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This week on We Sound Crazy, the crew welcomes a true multi-hyphenate who is currently shaping culture on his own terms. Actor, producer, music artist, and label CEO Julian Horton joins hosts Claude Kelly, Chuck Harmony, Phil Thornton, and Tamone Bacon for an unfiltered conversation about his meteoric rise and the discipline required to juggle life at a high vibration. While the world recognizes him as the magnetic "Roy" from Tyler Perry’s global Netflix sensation Beauty in Black, Julian reveals to the guys that his heart has always been in the music, working tirelessly behind the scenes to build his own empire.

The transition from the screen to the studio isn't as seamless as it looks, and Julian gets candid with the crew about the "yield" in the acting industry and why he’s currently pouring his energy into his music persona, J-12. As the CEO of TMO (The Most Original) Music Group, he is navigating the saturated digital landscape with a focus on cinematic, hard-hitting production. He opens up about the financial and creative hurdles of producing his high-budget music video for "Gone Head Busted" and the realization that even a global acting platform requires a new level of "spamming" and creativity to get people to truly listen.

Success for Julian isn't just a solo mission; it’s a family legacy. With actor Donald Faison as a cousin and a father who ran with the legendary Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family, Julian was born into the game. He shares the "win on your own merit" wisdom he received from Faison and how seeing Black excellence up close from a young age made his current reality feel possible long before the cameras started rolling. This deep-rooted perspective is what keeps him grounded, even as his face appears on billboards across the country.

We Sound Crazy is your backstage pass to all things music and culture.

Special thanks to our We Sound Crazy team!

Director: John Dierre

Camera Op: Josh Sowemimo, James Hart, John Dierre

Editor/Producer: Lamont Baldwin

Producer: Aaron Walton

Show Producer/Remixer: Michael "Roux" Johnson

Assistant: Brittany Guydon

Talent Producer: Isaac Hamm III

Photography: Ah'meer Holt

PA: Kaye Brasley, Tony Cole

Thank you to all of our listeners, as well as our partners at Visit Music City.

Beauty in Black’s Julian Horton Attacks AI Artists and Modern 90s Samples