Artist Spotlight

Los Angeles Producer ArjayOnTheBeat Is Pushing the Perimeters of the Music Industry

To stand out in music, especially a genre like Hip Hop, an artist has to have a presence not only the presence but commanding energy to them that makes you invest in their artistry, which they present for us to buy into. That separates an artist who you only give one listen to and who you start to keep up with. ArjayOnTheBeat brings that confident swagger to his approach that makes you want to stay connected, as he has been unfailing when connecting with his audience and executing vibrant and unique records from a career standpoint.

Arjayonthebeat discussed with us and answered our uncommon 11 Questions. Check it out below.

HONK: Let’s start by introducing ourselves. You know the basics, like name, age, and where you’re from, as much or little as you’re comfortable sharing.

ArjayOnTheBeat: Artist Name: Arjayonthebeat /Arjayonthebeat3x

Legal Name: Robert Dickson Jr

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

HONK: What’s the best advice you ever received concerning music?

ArjayOnTheBeat: The best advice I’ve ever received concerning music was about mixing. I was honored to have had a one-on-one session with a Grammy-awarded engineer, Leslie Brathwaite, who engineered Pharrell’s “Happy,” which headlined Despicable Me 2. He listened to my beats and told me, “everything was great, but one thing, your mixing.” He then said when it comes to mixing your beats, nothing should be panned to the center but vocals”. In other words, every sound in your beat should be panned between the left and right, never down the middle.

The best advice of my life…

HONK: What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?

ArjayOnTheBeat: One thing I would have done differently is take more of the presented opportunities rather than rejecting them due to being overly cautious.

HONK: What is still your biggest challenge?

ArjayOnTheBeat: My biggest challenge is finding an artist with the potential/ talent to take them to the top and team up. Until then, the search continues. Most artists don’t take it as seriously as I do. I instead get plaques/awards with one artist repeatedly than try to get one plaque out of multiple artists… if that makes sense.

HONK: What keeps you going when things get tough in the music industry?

ArjayOnTheBeat: My daughters (Indiyah & Xia) and my family are the ones I need to be successful. My goal is to leave generational wealth /money behind for them.

HONK: If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?

ArjayOnTheBeat: Lil Uzi Vert, Chris Brown, or DJ Khaled

HONK: Could you talk me through your creative process?

ArjayOnTheBeat: When it comes to my productions, I never force them. I only make beats when I feel like it, so I don’t burn out my creative juices.

If I’m not working, I typically listen to various genres to get ideas on enhancing my sound daily. Every genre has something you can learn from…

HONK: How do you solve productivity/scheduling problems and reduce overwhelming situations?

ArjayOnTheBeat: I always try to keep the customer/ clients happy, mistakes can occur, so I’ll always offer something in exchange for the mishap to reach a positive conclusion.

HONK: What are you focusing your time on now?

ArjayOnTheBeat: I’m focusing my time on executive producing more projects rather than singles & building my artist (once they’ve been found).

HONK: How do you currently feel about the state of “Your genre” in general?

ArjayOnTheBeat: We need more substance in the hip-hop community and a different topic to rap about rather than hoes, guns, apps & negativity. I feel it’s time to switch it up, or else we won’t get as successful as other genres like folk rock & country music.

HONK: How can our readers follow you online?

ArjayOnTheBeat: Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

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Artist Spotlight

Nicki Minaj Crowned Hip-Hop Royalty As Billboard Names Her the Greatest Female Rapper of All Time

In a moment that seems both historic and long overdue, Billboard has officially bestowed the title of best female rapper of all time upon Nicki Minaj, supplanting the likes of hip-hop titans Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, and other legendary game-changers. For a genre that has often downplayed women’s voices, this honor is a loud celebration of Nicki’s unique influence and talent. Billboard’s ranking wasn’t plucked from thin air. The publication emphasized that this list was based on criteria including chart performance, cultural impact, lyrical skill, flow, and career longevity, and Nicki checked every box with panache.

Whether it’s being the first female rapper to surpass the mark of Billboard Hot 100 hits back in 2018 to the massive success of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, which is currently the highest-grossing tour of any female rapper of all time for more than a decade now, Minaj has been rewriting everything we thought a rap ideal could or should be. “Fifteen years from the first time she left earth with her godly verse on Kanye West’s ‘Monster,’” Billboard added, “Minaj is still running laps around the competition.” And they’re not wrong. Nicki’s voice has been inescapable since her debut album, Pink Friday, rattled the industry in 2010.

Check out this article: Mariah Carey Crashes Son Roc’s Twitch Stream in Hilariously Viral Moment

Whether she’s rapping as the fierce Chun-Li, the over the top Roman Zolanski, or her unfiltered real self, Onika, no one gets down like Baddie. Nicki’s combination of pop sensibility, fearless flow, and alter-ego creativity made her just as much a rap titan as an architect of modern pop-rap. She kicked down such wide doors, and an entire generation of new rappers, her self-styled “sons,” have walked through them. This is more than a win for Nicki Minaj, this is a victory for every ground-breaking female emcee who ever dared to dream bigger. Nicki’s story is one of defiance, dominance, and destiny, from mixtapes to megahits, from Barbie dreams to Billboard history.

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Artist Spotlight

Johanna Linnea Jakobsson delivers a wake-up call with genre-blending anthem ‘Work’

Johanna Linnea Jakobsson’s new single, “Work,” is a tender whisper reverberating big truths. With “Work,” Johanna knows vulnerability can be both a strength and a soundtrack. The song explores that very familiar feeling of being stuck. But instead of dramatizing it, she wraps the emotion in something tender and true.

Curtailing the velvet undertones of jazz with the earthy folk textures and the intimacy of singer/songwriter storytelling, “Work” sounds like a contemplative, honest, and quietly powerful rainy Sunday morning. From the opening note, the track has a lazy ease that calls to mind Norah Jones, its jazzy lilt, and soothing vocals coaxing you into the fold. The instrumentation is subtle but intentional, with acoustic guitar chords softly caressing a jazzy rhythm section, while delicate piano lines add an almost meditative dimension to the song. The production never overwhelms the message, and it adds emotional shading.

But where it works its magic is in the chorus, which is instantly memorable and deeply relatable. It captures the inner dialogue that so many of us know too well, the push to keep moving forward despite emotional exhaustion, and the quiet shame of not knowing how to ask for help. Instead of easy answers, Johanna gives us something better and a shared space of feeling seen.

The power of “Work” is in its restraint. It aspires to be glossy or overproduced. It breathes. It listens. And it gently whispers to the part of us that’s quietly screaming. There’s a healing there, especially when it comes packaged in this lush, genre-fluid arrangement.