JT

JT Biography by Paul Simpson Period Known for making brash, playful party anthems as one-half of multi-platinum Miami rap duo City Girls, JT's solo material addresses more personal issues. City Girls broke through with a pair of 2018 releases, Period and Girl Code, reaching the U.S. Top 40 with the 2019 hits "Twerk" (with Cardi B) and "Act Up." Solo single "JT First Day Out" was recorded in response to the rapper's release from incarceration. City Girls released the Top 30-charting full-length City on Lock in 2020, and JT appeared on songs by Summer Walker and Nicki Minaj before delivering the hard-edged "No Bars" in 2023. She also guested on Kali Uchis' single "Muñekita." Quality Control: Control the Streets, Vol. 1 Jatavia Shakara Johnson grew up in Miami neighborhoods Liberty City and Carol City. She became friends with Caresha Brownlee (Yung Miami) as a youth, and the two recorded the first City Girls song, a diss against their ex-boyfriends titled "Fu*k Dat Ni**a," in 2017. The song was included on Quality Control's Control the Streets, Volume 1 compilation at the end of the year. City Girls released the mixtape Period in 2018, and the duo made an appearance on Drake's chart-topper "In My Feelings." However, JT was charged with aggravated identity theft and began a prison sentence in July of 2018. Yung Miami continued to promote the duo's music while JT was incarcerated, and their full-length debut, Girl Code, reached number 55 on the Billboard 200 after it was released later in the year. The album featured the platinum-certified hits "Twerk" (featuring Cardi B) and "Act Up." During her sentence, JT was transferred to a halfway house in Atlanta, and was able to leave during the day. She released a solo single titled "JT First Day Out" which detailed her experience. City Girls released their second album, City on Lock, in 2020, and it reached number 29 on the Billboard 200. Their non-album single "Twerkulator" became a viral hit in 2021, and JT collaborated with Summer Walker for the song "Ex for a Reason." In 2022, JT appeared on the "Queen Mix" of Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl," along with BIA, Katie Got Bandz, and others. JT and Latto were also featured on a remix of Hitkidd & GloRilla's "F.N.F. (Let's Go)." As City Girls continued releasing singles, including collaborations with Usher and Diddy, JT released the solo track "No Bars" in 2023, and appeared on Kali Uchis' "Muñekita" along with El Alfa.