Corey J (aka Corey James Gray, fka Illspokinn) is a rapper, producer, DJ, and a cornerstone of the New York Hip-Hop community. As a co-founder of Freestyle Mondays, the world’s longest-running live band hip-hop event, he has mentored some of the city’s most talented underground rappers and made a significant contribution to the culture over the past 20 years.

Corey has DJ-ed events for the NFL and NBA, and was featured in the “Beats by Dre Artist Spotlight” in 2019. As an official US State Department Ambassador of Culture, he has toured the world and performed in more than 24 countries including main stage sets at the Atlantic Music Expo in Praia Cabo Verde, the Sziget Festival in Hungary, and the Timitar Festival in Morocco for a crowd of more than 80,000.

Corey J has performed at events for major brands such as Sprite, Jameson, and Nike, his song “Here We Go Again” was featured in NBC’s 2013 Winter Olympics commercials, and his rap single “Last Call” remained at number one on the FlaixFm dance charts in Barcelona for fourteen weeks.