I stumbled across the video for “Hang Glide to Malibu” by AJ Case and as I pressed play and listened to this beautifully moving song I was immediately drawn in. I started looking for anything else I could find, track after track, each one more impressive than the last.

 

What I like about AJ is his ability to create music across a very wide canvas. I hear many flavors of musical styles and genres both in his composition and in his writing. It’s relaxed and it does not speak at me but rather it speaks to me, like a conversation between two people or when you just let someone talk it out while you listen and don’t say a word. I’m glad I found AJ, it’s been good getting to know him and I’m very proud he is a South Carolina artist.

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AJ Case was born and raised in the poverty stricken and violent south side of Sumter, South Carolina where his mother did everything in her power to work towards a better life for him and his siblings amidst the culture of drugs and violence that were all too commonplace in the area at that time. It was a chance meeting with a schoolmate, Greg Neal, that sparked Case's interest in music of all genres and styles which led to him learning to play many different instruments and making his own music. In the years to come, Case's mother saved every penny she could to buy him his first guitar and with help from his uncle Bill Pinckney (a founder of the group The Drifters), Case developed his skill with the instrument and his musicianship as a whole. Case took opportunities to play a variety of instruments with a large number of seasoned musicians to hone his skills and cites this eclectic artistic exposure as the catalyst for his passion for songwriting. This passion soon turned into a lustrous Rap career that would open up doors not even he could imagine, allowing him to share his life experiences through his unique musical compositions and straightforward lyrical style. 

 

In 2004 Case released his first album, "In the Grand Scheme of Thingz" under Silver Sun Productions. The album featured collaborations with Big Soulja Ed (South Carolina Hip Hop artist), Adrienna Langley (South Carolina female Pop vocalist), and Dumas (Lithuanian Hip Hop artist of 2006). It was the success of AJ Case's second album, "Lifted," which paved the way for Case to become one of the first touring Hip Hop acts to come from the Grand Strand area. With managers Todd Davis and Jeffrey Motsinger, Case finally developed a working team around his trademark sound. Being one of the only acts ever booked from South Carolina to play the famed Bayfest Music Festival and Glastonbury Music Festival, Case became a headlining act in big and small venues across the United States and did so without the support of a record company. During this season of heavy touring and live performances, Case garnered a reputation for connecting with all types of audiences and artists with his music and stage presence. Features on his album from this period included Big Soulja Ed, Shane C, Miranda, Waverly Crawford, and Jermaine McCray.

 

In 2009, Case began writing his acoustic Rap album, “Dead at 32,” which was never released. With the birth of his daughter, Case decided to step away from the performing side of the music industry to focus on family, but continued working with music artists in the Carolinas. In 2010, Case debuted one of the songs from the “Dead at 32” album, “Waitin' on Ya," on the main stage at the House of Blues with singer Corey Clarity. It would be 11 years before he would record another AJ Case studio album. 

 

In 2014, Case opened iT Recording and Mastering Studios in Surfside Beach, South Carolina along with SSP Events & Star Trexs Karaoke with his now partner, Ruth Ann Millar. On August 3, 2020, Case released his third studio project, titled "AJ Case R.I.P. (Running in Place)," an acoustic guitar driven, live band hip hop album with two songs from the "Dead at 32" project: “Waitin' on Ya" and “Nothing". This album also featured the musicians Shane Burton (Bassist), Marty Smith (Keyboards), Ramon Landicho (Bassist), and Adam Wittenberg (Vocalist). AJ Case is currently still based in the South Carolina region, but delivers his music on a world-wide stage. He is also an Industry consultant who helps artists and other creative professionals build their careers and properly navigate the entertainment business.