ASCAP Award-Winning Songwriter and Vocalist J. Phoenix Featured on New Tupac Shakur Album, The Best of 2PAC, Part 2: Life, and ThugLifeArmy Website

New York, NY ….. J. Phoenix, ASCAP Award-winning songwriter, vocalist, and co-writer of Tupac Shakur’s “Thugz Mansion” (Nas Acoustic), follows the fall 2007 release of his debut album, Masterpiece, with a feature on The Best of 2PAC, Part 2: Life (Amaru Entertainment/Interscope/UMe), and an in-depth interview at the ThugLifeArmy website (www.ThugLifeArmy.com). The national release date for the album and online interview is December 4, 2007.

“It is a huge honor to be part of a Tupac project for a second time. When I consider his large body of work and what it must have taken to decide on only 11 songs, I’m humbled that a song I’m involved with as both a writer and singer was chosen,” says J. Phoenix.

The Best of 2PAC, Part 2: Life features a new remix of the original acoustic version of “Thugz Mansion.” The original song appeared on Tupac’s multi-platinum CD, Better Dayz and Nas’ God’s Son, called "the best hip-hop album of the year" by Time Magazine.

In an in-depth interview with Robert at ThugLifeArmy.com, the fan-based site built by fans for fans of Tupac Shakur, J. Phoenix provides revealing details on writing “Thugz Mansion,” the state of the music industry, his career as a singer and songwriter, his new album and why he went the independent route.

On the eve of his second release with the highest-selling hip hop/rap artist of all time,
J. Phoenix continues to promote his debut, Masterpiece (From The Soul Music), a 13-song set he tags “authentic” and describes as a return to civility, peace, freedom and individual empowerment. “Like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and John Lennon, I’m reporting on current events,” he explains.

The album also reports on relationships. In the wake of the controversy surrounding the music industry, for its depiction of women in song, J. Phoenix sings about relationship issues without damaging the reputation of women. With the album’s title song he pays the ultimate tribute and hopes “Masterpiece” will become the wedding song of 2008.

“My ballads are not about getting naked, we all know how to do that. I write to reach the heart and soul of people, and illustrate how we feel when a relationship goes right or wrong,” he says.

A mix of mid-tempos and ballads, Masterpiece features Bronx Hip Hop producers, The Heatmakerz, known for their work with Ludacris, Cannibus Cam’ron, Lil Flip, and Lil Wayne, Los Angeles R&B producer, Kip “KP” Wilson, who handled the remix of Tupac’s “Mama’s Just A Little Girl,” the albums Executive Producer, Gary Haase who has worked with such bold-face names as Celine Dion, Chaka Khan and Michael Bolton, Eric Codee who boasts a client list that includes Mary J. Blige, Neo and Marcus Miller, and Bert Price, known for his production work with R&B legends such as Blue Magic and contemporary artists such as Alicia Keys.

Fans may contact J. Phoenix through his official website (www.jphoenixmusic.com), MySpace (www.myspace.com/jphoenixsongs) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/jphoenixflying).