Hey, I'm J. Roy Stephens and I'm super proud to finally let everybody hear my first "solo" hip-hop project. I put "solo" in quotations because my name might be the main one on it, but some of my best friends and favorite people in the world largely contributed to this EP and without them the whole project would have been drastically less cool. So first and foremost, Lane Johnson produced this EP to the teeth and I'm unbelievably blessed and thankful to not only have had the opportunity to work with him, but now call him one of my closest friends. Lane also played the drums on this EP, and while he's an absolutely incredible producer, he's so good at drums it makes me mad. Lane, I appreciate you more than I could ever tell you, man; thanks so much for working so hard for me and with me on this project and I hope you're as proud of it as I am. Enormous thanks to my good friend Jordan Mitchell for his creative contribution to the project by not only weighing in artistically and playing guitar, but for also being the choir on "Old Country Church". Jordan has one of the most incredible guitar rigs I've ever heard and quite literally has magic in his hands, and that being said, is one of the best musicians I've ever met in my life; I'm blessed to know you, boss, I appreciate you. Huge, huge, huge thanks to Adam Kersh for singing like a mad man on the EP's background vocals, being the other choir member on "Old Country Church" alongside Jordan, and obviously, for Killing the hook on that song. If you listen to this EP all the way through, chances are OCC will be your favorite and it has Nothing to do with the rapping. Kersh, you the man and I'm glad you call you my friend. While we're on OCC, big thanks to the homie Sam Bedingfield for coming to play bass on the project. Sam's got that funk like nobody else I know and the real bass makes a lot of these songs Super cool. Sam, I don't see you enough, my man, but I appreciate you and we need to chill much more often and sooner than later. Big thanks to my good friend Ashton Cone for just being around while we recorded this project; for throwing out ideas, for being a great energy in the studio, and for going with me to CBC and Steak and Shake at all hours of the night. Ashton's one of the sick-nastiest drummers I know and y'all be on the look out for some tunes coming from us. We write some R&B like its our jobs. I'd be completely remiss to not thank the studio interns who were around while we worked on this project, so Matt Sedowicz, I'm glad you were around, my man. And of course, a big thank you to then intern and my long time good friend Jonathan "Grande" Hicks who is the best live drummer any metal-head turned rapper could ever ask for. For all y'all that don't know, let me tell you, Jonny Grande is a rock star and you need to come see us live. If I'm forgetting anybody on the music end, I'm super sorry and I'm a jerk. Outside of musical contributors, huge thanks to Rob Alderman and Ashley Rush for being the normal folks around the studio and for just being lovely people. I don't see y'all enough and we should change that. Huge thanks to Matthew Hoopes for your unbelievable kindness and hospitality towards me. I'll never be able to put into words how confident you've helped me feel about this project, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Also a big thanks to Brad Moist and Joey Elwood for being incredibly nice guys and also making me feel great about this project; y'all are good people and I appreciate it. That same sort of thank you goes out to my friend Jones Bean; thanks for making me feel great about this project, man, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Jones is also a super talented musician, so y'all go check out his band "Calling Glory". Not only are they incredible, but they're all great dudes. I want to especially thank my family for being wonderful people and for their unwavering support in all my musical ventures. Momma and Dad, y'all didn't have to be good parents, and I'm eternally grateful for y'all. I love y'all so much and could never express my gratitude for all the things you've done for me. Point blank, without y'all this music stuff I do wouldn't be possible; thank you so so much for helping me and supporting me. I love y'all. Thank you. Thanks to my sisters Sarah and Emily for all the ways y'all support me and for always reminding me I'm never quite as cool as I think I am ; ). I love y'all. Ma and Pa, I can't ever thank y'all enough for everything y'all have done for me either, and especially thank y'all for giving me the best nick name that's ever been. Ma and Pa, I promise that one day I'll do a southern gospel/country project, and I thank y'all so so much for believing in me and music. Thank you for letting me pound y'all's piano for hours on end when I was little, thank you for getting me my first guitar, thank you for getting me an awesome amp in high school that I still use today... Ma and Pa, without y'all this music stuff I do would have never happened. Thank you. I love y'all. Thanks to Uncle David for being unbelievably supportive and a true help to me in all this stuff; I'm glad and thankful to have somebody like you in my family and in my life to help me navigate through this entertainment business thing and I really appreciate all your advice and help. Uncle, thank you and I love you. While I don't have any actual brothers, I want to thank the six people that are the closest things to brothers I'll ever have. Thanks to my best friend Drew Crabtree for just being my best friend and for being such a musical perfectionist/jerk that I can know I really have something good when he says its good. Drew's one of the best musicians I know and his presence in my life has truly been an "as iron sharpens iron" experience. He's also in "Calling Glory", and seriously, you should check them out. Drew, you've been my best friend in my darkest days, man, and I truly appreciate you. Thank you and I love you. Huge thank you to my best friend of 17 years (dead serious, 17 years) Josh Stephens for just being my best friend and for bumping whatever music I make. Y'all need to know I'm Incredibly proud of brother Josh, this dude right here is Straight Business. Thank you for being my boy all these years, homie- I don't see you enough and we're going to change that. You, too, have helped me through my darkest of days and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. Thank you, homie, and I love you. Huge thanks to Dustyn Winder and Chase Carol for joining me in the greatest triumvirate that's ever existed. I truly hate the whole "growing up" thing that finds us all busy and spread around, and I appreciate y'all being my boys despite how much I suck at returning phone calls and making time for us to chill. I appreciate y'all and I love you. While my parents and grand parents got me instruments and supported me playing them, I couldn't make a decent sound on one to save my life without my best friend Brent Womac. I might have known some things about music before I met Brent, but I didn't Know anything about music before I met Brent. Brent, thanks for being my best friend and showing me the ropes about music. In life and in music, I don't know where I'd be without you. Thanks, man, and I love you. And finally, to the brother I met through doing this project, huge thanks to Shibu Joseph. Shibu is not only one of the coolest guys I've ever met, but if I've ever met a dude that I thought God was happy with, its Shibu. I didn't know him, but I imagine if David was after God's own heart, Shibu is too. Your support means the world to me and I appreciate you, man. Thank you and I love you. In closing, let me take a final paragraph to thank my God. Let it be known that this project came out of the literal darkest time of my life, and the people that God brought to my life through this project have helped me through it in ways I can't begin to express. God, I give this project back to You and I hope You're honored by it. I hope this project displays Your light in a way You're proud of, I hope my life displays Your light in a way You're proud of, and I hope the love of Jesus is evident in both. All the glory be Yours and never mine. If I've forgot anybody, I apologize and I owe you one. I hope you dig my EP that me and friends worked really hard on, and I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had making it. I think thats all I got, so without further ado: be light, chase the dream, never the money, keep rockin' and be blessed! J. Roy Stephens