JT

Biography

Jatavia Shakara Johnson (born December 3, 1992), better known by her stage name JT, is an American rapper. She formed the Miami, Florida-based hip hop duo City Girls with Yung Miami in 2017, and began her solo career in 2023. She co-performed on Summer Walker's 2021 single "Ex for a Reason", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and marked her first entry on the chart as a solo act. Her 2024 single, "Okay", peaked at number 72 on the chart and preceded her debut solo mixtape, City Cinderella (2024).

Early life

Jatavia Shakara Johnson was born and raised in Miami, Florida, growing up in Carol City and Liberty City. Johnson has 18 siblings. She moved in with her father at age 5 after her mother was incarcerated. She stated that "my mother was an addict" and that "drugs ruined my childhood." While growing up, she formed a rap group with her siblings, called The Protegees. During her teenage years, she alternated between living with her aunt and Caresha Brownlee, who she befriended in middle school. She began to occasionally post freestyle rap videos on social media. In August 2017, she formed City Girls with Brownlee and released their debut studio track, "Fuck Dat Nigga", a diss track towards their ex-boyfriends. The song was posted on SoundCloud and went viral, leading them to sign with Quality Control Music in December 2017. She briefly attended college for a degree in fashion merchandising and design.

2017–2023: With City Girls

The City Girls released their debut mixtape, Period, in May 2018. In July 2018, the duo were launched into mainstream recognition after an uncredited feature on Drake's "In My Feelings." In November 2018, the City Girls released their debut album, which included features from Cardi B, Lil Baby and Jacquees. She released her first solo single, "JT First Day Out" in 2019. On June 19, 2020, City Girls' second studio album, City on Lock, leaked in its entirety online. It was officially released the following day. The album's first single, "Jobs", was released hours before the album alongside a music video. The album includes guest appearances from Yo Gotti, Doja Cat, Lil Durk and Lil Baby. Their third studio album, RAW, was released in October 2023.

2023–present: Solo career

JT's debut single as a solo artist, "No Bars", was released on July 14, 2023. It reached #25 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. In February 2024, JT released her single "Sideways".
JT also featured as a solo artist on records including Summer Walker's "Ex for a Reason" (2021), the "Queen Mix" of Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl" (2022), and Kali Uchis' "Muñekita" (2023).
On March 9, 2024, JT announced her 14-show solo tour, starting on March 23 in Houston, Texas, and ending April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri.
On March 24, 2024, JT announced her debut solo mixtape, City Cinderella. On March 29, 2024, JT and Doechii released their collaboration single "Alter Ego". JT teased a snippet of her single "Okay" as a part of her tour, which later went viral on social media. "Okay" was released on April 26. On May 7, 2024, "Okay" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #74, marking JT's first ever solo charting record. An extended version with an extra verse was released three days later to celebrate this and further generate anticipation for City Cinderella. On June 28, 2024, JT released a remix of "Okay" featuring a verse from rapper Jeezy. City Cinderella was released on July 19, 2024.
The rapper would later release "Girls Gone Wild" on November 7, 2025. The next year on April 17, she would drop "NUMB".

Personal life

JT has been dating rapper Lil Uzi Vert since 2019. Her younger brother died in December 2024.
She is an active supporter of the LGBTQ community.
In 2023, JT launched the merchandising retailer and lifestyle brand, thegirljtworld.

Legal issues

Shortly after the release of the 2017 debut single, "Fuck Dat Nigga", JT was arrested and convicted of aggravated identity theft on fraudulent credit card charges, and was sentenced to two years in federal prison. Following a pushback of her surrender date, JT turned herself in to the authorities on June 29, 2018, and began serving her sentence at FCI Tallahassee in July 2018. She was slated to be released March 21, 2020. As she awaited her release, JT was transferred from FCI Tallahassee to a halfway house in Atlanta on October 8, 2019. To celebrate her transfer, JT released a track titled "JT First Day Out". During her stay in the halfway house, she was able to leave during the day to work and visit family and friends. JT was released from federal custody on March 7, 2020.