Saint Jhn is the creative pseudonym of the famous American rapper of Guyanese origin, who became famous in 2016 after the release of the single Roses. Carlos St. John (real name of the performer) skillfully combines recitative with vocals and writes music on his own. He is also known as a songwriter for such artists as: Usher, Jidenna, Hoodie Allen, etc.
Childhood and youth of Saint Jhn
The boy's childhood can hardly be called carefree. The future musician was born on August 26, 1986 in Brooklyn (New York). The area, which was known for its active criminal life, influenced the boy. His father was directly related to the underworld. At that time, he was a scammer who fraudulently sold various items of little value to gullible buyers.
Over time, the mother got tired of such a life, and she decided to move to the central regions of New York. After working as a nurse for some time, the woman decided that she did not want her sons to grow up in such an environment. She decided that it would be best for them to continue their studies in their homeland - in Guyana, and prepared the two brothers for the move.
While studying at a local school, the boy communicated mainly with his brother and a few friends. The guys tried to rap. Little Carlos saw this and began to try to repeat after the older guys. Having learned to read, he often demonstrated this ability at school, thanks to which he became famous among his peers. Here Carlos began to write his first texts.
At the age of 15, it was decided that Carlos needed to return to New York and continue his studies here. The young man brought with him a large notebook containing all the poems he had written in Guyana.
The beginning of St. John's career
St. John didn't have a dramatic career take-off, so his popularity increased after the first song. On the contrary, all his attempts were often unnoticed, so the musician went to his goal for many years.
The boy was brought up on Latin American music as a child. But his first release is the EP The St. John Portfolio was recorded in the genre of rap and hip hop. This album, like the mixtape In Association, he released under his real name. The pseudonym Saint Jhn appeared much later.
Writing lyrics for the stars
The first recordings were almost unnoticed. And for a while, the artist focused on writing songs for other artists. Around this time, he began writing lyrics for Usher and Joey Badass. Several poems were written for Rihanna but were never accepted and recorded by the singer.
Until 2016, John was engaged in ghostwriting (writing lyrics for other rappers and singers). It turned out well for him, and among the performers, Carlos became a very famous author. His poems are used by such popular musicians as Kiesza, Nico & Vinz and others.
However, this is not what the singer dreams of, so he continues to record solo material. And in 2016 he released a series of singles. The first track was "1999", followed by Reflex and Roses. The latter has become very popular in the United States.
Roses became a real world hit only in 2019, when the Kazakh DJ and beatmaker Imanbek released his remix. The song immediately hit many world charts, including the Billboard Hot 100. She was at the top of the charts in the UK, Holland, Australia and other countries. So Carlos gained worldwide fame.
However, in 2016, after the release of the first three singles, John was in no hurry to release a solo release and continued to prepare lyrics for other artists. So, in 2017, Jidenna's Helicopters / Beware came out.
The debut album
After that, the rapper again released the song 3 Below, which had good performance in listening on the Internet. 2018 was marked by an important event for Carlos - the release of his first full-length album, Collection One.
It was preceded by the singles I Heard You Got Too Little Last Night and Albino Blue. Basically, the release was a compilation of previously released songs, which have now been compiled into a full-fledged release. By this point, the videos for the songs were gaining tens of millions of views on YouTube. And the rapper has become a very prominent personality in American hip-hop.
It cannot be said that the album touched upon deep philosophical themes. Basically, it is filled with a "party" lifestyle. This is big money, beautiful girls, fame, cars, jewelry. At the same time, the musician seriously recoups on the sound, skillfully combining trap with other popular genres.
Today's work of Saint Jhn
Having established himself on the stage with his debut album, the musician began to work on his second solo release. In August 2019, the second compilation Ghet to Lenny's Love Songs was released, which was well received by critics and received by the public.
Several songs from this release also charted, but mostly in Europe. This album gave Saint Jhn the opportunity to undertake extensive tours. The musician organized a tour, which included mainly the cities of Canada and the USA. Interestingly, a year earlier, the artist visited Moscow with a concert. Here he was accompanied by the famous Russian rapper Oxxxymiron.
One of Carlos' recent records is a Trap video with Lil Baby. This song was a great move for both musicians. In just a few months, he has gained more than 5 million views on YouTube. The song also performed well on streaming platforms.
In the spring of 2020, there was a new surge in the popularity of the Roses single (4 years after its recording and release). The song topped the charts in the UK and Australia. The success of the song cemented the artist's popularity.
Nothing is known about the singer's personal life. He is currently recording new tracks.
