Spank Rock

Born and raised in West Baltimore, Juwan was introduced to the Baltimore club music scene in his teens. During high school Juwan’s older sister introduced the budding musician to producer J. Period, who took the Baltimore-native under his wing. Juwan subsequently met Alex Epton, an alumni of the New England Conservatory of Music, and the two began performing together under the moniker Spank Rock. Playing early shows around Philadelphia and Phoenixville, the band’s profile increased significantly supporting artists including Hollertronix and M.I.A.

Following a tour in support of Beck in 2006, Spank Rock issued their debut full-length “YoYoYoYoYo”. Replete with hypersexual lyrical themes and decades-old samples, the record generated a host of positive reviews, led by the singles “Rick Rubin”, “Sweet Talk”, and “Bump”. Released on Big Dada Records, the album proved to be the final Spank Rock output as a duo with Alex Epton, also known as XXXChange, going solo in late 2007. Spank Rock subsequently collaborated with Benny Blanco on the EP “Benny Blanco & Spank Rock Present: Bangers & Cash” and appeared on the Kylie Minogue remix track “Benny Blanco”.

Later collaborating with Mark Ronson, Spank Rock featured on his single “The Bike Song” from the 2010 album “Record Collection” before appearing on Ronson’s supporting tour. Issued on his own label Bad Blood Records, the rapper’s sophomore album “Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar” arrived in September 2011. Led by the single “Energy”, the record earned mixed reviews however featured a string of producers including Mark Ronson, Boyz Noize, and XXXChange. In December 2014 the musician released the EP “The Upside”, led by the single “Gully”.