EP: J.R. Donato – Fear What They Don’t Know

The Chicago North-Sider and Kap G Tourmate Delivers a Focused, Versatile Effort via Taylor Gang Entertainment

07.21.2017

Critical Praise:

“…he uses his voice and flow in unique ways that only someone who’s been writing for close to a decade could pull off” – HotNewHipHop

“The future is looking type bright for J.R.” – Fake Shore Drive

“At 21-years old, the Chi town native J.R. Donato has already accomplished a lot” – GoodMusicAllDay

“Make it count and get in tune with Young Donato” – onSMASH

“J.R. Donato is poised for mainstream success” – Dirty Glove Bastard

The EP:

Abig time rapper since his preteen years, the 23-year-old J.R. Donato is the rap game’s youngest veteran. Dialing in for one of his most focused projects yet, J.R. drops Fear What They Don’t Know, released via Taylor Gang Entertainment. Keeping his joints in rotation and shifting his flow to meet the needs of the beat, J.R. flexes his versatility on the new EP, flexing on his haters on “Nervous,” sweetly serenading the ladies on “You’re The One,” and even tackling racial profiling on “FWTDK.” The follow up to last year’s Why So Serious?, Fear What They Don’t Know arrives in time for the SupaJefe Tour, featuring J.R. opening for 2017 XXL Freshman Kap G. Featuring appearances from Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign, with production from TM88 of 808 Mafia (the man behind Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3”) and Taylor Gang’s accomplished in-house beatsmith Ricky P, Fear What They Don’t Know, premiered today by FakeShoreDrive, is a major step forward for Donato and a culmination of over a decade’s worth of rapping experience.

J.R. Donato has been a mainstay on the Chicago rap scene for nearly a decade, earning a local hit at age 13 under the name Young JR. During his junior year of high school, Donato supported Twista on a regional tour. By 2012, J.R. caught the ear of Wiz Khalifa, who featured J.R. on his Cabin Fever 2 mixtape and later signed him to Taylor Gang Entertainment. Though Taylor Gang’s recent TGOD Vol. 1collaborative mixtape features a tracklist loaded with stars such as Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, and Ty Dolla $ign, the Gang demonstrated their confidence in the young rapper when they chose his solo “All Winter” banger as the first track on the project. Last week, J.R. teamed up with wis for “Big Business,” a XXL-premiered motivational anthem. In his November 2016 Up NeXt feature on HipHopDX, J.R. Donato expressed his vision of stardom. “Yes, I feel like I got one foot in now, I feel like I’m almost there,” he says. “I’m working on making a hit that will change everything – I have a few in the bag that we’ll need to push to become hits. I want to show people that I can rap my ass off, I have the potential.”

Listen to Fear What They Don’t Know: https://soundcloud.com/jrdonato/sets/fear-what-they-dont-know

Buy Fear What They Don’t Know: http://smarturl.it/FWTDK

Check out the FakeShoreDrive premiere: https://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2017/07/premiere-j-r-donato-drops-his-new-ep-fear-what-they-dont-know.html/

Catch J.R. on the SupaJefe Tour with Kap G: http://bit.ly/2tjPKVS

Please contact Michelle or Isabel for more info.

The Background:

J.R. Donato’s music can be summed up into three words; conceptual, vivid and thorough. His image, outlook on life and positivity that he brings to the hiphop community is a breathe of fresh air. His passion manifested itself early in the form of songwriting. “I always wrote about things I had been through or seen,” the Chicago native says. “I still do. Every song is another piece of my life and story.” Before J.R. reached his teenage years, he was already penning lyrics for himself and others. By the time he was 13, Young J.R. had a regional hit single “500 Degrees,” with a live performance presence that was unheard of for a kid who just entered his teens. That led to other tracks like “Money On My Mind” and “We Be Rydin,” creating a sizeable buzz for young entertainer. He was popping up on mixtapes and performing at clubs he was too young to even attend. This led to mentorship from hometown hero Twista and eventually being signed by Wiz Khalifa to Taylor Gang. Since then J.R. has been grinding, joining Wiz and Taylor Gang on several tours, and releasing three mixtapes: North Pole, Fast Money & Freedom, and most recently Why So Serious? Packed with head-nodding, percussive flows, rhythmic hooks, and clever lyrical couplets, Why So Serious? is a level up for Donato, boasting the strongest bars and song craftsmanship of his career and promising hint of what J.R. Donato has to offer.