When you hear the name RJD2 it's easy to imagine this master turntablist playing with the Max Rebo Band, perhaps standing right next to Droopy McCool. "The very first rapper I ever worked with was this guy named Gomer who would freestyle while I was spinning records," RJD2 recalls. "He just started calling me RJD2 because my first name is RJ. And the name stuck."
The intergalactic moniker makes sense considering the saga's impact on his youth. "The Empire Strikes Back was one of the first movies I saw in a movie theater, so various scenes of that movie are still pretty vivid to me," RJD2 says. "I remember being mildly confused by A New Hope, but Empire really sucked me in. Of course, Star Wars was just inextricably linked to my generation. Everybody I knew was into it. In hindsight, I would guess it was because they were great stories, and well produced. Even when I got older and realized the limitations of the original special effects, the films were still uniquely quirky."
In addition to the films, RJD2 has fond memories of his toys, as well as his parents' own collection. "LEGO and Star Wars are the only toys I really remember playing with," RJD2 says. "My mother was into them as well, and bought action figures and left them in mint condition in the boxes."
Stacks of records have long since replaced his action figures, but he still holds on to one Sith artifact for sentimental reasons. "Even though I don't really collect the toys anymore, my prized item will always be the Darth Vader carrying case for the action figures," RJD2 says.
Born in Eugene, Oregon a year before the release of A New Hope, RJD2 (then RJ Kron) and his family later moved to Columbus, Ohio where he went to school and eventually discovered his musical talent behind two turntables. In 1993, he began as a DJ with the Columbus rap group MHz, and later signed to the label Definitive Jux, where he released his debut Deadringer. Collaborating under the side project name Soul Position with Columbus rapper Blueprint, he then released the EP Unlimited and the full-length 8 Million Stories in 2003. A year later his second solo album Since We Last Spoke hit record stores. And most recently in 2006, as Soul Position, he released Things Go Better with RJ and Al.
In addition to his solo releases as RJD2 and his side project Soul Position, he produces tracks for everyone from Aceyalone to Radiohead. His music can also be heard on a variety of soundtracks for such video games as NFL 2K5, NBA 2K5, NBA 2K6, and Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. As his music finds its way on more and more gaming titles, RJD2 can't help but reminisce about a certain retro game that let him practice his budding Jedi skills. "My fondest memory as a fan is probably from playing the Return of the Jedi video game in an arcade with my father when I was young," RJD2 smiles. "It was, and still is, one of my favorite arcade games."
As a driving passion in RJD2's life, music is something he takes very seriously, whether it's the pounding bass in a video game, or the soaring symphonic score of the Star Wars saga. "It is hard to imagine those movies without the music from composer John Williams," RJD2 says. "I would almost say the music is a more ubiquitous in our culture than some of the images."
When RJD2 sat down in the theater to see Revenge of the Sith in 2005, it wasn't just the musical score that moved him. Revenge of the Sith was the first of the prequels I really liked," RJD2 admits. "It was much darker than the other two. And learning the story behind Darth Vader was great; that element was much needed in the prequels."
Now that the story of the saga has come full circle linking the prequels to the original trilogy, RJD2 reveals that unlike his name suggests, it's not the mischievous droid he identifies with the most. "Actually, I think I relate to Han Solo the most," RJD2 says. "His reluctance to connect to people, but still remain a good person to the core is what makes him such an interesting character," RJD2 says.
To listen to tracks and find out more about RJD2, visit his official site here.
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