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Die 4 You 2:340:00/2:34
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Money Talk 3:000:00/3:00
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Rich Type 3:070:00/3:07
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Sweat ya 2:430:00/2:43
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Water world pt2 2:260:00/2:26
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Smoke alram 2:080:00/2:08
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No fairy 3:140:00/3:14
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Super duper 3:070:00/3:07
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Choppa pt2 4:030:00/4:03
About
Bio
Official Artist Bio
Ashtray Jonny is an independent artist, rapper, songwriter, and producer from Greensboro, North Carolina, building a sound that refuses to fit neatly inside one genre.
Rooted in hip-hop and rap, his music stretches across trap, R&B, soul, jazz, blues, and occasional rock and pop influences. Rather than choosing one sound and staying there, Ashtray Jonny has spent years experimenting with different styles, flows, production techniques, and moods—eventually learning how to bring those influences together into an identity that is uniquely his own.
His story began in Greensboro, where he discovered music at an early age. Influenced by artists ranging from Three 6 Mafia, Eminem, 2Pac, and Eazy-E to Lil Wayne, Kanye West, André 3000, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Future, Al Green, Luther Vandross, Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, and Michael Jackson, he developed an appreciation for both the raw energy of hip-hop and the musicianship, soul, and creativity found beyond it.
Lil Wayne became a particularly important influence, pushing Ashtray Jonny to take freestyle, wordplay, flow, and delivery more seriously. Future later became another major influence, especially during his high-school years. At the same time, artists like Kanye West and André 3000 showed him that an artist didn’t have to follow a formula to make an impact.
Ashtray Jonny’s approach to music was unconventional from the beginning. Before recording music on a phone became commonplace, he was already experimenting with placing a phone next to a speaker and recording himself. He began using the internet as a tool for music and promotion, uploading music to YouTube and creating video content before social media became central to the modern independent-artist strategy. He also came through the physical era of CDs and mixtapes, personally distributing his music and using platforms and mixtape blogs such as DatPiff to reach listeners.
Around the age of 19, Ashtray Jonny moved to Georgia, beginning another important chapter in his development. Atlanta exposed him to a wider network of artists, producers, creatives, and industry figures while giving him a closer look at the business and culture surrounding Southern hip-hop. The experience expanded both his network and his artistic perspective without changing his desire to build something of his own.
For years, that individuality came with a challenge: Ashtray Jonny was difficult to categorize.
One song could sound completely different from the next. He experimented with different genres, production styles, tempos, moods, and approaches. What some might have viewed as inconsistency eventually became something he recognized as one of his greatest strengths.
He didn’t need to choose one sound.
He needed to combine them.
Today, Ashtray Jonny’s music exists at the intersection of rap, hip-hop, trap, R&B, soul, jazz, and blues, with room for rock and pop when the song calls for it. His music can be aggressive, melodic, dark, soulful, energetic, reflective, experimental, or completely unexpected.
The constant is the artist behind it.
After working with different engineers and producers, including people with significant industry experience, Ashtray Jonny reached a point where he felt his music wasn’t always being represented the way he envisioned it. Instead of stepping away, he took greater control of his creative process and began producing more of his own material.
That decision became a reset.
Producing his own music gave him greater control over the sound, arrangements, production, and overall direction of his work. Rather than trying to erase the earlier chapters of his catalog, he began looking at them as part of the process—the experiments, mistakes, discoveries, and different eras that helped shape the artist he is today.
Another major reset came when Ashtray Jonny stepped away from the noise and spent approximately a year and a half in the Appalachian Mountains. Removed from the distractions and expectations of the music industry, he dedicated that period to himself, his craft, and his music.
When he returned to North Carolina, he returned with a clearer vision.
Now back in Greensboro, Ashtray Jonny is focused on building more than individual songs. He is developing a complete artistic world—music, visuals, projects, and a catalog that reflects every stage of his journey.
His philosophy has always been rooted in experimentation. From recording music through a phone before it was common, to using the internet as a distribution and promotional tool, to developing outside traditional industry formulas, Ashtray Jonny has often found himself exploring ideas before they became mainstream.
He doesn’t see his past as something that needs to be hidden.
Every era is part of the story.
The kid discovering 2Pac and Eazy-E. The artist inspired by Lil Wayne’s freestyle ability. The student of Kanye West and André 3000. The influence of Future, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, soul legends, R&B pioneers, and Michael Jackson. The artist passing out CDs and mixtapes. The independent creator building online. The move to Georgia. The years of experimentation. The decision to take control of his own production. The Appalachian hiatus. And finally, the return home.
All of it led here.
Ashtray Jonny is no longer trying to prove that he can make different kinds of music.
He’s building a world where those sounds can exist together without losing identity.
His mission is simple: create music that is versatile without becoming unrecognizable, experimental without losing feeling, and unpredictable without losing the listener.
Now, he’s bringing that sound back to Greensboro, North Carolina—with the goal of representing his city, representing his state, and bringing North Carolina along for the journey.
This isn’t the beginning of the story.
It’s the next chapter.
Ashtray Jonny.
Independent Artist. North Carolina Roots. Multiple Sounds. One Identity. One Story Still Being Written.