Naeem Juwan, AKA Spank Rock, first found fame in the mid-2000s with his hit debut, YoYoYoYoYo. Since then, the alt-rapper has spread his musical wings wide, collaborating with artists from genres of all kinds.
Juwan’s latest release, Startisha, marks an even more drastic shift from his former signature style. In fact, Juwan has reinvented himself completely, changing his artist name from Spank Rock to simply Naeem for this new release.
Naeem Juwan rises to fame as Spank Rock
In 2006, Juwan became an internet sensation after the release of his debut album, YoYoYoYoYo. As Spank Rock, Juwan became known for his unique, sometimes abrasive, genre-bending mix of hip-hop, house music, electronica and rock. Though influenced by rappers of an earlier generation like Mos Def, Tweli, and Q-Tip, Juwan quickly established his own, new style.
Less than a year later, he released a follow-up EP entitled Bangers & Cash. However, a conflict with his label at the time created a 5-year gap before his next full album. Finally, in 2011, he released Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar.
From Baltimore to Boston to Stardom
Juwan grew up in West Baltimore, alongside five sisters and two brothers. “The only element of my household that was consistent,” he recalls, “is that my mother and father always listened to music, a habit my mom says she picked up from her mother.”
Juwan began performing at 16. After high school, he moved to Boston to study music. However, he dropped out after a short time. During this time, a mutual friend introduced him to Alex Epton, a fellow Baltimorian, and the two began a collaboration that would soon become Spank Rock.
After their first album as Spank Rock, Epton moved on to focus on his own producing. Juwan kept the name as a solo act.
Juwan recently collaborated with Justin Vernon, AKA Bon Iver, on a few different projects. He worked on Vernon’s album i,i, and joined a host of other collaborators like Taylor Swift on the recently-released album from supergroup Big Red Machine, which consists of Vernon, and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
Juwan lives in LA with his boyfriend of 10 years, Scott Ross, who helped create music videos for the tracks “Woo Woo” and “Simulation” off of Startisha.
Naeem Juwan flips the script for “Startisha”
After the success of his early career as Spank Rock, Juwan felt pigeon-holed. “I love rap music,” he tells Pioneer Works “I grew up on rap music. But the music I listen to at home is not usually rap… I’m always listening to Prince, always listening to Bowie.”
So, for Startisha, Juwan wanted to move away from the limiting Spank Rock moniker. “I’m happy to have freed myself from the story that was laid out for me,” he told the New York Times. “I’m happy I respected myself, and gave myself the time to realize that I still had value regardless of what price people were putting on me at the moment.”
Listen to Startisha here.
