Jason Rawls (born February 27, 1974 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American hip hop, soul, and neo-soul producer whose work crosses over into jazz. Biography Production career J. Rawls' production is best known for his work with Black Star, a rap group formed by Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawls contributed production on "Brown Skin Lady" and "Yo, Yeah" which placed him on the map among producers in the rap music genre. The album Mos Def & Kweli are Black Star did very well in the independent hip hop market, was acclaimed as one of the best albums in 1998 and was a major force in the late '90s underground hip hop explosion. J. Rawls' first solo album came in 2001, with The Essence Of... (Groove attack), which featured singles "Great Live Caper" featuring J-Live, "Check the Clock" and "They Can't See Me". He released his second solo album called The Essence of Soul in 2005 on his own label POLAR