Anthony James Sledge, better known as AJDaGuru, is a hard-working musician hailing from New Haven, CT. Born to Tywana Sledge and Anthony Winfrey, he began his career as a beat-boxer and has swiftly made his way up the music ladder. Anthony’s dedication over the years hasn’t gone unnoticed and proves he is a musical force to be reckoned with. His style is so unique that it’s hard to compare it to anyone else. And that’s exactly what makes him stand out.
Not new to the game, AJDaGuru experienced what it’s like to be on top back in 2009. His song “Batman” rose to number one on Kiss 95.7’s charts and has been played around the world. Bouncing back and forth from show to show performing the hit song motivated the rapper to go even harder. It’s rare to say in the industry today but Sledge’s success came organically rather than through often-used paid promotion. His music was on the radio because he sent it directly to the program directors himself. After sending to music to the radio station’s email, and while in the hospital waiting for his daughter to be born, he received a response and was told his song would be put in rotation nationally.
The moment AJDaGuru heard his music in his car, he drove straight to a local club and perform. It is rare move to see a music artist performing at a random bar or club when they radio success but was never the case with Sledge, proving his passion and dedication to his music is undeniable. As his song stayed at the top spot for four weeks, AJDaGuru wasted no time staying in the studio daily to work on his next hit song.
However, after facing real-life issues and having to raise his children, Sledge took a break from music but was back in 2013.
That year, he returned with his Instrumental mixtape, LFTB Beatz Vol.4, and uploaded it to the mixtape website Datpiff.com. Within moments, Sledge was back on the scene, this time focusing on getting attention for his beats. The project gained platinum status on Datpiff one month after its release. After the mixtape went viral, Sledge sold leases off the mixtape easily as artists emailed him daily asking to buy his beats. After an extended hiatus, AJDaGuru was back and bigger than ever.
Several months had passed when Sledge received an email from Chicago rapper GLC. The rapper loved Sledge’s work and embraced him like a brother. Later, GLC and Sledge would release a joint project called Ism Churchill. Previously known as Mr.Live, Sledge produced the bulk of the project that featured Chevy Woods, King Chip, Wais P, Raheem DeVaughn, and others.
With the amount of experience he gained over the years, Sledge was able to launch his instrumentals further. In 2015 AJDaGuru released a new mixtape titled Livestrumentals Vol.1. This project showcased Sledges’ ability to produce Trap, Hip Hop, RNB, and House sounds. A year later, AJDaGuru released Livestumental Vol.2, which featured 13 new tracks produced by himself and a feature from Chicago rapper GLC. He appeared on the project’s lead track and delivered a speech to the intro created by Mr.Live.
As Sledge worked on his projects, he promoted his hip-hop blog Inyaearhiphop as well. His blog, which he started in 2014, gained more traction as he started interviewing celebrities, such as G Herbo, and Lil Uzi Vert. Performances of many artists in the music industry were also captured by Sledge as well. Following the release of his latest project, Sledge would focus more on the music business and Inyaearhiphop.
Between the years 2017 and 2020, Sledge gained knowledge on how the music industry works. He set up label meetings for artists and launched three hip-hop showcases in 2017. Every step Sledge took was a learning experience. Towards the end of 2020, he returned from his hiatus and released another instrumental titled “Sledge Family Rules”. The instrumental peaked at number 43 on the iTunes charts in South Africa, proving that AJDaGuru still has fans all over the world.
AJDaGuru released two singles in 2021 and has been working on his debut album, “A Different Side Of Me”. Both of his songs, Love Yourself and Seen It All, have grown in popularity. The tracks have been streamed millions of times and well received by his fans. AJDaGuru also released matching visuals for the songs which showcased Sledges’ ability to perform. From making beats for artists to running his very own hip hop blog to going number one on the radio, AJDaGuru has done it all. He’s proven to be a hard worker and still hustles every day no matter what he faces in life.
