Jaron Marquis Garrett (born July 8, 1983), better known by his stage name Jaron Marquis or J. Marquis, is an American rapper, actor, entrepreneur and investor based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He co-founded Dreamapolis, an

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

-based start-up accelerator, and the independent record label Urban Genius Entertainment. As an actor he has starred in film roles that include '' Furious 7'' and ''

Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced b ...

''.

Early life

Marquis was born in

and graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 2001. He received a bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in business and pastoral sciences from Indiana State University in 2005. Then he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and obtained an MBA from Benedictine University. From the age of 12, when he made and sold jewelry, Marquis tried various entrepreneurial ideas. He started a theatrical production company at Indiana University. After graduating, he operated an indoor advertising company, started and sold a painting firm, worked in college admissions, and owned part of a telecommunications company.

Music career

Marquis began his rap career as an underground battle rapper in the late 1990s. He booked gigs for his rapper friends at Arsenal Tech High School, where he and his friends would organize and participate in local rap battles around the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. After a decade-long hiatus in which he developed entrepreneurial ventures and investments, Marquis reentered the music industry in 2014 under the name J. Marquis with the release of a mixtape entitled ''Soul of A Genius''. The mixtape included the singles "We All Rant" and "Just Like Water" featuring Lauryn Hill. In 2016, he began performing and recording under his actual name Jaron Marquis with the release of the single "Applause". Marquis described his music as "college dropout

Kanye Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ear ...

with a touch of Janelle Monáe."

Business career

Marquis founded a company, JJ Marquis Investment Group LLC, and started doing real estate full-time in 2006. A year later, he made a $30 million project for a 25-story apartment tower to be built on run-down properties in downtown Indianapolis. However, the project never materialized and construction plans were canceled. He was an OnyxFest finalist in 2012. He directed ''Betsy on E. 10th Street'', a play by the Indianapolis Urban Theatre and Dance Company, a theatrical production company which he co-founded. He also played one of the main roles. The play was praised for drawing its story from the life of a Vietnam veteran and ex-

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

. In 2011, Marquis also co-founded Dreamapolis, an Indianapolis-based start-up accelerator and seed-funding source for

start-ups A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...

, social entrepreneurs, creatives and innovators. It helped urban entrepreneurs start businesses by connecting them with critical tools and resources. Dreamapolis held entrepreneur workshops and

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

events, organized business summer camps for youth, and invested in creative Indianapolis ideas. Marquis launched the independent record label Urban Genius Entertainment in 2013 and began recording new music in 2014.

Private life

Marquis is married and has three daughters. He currently lives and works in

Discography

Singles

Mixtapes

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marquis, Jaron 1983 births Living people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American Christians African-American dramatists and playwrights African-American male actors African-American male rappers American Christians American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights American male rappers Benedictine University alumni Businesspeople from Indianapolis Indiana State University alumni Male actors from Indianapolis Midwest hip hop musicians Musicians from Indianapolis Rappers from Indiana Trinity International University alumni African-American male writers