Jordan Ward Rises to Fame: An upcoming Hip-Hop Phenomenon

By Ariana Mendoza

Music Journalist

In the vibrant and diverse world of hip-hop and R&B, the emergence of true artists that have created a unique path for themselves is nothing like Jordan Ward has. From his early days of being a professional dancer in competitions in his hometown to big arenas with A-list music artists. Jordan Ward has become a new refreshing face in the music scene and gives an insight into the next generation of hip-hop.

Originally, Ward had moved to L.A. as a dancer to start a full career in touring and to teach classes. He toured with Beyonce and Janet Jackson and was even in a Prince music video. The St. Louis rapper quickly switched over to making music. He met a friend while he was dancing for Justin Bieber on the Purpose Tour in 2016. He helped introduce him to music and started making demos for himself for the first time. Ward loved making music so much that he then made the decision to shift his focus toward a music career instead.

Despite being a newcomer to the music industry, Jordan Ward had achieved so much in a short amount of time. No I.D, a music producer who has worked with artists like Kanye West and Jay Z, co-produced his single “Sandiego” from his first project, “Valley Hopefuls” in 2019.  He has also gone on tour as a musician earlier this year (2023) opening for JID and Smino. Both artists are from St. Louis, connecting them to their roots. They had a few mutual friends and knew people who worked on both their teams. With this, they were able to make the magic happen.

In March of this year, Jordan Ward released his own debut album, FORWARD. This debut is where we get to see Wards’ full music potential. The album has a collection of 14 tracks and was executive produced by Lido. He is most known for his work with artists from Ariana Grande, A$AP Ferg and Mariah Carey. He had released “White Crocs” and “Cherimoya” as singles before dropping the full album. These songs set the tone for the introduction of his new era.

This album has introduced a new wave of hip-hop and brought a new sound that I really enjoyed. It is genre-defying, infused with electric pop while maintaining that R&B flow. Rooted in his St. Louis upbringing, Jordan Ward also adds it within his songs. In a Billboard interview, Ward stated the cultural influence his city has brought to his music. He mentioned his mom is a singer and grew up in church, and said he likes to start off with gospel music in his work.

With all his work and accomplishments that he has made throughout both his dance and music careers. The songs from his FORWARD album are now his most streamed and have over 1.5 million listeners on Spotify. This is just the start of his music career, and I can only see him growing from here. Jordan Ward not only mastered the art of dance but also the new path of his music career too.