Coming out of Vineland, New Jersey, Joseph Orama—better known as 444BabyJ or simply BabyJ—is more than just a rapper. He’s a voice for those fighting silent battles, a self-made artist learning every layer of his craft, and someone who sees music not as a product, but as a purpose.
BabyJ started rapping in middle school. At first, it was just fun. But by the time he dropped his first single, Like Mike, as a high school freshman, things changed. The feeling he got from making music—and the connection it sparked—pulled him in for good.
“I felt the love of music more,” he says, remembering that moment. That love has since evolved into a deeper commitment. Not only does he rap, but he also produces and engineers his own tracks. “I’m working on expanding my knowledge as a producer,” he says. “I want to be in control of my sound, from start to finish.”
And that sound? It’s different. BabyJ is fully aware of the noise in the music world, but he’s never tried to blend in. “I feel like I’m one of a kind,” he says. “My flow, my sound—it stands out. I want people to feel something real when they hear me. I want them to know they’re not alone.”
His raw and honest style has earned him a growing presence online, with some Instagram videos passing 17,000 views and a few songs crossing 1,000 plays on platforms like SoundCloud and Apple Music. The numbers are growing slowly, but they’re real. “I have a small following,” he says, “but I’m working on being consistent.”
That consistency hasn’t come easy. One of BabyJ’s toughest battles came after a string of personal losses—his grandmother and two close friends passed away within a year. The grief hit hard. “For a good amount of time, I was stuck,” he admits. “I couldn’t write. I couldn’t even record.”
But when the pain got too heavy, he turned to music—not for fame, but for healing. The result was a track called icriedwhilewritingthis, a raw dedication to the people he lost and the weight he carried. “That song helped me let go of a lot of pain,” he says. “It helped me move forward.”
Looking ahead, BabyJ sees more than just streams and followers. He wants to leave a mark—not just in music, but in his community. “In a couple years, I want my brand to be solid. I want to be producing and recording at a professional level, inspiring people in my city to chase their dreams.”
He’s not chasing the mainstream spotlight, either. “I want an organic flow,” he says. “I want my music to affect people in a real way, not just trends. I want to stay true to myself.”
Above all, BabyJ is open and genuine. He’s not trying to be a mystery. “There’s nothing I want to leave out,” he says. “I’m down to earth. Everything about me is real.”
That’s what he wants the world to remember—not just his name, but what he stood for. “At the end of the day, I want to be remembered as an artist who kept it honest, grew in every direction, and made people feel something.”
