Meet TGC Johnny Stone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Stone.

Hi Johnny, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got started on my journey from writing poetry. Before poetry, I liked to draw cartoons and people a lot. At first, I wanted to be a Graphic Designer because I love to be creative. I performed at churches posted poetry on Facebook (back in 2008). I did new bits in Infront of close people to get personal feedback.

I had a mentor, and he told me never to imitate another person but always to be myself and transparent when writing. When I got into high school, that’s when I wanted to rap. All my friends were doing it as a pastime type of thing. I was shy at first because I wasn’t the best at freestyle. I always was a writer and not an “off the dome” type of guy.

As I grew more comfortable in that element, I researched legendary Rappers like Tupac, Biggie, Nas, Jay Z, Eminem, Wu Tang, Snoop Dogg, Eazy E, etc. I studied their backgrounds on how they came from nothing to something. It was always inspiring to see the little guy become the big guy, especially coming from a background designed for you to fail. As I got out of high school, I started to record my music.

A laptop, a microphone, speakers, headphones, and the will to stay consistent were all I ever needed. I wasn’t great, not even good when doing so. But was decent enough to hear what I was saying through the speakers.

As time went on, I was very misguided in my life. I didn’t understand the depth of work ethic. I let opportunities slip through the cracks of my fingers, made many mistakes, and lost a lot of friends during this journey. I suffered from depression, identity crises that I was unaware of, low self-esteem, and I often compared my chapter in life to others. I was robbing myself of joy and happiness.

After times of self-reflection passed, I got back to recording music. As I kept going, I started to get better than I eventually became an expert as A Rapper and Audio Engineer. I recorded my first two mixtapes in my mother’s basement back in 2014 called The Appreciation 1 & 2. I was stepping out of my shell as a shy, not so sure about life kind of guy and became a more “I understand the assignment” type of dude. 2015 I started to hit local open mics recording studios and traveled around the city to different spots to display my skills on the microphone.

By the following year, I built a name for myself as “that’s a cool dude, and he got bars,” and people were always excited to see me perform my craft. I was as good as I was with my stage presence, audio engineering, graphic design for my cover arts, and rapping skills. I didn’t understand how to market myself properly, nor did I look at myself as a business. I didn’t understand what “Branding” meant, nor did I even care at the time.

Sure, I was doing performances, but I wasn’t getting paid to do so. I grew up with the “if you have a lot of money, then you’re evil” kind of mindset, so I never wanted to profit from it because it comes from the heart; I was working 9-5 jobs that took me further away from my music. It made me angry often because I just wanted to write this song I have in my head. I needed money, so I kept the jobs that weren’t meant for me.

In recent years such as 2019, I wanted to take marketing more seriously. I knew marketing would help expand my reach, but I didn’t know where to go. I first started on YouTube looking for information. Eventually found some mentors and paid for classes to learn more in-depth. Today, I am a Digital Marketer who helps online brands gain more attraction to their business by expanding their reach, tailoring their message to a specific audience, and strategies that I have learned over the years.

I first applied this knowledge to my career and made several milestone successes that I wasn’t able to do before. I gained more confidence in that field, and today I am not only a Rap Artist, but I am also a very knowledgeable Businessman/Entrepreneur.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This road was not a smooth road at all. The road was filled with mistakes, bumps, and bruises. I pretty much taught myself that not every interaction with a person will be the same. I am extra careful when It comes to doing business with people because I know that we all do not share the same outcomes.

Even with proper communication somehow the information is taken the wrong kind of way. My main struggle was that I was chasing validation. For years, I felt that I should be bigger than I am now. People have a way of reminding you that you aren’t famous yet. Constantly comparing yourself to another is a recipe for disaster.

I ate that cake so much in my life now I’m on a Sugar-Free diet of anything like that. Trying to fit in with the “popular” crowd was a struggle within itself. You want to be known and you want to be seen with the great people (public perception) but just to find out that you have been accepted but not respected fully.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I say what sets me apart from others is that I’m not afraid of looking stupid in front of people. When something goes wrong, I find a way to roll with the punches at my best ability. I’m calm under pressure and my mind is constantly in creative mode. I’m best known for my outgoing personality.

I just put my personality in the music so these people can feel where I’m coming from. My audience is people still trying to figure out a formula to success and they listen to me for motivation. I see myself as an icon for somebody who started with nothing and has all the potential and the world to be something but no one around him is giving him a chance to be great.

He’s witnessing me come from somewhere he’s familiar with and building my own empire and it’ll give him the motivation to want to build his own empire from scratch. I’m restoring hope again inside the hearts of real people. That’s what I’m most proud of.

What were you like growing up?
My personality was and is still really goofy and cool. I was a prankster.

I liked to laugh and have a lot of friends. I loved to feel good and I loved colors because they all made me feel a different kind of way. Yellow made me hyper, Blue made me cool and open like the sky. Green made me feel full of energy and excitement and Red made me feel like stop and pay attention.

I was really interested in Fighting Games, Pokemon Cards, Yu-Gi-Oh Cards, Worlds Of Fun, Chuckie Cheeses, trips out of state with my family, etc. Sometimes, I wish that I could be a kid again.

Pricing:

• $350-500 Social Media Management
• $35 – 30 Minute Consultation
• $75 – One Hour Consultation
• $150 – Feature Verse/ $75 Logo
• $35 an Hour Studio Recording

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.tgcjohnnystone.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram/tgcstone.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook/tgcjohnnystone.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube/tgcjohnnystone.com
• SoundCloud: https://www.soundcloud/tgcjohnnystone.com

Image Credits
TGC Johnny, Stone Coco, FunFilled Photography, and Alpone Da Producer