He comes in his room, sets down his backpack, and plugs in the keyboard. Waiting for his studio computer to boot up he pulls up his most recent beat on his phone and goes over the lyrics. With his computer on and the software up, he gets ready to record. JoJo adjusts his mic and hits play. Awaiting his cue to spit fire JoJo goes over the lyrics in his head, then takes a deep breath, and lets the words flow.

Jojo Yarbrough is a junior at Lindale High school. He is a rapper who records his own music and posts to social media sites such as Youtube and Soundcloud. Jojo began posting his creations about a year ago. He records at his house using special equipment and software to add a professional sound to his music.

“My group of friends and I always listen to Jojo’s stuff,” senior Lucas Bonds said. “ It’s actually pretty good, and I enjoy hearing all of his new stuff when it comes out.”

Inspired by old school artists such as Eazy E, Dr. Dre, and Tupac, Jojo has a lot of influence in his music. As other artists often do, he even uses a professional’s beats with his own lyrics.

“People ask me to rap actually pretty often,” JoJo Yarbrough said. “Like just a minute ago someone came up to me and said, ‘Jojo rap for me’. “I’ve even had teachers ask. Like Coach Cochran asked me to rap the other day in history,  so yeah,  I almost set his classroom on fire.”

Coming from a family of hip hop fans,  Jojo has grown up around this genre, and his family fully supports his musical ambitions.

“My mom claims she’s my number one fan,”Jojo Yarbrough said. “She’s always listening to my music so I had to show her how to make a Soundcloud. My Dad likes to listen to it too and thinks it’s pretty cool.”

Jojo has played trombone in the Lindale Band since 6th grade and is a squad leader for his section. Having made wind ensemble in the past, many incoming Freshman have looked up to him with his success in band.

“Jojo shows leadership by everything he does,” band director Steven Moore said. “His effort, his attitude, everything. He is the perfect example. It’s not just what he says,  it’s what he does.”

With Jojo’s Soundcloud  and Youtube channel combined, he has over fifty followers and almost one thousand views and plays.

To hear JoJo’s music, go to https://soundcloud.com/c-joe/tracks or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1YHKpu6PgZPHJJIHrP8QA