Music Release’s
LIZA (feat. YOUNG JIMMY)
LIZA's New Single August 29th, 2025.
Credits: Composer - Elizabeth L. Kogiones. Composer - Christopher J. Beckwith. Composer - Eduardo Esquivel. Lyricist - Elizabeth L. Kogiones. Guitarist - Christopher J. Beckwith. Violinist - Sathvi Ramaseshan. Cellist - Nathaniel Grohmann. Mixing Engineer - Chris Sclafani. Mastering Engineer - Chris Gehringer. Cover Art - Christopher J. Beckwith. Cover Photo - HOOD ROCK RECORDS©.
YOUNG JIMMY - HEAVY. (feat. Kam Franklin)
YOUNG JIMMY Latest Single August 30th, 2024. Credits:
Featured vocals - Kam Franklin. Violinist - Sean-David Cunningham. Percussionist - James Knorl. Bassist - Marcelo McCagnan. Organist - David Page. Composers John Lennon & Paul McCartney. Guitarist, vocalist & lyricist Christopher J. Beckwith. Recorded at The Cutting Room, Mixed by Bobby Tiemann & Sloan Welsch. Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sounds.
YOUNG JIMMY - ROCKETT 88 (Deluxe)
YOUNG JIMMY Debut (Deluxe) Studio Album May 12, 2023.
Credits: bass guitar Augustos Mintz (tracks: 4, 6, 9, 13, 14), Dylan H Kaminkow* (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12, 19), Patrick Drummond (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 16, 17, 18). Featuring – Kendra Foster (tracks: 17). Film Director – James Spooner (tracks: 10). Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Lead Guitar – Young Jimmy (tracks: 14). Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Composed By, Producer, Electric Guitar – Young Jimmy (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 1912, 13). Mastered By – Chris Gehringer (tracks: All Tracks). Mixed By, Recorded By – RJ Pasin (tracks: All Tracks). Percussion – Alexander Azarmehr (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12,19,), Noel Jasso (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 16, 17, 18), Roberto Verde (tracks: 4, 6, 9, 13, 14). Photography By Anna Sugarman, Keshia Benjamin. Recorded By Cory Nutile. Songwriter – Hassan Spruill (track 07).
YOUNG JIMMY - ROCKETT 88
YOUNG JIMMY Debut Studio Album May 7, 2021. Credits: bass Guitar – Augustos Mintz (tracks: 4, 6, 9, 13, 14), Dylan Kaminkow (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12, 16). Composed By – Kurt Cobain (tracks: 14) Lyrics By – Darren Maxwell (tracks: 7) Percussion – Alexander Azarmehr (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12, 16), Roberto Verde (tracks: 4, 6, 9, 13, 14). Photography by Anna Sugarman, Recorded by Cory Nutile, Mixed by RJ Pasin (tracks: All Tracks). Songwriter – Sankofa (tracks: 7). Songwriter, Composed By, Electric Guitar, Executive Producer, Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Keyboards – Young Jimmy (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16)
YOUNG JIMMY - Yellow Yellow
Songwriter YOUNG JIMMY'S first solo studio EP was recorded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in May 2015, by Engineer Jay Braun at Melody Lanes. Mastered by Mike Tucci. Re-released under HOOD ROCK RECORDS on December 18, 2020.
Credits: Bass Guitar – Max Calkin. Drums – Dylan Teggart. Keyboards – Tom Wilson. (The Movies) Co-lyricsist – Melvin Glover. Harmonica - Obama Isaiah Richardson. Christopher J. Beckwith - Singer Song writer/ composer, guitarist, vocalist, album cover art executive producer.
Sankofa - To My Chagrin (2007)
Before becoming a solo recording artist, Young Jimmy was the lead guitarist & co-songwriter of a five-piece all-black 'Indie Rock' band called Sankofa.
The band was an integral part of the early AFRO-PUNK scene in New York City, recording just one album, an unreleased studio EP called 'To My Chagrin' (recorded in 2007, released in 2014, re-released under HOOD ROCK RECORDS in 2025), recorded at Monsterland Studios in Brooklyn, NY, with mixing & mastering engineer Paul Mahajan.
Paul has captured the sounds and energies of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Fever To Tell), The Lairs (Arena Rock), TV on the Radio (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, and Young Liars), and The National's (Beggars Banquet).
YOUNG JIMMY
YOUNG JIMMY is the founder and CEO of HOOD ROCK RECORDS. He started the indie label in 2020 with the vision of promoting, marketing, and selling rock music by urban/ inner city Black Americans & Outcasts (like himself) who are often overlooked or ignored in the music industry.
He chose the name "HOOD ROCK RECORDS" because he grew up in public housing in The Bronx, shamelessly obsessed with rock music in the HOOD. The counterpart to "HOOD ROCK" is "Suburban Rock," a sub-genre that caters to white suburban males.
YOUNG JIMMY is an American Guitarist, Singer-Songwriter, Rapper, Producer, Video Editor, Graphic Designer, Recording Artist, and Entrepreneur from New York City. His Debut Studio Album 'Rockett 88 (Deluxe)' is Available Now on all streaming platforms.
LIZA
Our new HOOD ROCK RECORDS Exclusive Artist Signee is from Dolton, Illinois, Chicago's South Side. A versatile contemporary vocalist with a sweet, soulful tone. She has worked with Hip-Hop producer Ski Beatz, Nitty Scott MC, and Grammy-nominated Jazz Alto Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. LIZA is a credited lyricist, notably credited for works "We Drip" and "Earthquake" for Jessica Betts (Niecy Nash's Wife).
Her Debut Studio Album is set to be released in 2026, executive produced by YOUNG JIMMY. Stay tuned to witness "LIZA".
Sankofa
YOUNG JIMMY's earliest recorded work was before becoming a solo artist. He was the lead guitarist and co-composer of a five-piece 'Indie Rock' band called Sankofa. Formed in 2006, the house band of the now legendary House of Yes (music venue) during the height of the New York City 2010s 'Indie Rock' music surge. YOUNG JIMMY was 19 years of age during the recording of 'To My Chagrin'.
Sankofa is a word and philosophy from Ghana's Akan people, meaning "to go back and fetch it" or "reach back to propel forward".It is symbolized by a mythical bird with its head turned backward, an egg in its mouth, and its feet facing forward. The philosophy emphasizes the importance of learning from the past to inform and strengthen the present and future.
Sankofa consisted of Hassan Spruill (rhythm-guitar), Darren Benjamin Maxwell (singer), YOUNG JIMMY (lead guitarist), J.C. (drummer), and Reginald Duvivier (bassist).
Kendra Foster
Kendra Foster, 2X Grammy Award Winner! featured on YOUNG JIMMY's song "No Racist" off his 2023 deluxe debut studio album "Rockett 88"
She has recorded with artists including George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, D'Angelo, and The Vanguard!
Kam Franklin
Kam Franklin is the featured singer on YOUNG JIMMY's new song "HEAVY."Out now on all streaming services. Extended version on vinyl soon!
She is known as the lead singer for the Houston Soul group, The Suffers. She began her career as a backing vocalist and dancer, has toured with Jim James, and recorded with Jackie Venson, Scarface, Khruangbin, and Deer Tick.
Featured Merch collection
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"To My Chagrin" Unisex t-shirt
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- HOOD ROCK RECORDS ONLINE STORE
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LIZA T-shirt dress
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YOUNG JIMMY Vintage Cotton Twill Cap
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- HOOD ROCK RECORDS ONLINE STORE
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"DATE NIGHT" Unisex Champion tie-dye hoodie
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- HOOD ROCK RECORDS ONLINE STORE
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Sankofa - To My Chagrin (feat. YOUNG JIMMY) (YouTube Music)
LIZA - Gone September (feat. YOUNG JIMMY) (YouTube Music)
YOUNG JIMMY - No Racist (feat. Kendra Foster) (YouTube Music)
YOUNG JIMMY - HEAVY. (feat. Kam Franklin) (YouTube Music)
YOUNG JIMMY - Come as You Are (Official Music Video)
YOUNG JIMMY - Sweet Maria (Official Music Video)
YOUNG JIMMY - Pull Up to the Party (Official Music Video)
YOUNG JIMMY - "Summer Days" (Official Music Video)
YOUNG JIMMY - Date Night (Official Music Video)
YOUNG JIMMY - The Movies (Official Music Video)
About HOOD ROCK RECORDS
Founded by Christopher Beckwith in November 2020, HOOD ROCK RECORDS is a new independent record label based in New York City, with our initial releases by YOUNG JIMMY. We are excited to see new releases in 2025 from our new signee, singer-songwriter LIZA, and indie-rock band Sankofa.
HOOD ROCK RECORDS is an independent label with the main goal of uplifting black American rock music while exalting music industry outcasts alike.
YOUNG JIMMY got his start on the music scene in NYC backing rappers & indie rock bands. In 2007, an emerging artist from the AFRO-PUNK music scene (sparked by the Documentary), YOUNG JIMMY, played various shows as a backup guitarist in rock and hip-hop showcases.
After the AFRO-PUNK Festival took off in the 2010s to mainstream success, James Spooner decided to part ways due to disagreements with co-owner Matthew Morgan over booking non-punk rock and non-black Rock N Roll performers. This rift within the Afro-Punk scene set off a chain reaction that led to the birth of HOOD ROCK RECORDS. A label that prides itself on authenticity and good rock music.
"Screenings turned into concerts and concerts turned into a festival. Afro-Punk the film morphed into AFROPUNK™ the brand and, as mainstream interest grew, the dangling carrot of capitalism lured me in. I wanted it to grow. I wanted all the Black weirdos across America to feel what we were feeling in those rooms. But organic growth and corporate sponsorship don't go together. I made mistakes I couldn't turn back from, and before I knew it, there was nothing punk about Afro-Punk anymore. I bailed.
With me out of the way, AFROPUNK™ became a corporate international brand, promoting major-label hip-hop and R&B.
AFROPUNK™ did nothing to support the needs of the Afro-Punks." - James Spooner, 2022
Once YOUNG JIMMY realized that the black rock scene he was once a part of was dead, he forged his own path, becoming a solo artist navigating an industry that often shamed or shunned him for making rock music.
HOOD ROCK RECORDS is not only a label but a cultural output dedicated to the "outcasts," the "hood alternatives," the "rockers." This is a way of life dedicated to uplifting, promoting, marketing, recognizing, and releasing high-fidelity music and records catered to our fans. The rock music industry is dominated by white men (the appropriators) who don't often recognize its roots, and lacks diversity and inclusion in a culture created by Black Americans in the 1950s during segregation. HOOD ROCK RECORDS is an inclusive business brand with a focus on building an empire on authentic rock music from America.
Address: P.O. Box 211148, Brooklyn, NY, 11221
General inquiries: info@hoodrockrecord.com
