George Pajon Jr. profile

George Pajon Jr. is a guitar player of rare and exceptional ability. Most known for his writing and playing with the group Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records), a group that is currently riding high on the Billboard charts, he has in recent years been a big force in helping to shape the sound of Hip Hop through his originality, creativity, and vision in a genre that is often lacking in original sound and deprived of outstanding musicianship. He is a major part of one of the most exciting live shows in the genre, where you are always sure to see a new show every night - complete with musical and lyrical improvisation, which has helped them win over audiences all over the world.

A guitar player, producer, and songwriter George Pajon Jr. has shown that he has more to offer the urban music world than the average guitar player, who, more often than not, is simply called in to replay sampled parts. His incredible ability to play multiple genres and make them fit into an urban context not only has made him sought after, but respected in a genre that is based more on producers and slick videos, than caliber of musicianship. He co-wrote and played guitar on the Black Eyed Peas current top 10 hit, “Where is the Love” featuring Justin Timberlake, as well as several other tracks on the 2003 Interscope Records release Elephunk. Radio audiences will get another sample of his writing on the follow-up single, “Shut Up”, which is set for a fall release, and television audiences are currently getting a regular dose of George’s improv playing skills on the MTV/MTV2 series “My Definition” which features the band improvising in every episode along with some of today’s hottest musical guests including Pharrell Williams (Neptunes), Travis Barker (Blink 182) and Rahzel (The Roots Crew).

Ask anyone who has the opportunity of working with him, and they will tell you that it is a near impossible task to find any guitar player in music, let alone Urban music, that has the cross-genre experience and proficiency that George possesses. And that musical dexterity has never been more apparent than in his current solo project “Fried Plantains”, which fuses the worlds of Jazz, Hip Hop, Blues, and Rock with his undeniable guitar skills. For the project, he drew on some of Jazz’s great players, such as Mike Clark (Herbie Hancock/Headhunters), and Fred Wesley (James Brown), as well as up-and-comers such as Robert Walter (20th Congress/Greyboy Allstars), to create an exciting trip back to “Groove” music that has rarely been conquered since it’s last heyday in the 1970’s.

George’s years of experience in the studio and on the road have led him into a budding career writing and producing for such artists as Terry Dexter (A&M), Esthero (Reprise), Mos Def (Rawkus Records), Beth Hirsch (K7), and many others. He has recorded with producers such as Rhett Lawrence, Wade Robson, and Ron Fair, and has had the opportunity to write with, play, record, and tour with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, No Doubt, Blink 182, 311, The Roots, Wyclef Jean, Coldplay, Queens of the Stone Age, and countless other bands and artists creating some of today’s hottest music.