Jaron Marquis Garrett (born July 8, 1983), better known by his stage name Jaron Marquis or J. Marquis, is an American rapper, actor, entrepreneur and investor based in Los Angeles. He co-founded Dreamapolis, an
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
-based
start-up accelerator, and the independent record label Urban Genius Entertainment. As an actor he has starred in film roles that include ''
Furious 7
''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006) and the seventh i ...
'' and ''
Straight Outta Compton
''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
''.
Early life
Marquis was born in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
and graduated from
Arsenal Technical High School
Arsenal Technical High School, commonly referred to as Tech or Arsenal Tech, is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools district. The school is located on a , multiple buildin ...
in 2001. He received a bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in business and pastoral sciences from
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...
in 2005. Then he moved to Chicago and obtained an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
from
Benedictine University
Benedictine University is a Private university, private Catholic Colleges in the United States, Catholic university with campuses in Lisle, Illinois, and Mesa, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1887 by the Benedictine monks of St. Proco ...
.
From the age of 12, when he made and sold jewelry, Marquis tried various entrepreneurial ideas. He started a theatrical production company at Indiana University. After graduating, he operated an indoor advertising company, started and sold a painting firm, worked in college admissions, and owned part of a telecommunications company.
Music career
Marquis began his rap career as an underground
battle rap
Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and Diss (music), disses originating in the African Americans, African-Amer ...
per in the late 1990s.
He booked gigs for his rapper friends at Arsenal Tech High School, where he and his friends would organize and participate in local rap battles around the state of
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
.
After a decade-long hiatus in which he developed entrepreneurial ventures and investments, Marquis reentered the music industry in 2014 under the name J. Marquis with the release of a mixtape entitled ''Soul of A Genius''.
The mixtape included the singles "We All Rant" and "Just Like Water" featuring
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...
.
In 2016, he began performing and recording under his actual name Jaron Marquis with the release of the single "Applause".
Marquis described his music as "college dropout
Kanye
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
with a touch of
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...
."
Business career
Marquis founded a company, JJ Marquis Investment Group LLC, and started doing real estate full-time in 2006. A year later, he made a $30 million project for a 25-story apartment tower to be built on run-down properties in downtown Indianapolis. However, the project never materialized and construction plans were canceled.
He was an OnyxFest finalist in 2012.
He directed ''Betsy on E. 10th Street'', a play by the Indianapolis Urban Theatre and Dance Company, a theatrical production company which he co-founded. He also played one of the main roles. The play was praised for drawing its story from the life of a
Vietnam veteran
A Vietnam veteran is an individual who performed active Army, ground, Navy, naval, or Air force, air service in the South Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed fo ...
and ex-
Black Panther
A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
.
In 2011, Marquis also co-founded Dreamapolis, an Indianapolis-based
start-up accelerator and
seed-funding source for
start-ups
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...
, social entrepreneurs, creatives and innovators. It helped urban entrepreneurs start businesses by connecting them with critical tools and resources. Dreamapolis held entrepreneur workshops and
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...
events, organized business summer camps for youth, and invested in creative Indianapolis ideas.
Marquis launched the independent record label Urban Genius Entertainment in 2013 and began recording new music in 2014.
Private life
Marquis is married and has three daughters. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Discography
Singles
Mixtapes
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marquis, Jaron
1983 births
Living people
21st-century African-American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American rappers
African-American Christians
African-American dramatists and playwrights
21st-century African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
20th-century American male rappers
American Christians
American dramatists and playwrights
American male dramatists and playwrights
Benedictine University alumni
Businesspeople from Indianapolis
Indiana State University alumni
Male actors from Indianapolis
Midwest hip-hop musicians
Musicians from Indianapolis
Rappers from Indiana
Trinity International University alumni
African-American male writers