WITH SINCETHE80S/EPIC RECORDS NEW SINGLE “SO BEAUTIFUL” WITH 6LACK AVAILABLE NOW

Johnny Venus, one-half of the GRAMMY-nominated, Atlanta-based Hip Hop duo Earthgang, formally announces his new solo deal with Sincethe80s/Epic Records today, marked by the release of his debut single, “So Beautiful,” with Atlanta native and multi-platinum R&B artist 6LACK.

The sultry new feature serves as the lead single off Venus’s debut studio album. “This is my saga,” Venus says of setting out as a solo artist after being part of a group for over a decade. “This is the story that I’m telling about myself and my journey and growth, but there will still be those easter eggs.” 

With years of global impact and stardom under his belt as part of a collective, Johnny Venus is ready to share his vision.

“So Beautiful” with 6LACK and produced by Cam Herring and Wu10, is now available. Stream it

[Get: Johnny Venus, “So Beautiful” w/ 6LACK

Johnny Venus’s work with Earthgang encompassed a multitude of genres and styles, including rap, funk, and blues, and his work as a solo artist will continue to flex that versatility. On “So Beautiful,” Venus enters a sultry stratosphere with a romantically raspy and pitched-up vocal delivery that’s tempered deftly by 6LACK’s methodical emcee work. “I was born with rhythm. Rhythm isn’t really a genre,” Venus says about his commitment to a vast musical spectrum. 

Sincethe80s – the Atlanta-based label and management company that has managed Venus via Earthgang since the 2010s – adds, “Watching Johnny Venus evolve over the years artistically and spiritually has been amazing to watch. His discipline and commitment to the arts in every space is like none other, and I’m glad we are all still on this magical journey together.” Members of the management team joined Venus and WowGr8, the other half of Earthgang, on the latest cover of Spotify’s Frequency zine, in celebration of “collectives shaping the future.”

Concurrent with his venture into solo artistry is the ascent of Venus’s health and wellness brand, COMPXSS, which has been a connecting and physical force in the mental health community since its inception in 2023. The brand regularly hosts events across the country, including Los Angeles, New York and at Bonnaroo, and invites its attendees to explore themselves through community. “You need that time to show love to yourself in a healthy way, and in a healthy environment,” Venus says. 

“So Beautiful,” just the tip of the iceberg, is Johnny Venus’s formal introduction to his bold new era. Dive in today.

ABOUT JOHNNY VENUS:

“Life is like digging through the mud of ourselves, and finding treasure,” says Johnny Venus, author and architect of Earth 2 Olu, the versatile solo debut album from one-half of the GRAMMY-nominated Hip Hop duo Earthgang. “You find a treasure chest, you got all this gold, you mine it, you do whatever with it. And next thing you know, you find yourself back in the mud again. And you gotta dig, and find more treasure.” The redemptive mantra has followed Venus from his childhood in Atlanta, GA, where his distinctive upbringing bestowed upon him a perspective unique enough for him to form Earthgang—inspired by his environmental reverence—with his friend WowGr8 while the two were still in high school. The Earthgang run that followed is one to envy: a record deal with J. Cole’s Dreamville Records imprint, three GRAMMY nominations, collaborations with Pharrell Williams and The Gorillaz and multiple world tours. With Earth 2 Olu, Venus is stepping out on his own for the first time in his career as a solo artist. “Because it’s time,” Venus states simply. “Now is the time, now is all we have.” 

The result is a carefully crafted exhibition of an intensely personal vision that Venus began shaping over five years ago: Earth 2 Olu. Led by the yearning, R&B-driven single, “So Beautiful,” a collaboration with longtime colleague and fellow ATL-ien 6LACK, the groundwork that Venus lay with Earthgang is evident, but the journey to healing and clarity that Venus embarks on—with the help of funk, rap, blues and alternative frequencies that have peppered his musical palate for over a decade—is all his own. Concurrently, Venus’s launch of his yoga and wellness brand, COMPXSS, has given his self-exploration a platform that has acted as its name suggests: as a North Star for the rapper’s soul, and an opportunity for him to find common ground with people from all walks of life in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and in the near-future, across the globe. “Seeing that me, a young black man from Atlanta, Georgia, can have an effect on a kid in Japan, or in Southeast Asia, or in Soweto, South Africa. It’s like oh, this is bigger than me. Like, it’s me. But it’s bigger than me, you know?” This is Johnny Venus.