Warner Chappell Music signs publishing deal with rising rapper CJ

09 February 2021 - Press release

Warner Chappell Music, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has entered into a worldwide publishing agreement with up-and-coming rapper CJ. The 23-year-old artist has seen huge success with his first RIAA platinum-certified single “Whoopty,” which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time this week and also landed him at No. 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriters chart. In January, CJ signed a record deal with Warner Chappell’s sister company, Warner Records.

Warner Chappell Music President of A&R, U.S., Ryan Press, said: “CJ is a young talent who burst onto the New York rap scene and is already gaining worldwide attention. From the minute I first heard his music, I was hooked. We’re looking forward to the journey ahead and working closely with him, his manager James Cruz, along with Julian Petty and the rest of our Warner Records fam.”

CJ shared: “The moment I’ve been waiting for as a songwriter and an artist is finally here. Ryan Press and the Warner Chappell team are all about building a writer’s career and that’s exactly what I’m looking to do. I’m ready to take this momentum and see what we can accomplish together.”

James Cruz, CJ’s manager and Founder/CEO, Cruz Control, added: “We chose Warner Chappell and Warner Records because we wanted to have our label and publishing partners under the same roof as well as work with a team that felt more like family. I've been on this ride with CJ since the beginning, and I know it’s going to only get better from here with the full support of our friends at Warner."

The Staten Island native got his start in music at an early age thanks to his uncle and now-manager James Cruz, who has worked alongside Puff Daddy, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent, among others. After dropping a number of tracks and remixes on YouTube and Soundcloud, CJ pivoted to the popular drill sound of his city as a homage to the late Pop Smoke. The result was his 2020 anthem, “Whoopty,” which received national recognition in a matter of weeks – garnering praise from notable artists like Cardi B, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes. The breakout single put him on the international map, peaking at No. 10 on the Global 200 chart, helping to catapult him to the top of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart and reaching No. 3 on the UK singles chart. It currently has 343+ million streams worldwide and is headed to the top spot on both Urban and Rhythmic radio. He released his next single “BOP” at the end of January, and is currently working on his EP, set to release soon.