in 2021. TLM is home to my brothers “NolaRed” & “Ammunxion.” We started the group together after receiving terrible treatment from a previous label we were apart of. We have the same goal in mind glorifying our Saviour with our artistry and in our lives. Letting it tell the story of the change He did in our lives, and he can and will do the same in theirs if they let Him.

 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Zelaya’s Bakery – Hattiesburg, MS “If you have a sweet tooth then Zelaya’s is the perfect place to get your fix.”

MidTowner – Hattiesburg, MS
“A nice diner place for breakfast and lunch.”

Lee’s Coffee Shop & Downtown Laurel – Laurel, MS
“Has a good downtown home feel. Great place to shop and eat. This city has NUMEROUS shops and restaurants to choose from.”

Big Play – Gulfport, MS
“For a great time this is the place to be! For laser tag, arcade, bowling, mini golf, go karts, and games”

Juicy Crab – Hattiesburg, MS
“Great for seafood lovers! Has some of the best seafood from boiled, fried, etc they have it all”

Conni Cone Snowball – Hattiesburg, MS
“If you want a nice drink you’ll love Conni’s. Some people call them snow cones.. we call them “snowballs”

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to God, my wife, my collective family from TLM “True Life Music”, Andrew Bullard IV “AJB4”, and everybody that supports & streams “YJO BEATS” and “TLM”

Website: https://yjo_beats.beatstars.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yjo_beats?igsh=bjE0OHk0dWJ3azd1&utm_source=qr

Twitter: https://x.com/yjo_beats?s=21&t=VilFTzIv3kSEnSgIu-8gSA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yjo1112?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCSfXk0mEArhfCF0GcKMMebg?si=_X3V7H-F21TALdu9

Other: https://linktr.ee/YJO_BEATS?fbclid=PAAabxch-V5sYFKvqltJEobcAa7BshGQvtbgxMM7aUMJUv8DnEPuPU7XSY_5A_aem_AYdhQIr2NIq9-2lPYDWdgjfbGTBoDKb6aPSkRHpzgo8bmyLLBiynmMKVoFn00a4tycQ

Image Credits
Joshua Jackson & Shakita Jackson

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.