Jon Kabongo return with the follow through

Today, emerging Toronto hip-hop artist and visionary, Jon Kabongo, shares his latest single, The Follow Through via More Sacrifices Entertainment. The single encapsulates and transforms the rapper’s struggles into motivation, passion, inspiration, and perseverance. The up-tempo beat electrifies, the lyrical flow and imagery drop you unapologetically into Jon’s world (along with a buttery sax line), and the result is the bold statement that is, The Follow Through. However, the song is more than just a single. It is a statement. It is a declaration of who Jon is and who Jon will continue to be. Listen here and watch the A Beautiful Mind inspired music video here.

Growing up, Jon’s dream was to play basketball professionally. He played high school prep in the states, went on to play at Division I at Virgina Tech, and was well on his way to more greatness when suddenly, career ending injury struck. Unable to continue playing the game he loved, Jon pivoted to the other love of his life, writing and rapping.

This helped immensely with Jon’s emotions and processing and paved a new career path for him. Then last year, and on his new path, Jon decided to take his talents to Los Angeles. With the exciting adventure also came moments of doubt requiring patience and drive to see things through (much like in his previous basketball career).

“Needing to get away from the environment I grew up in forced me to sleep on a blow-up mattress in my friend’s condo,” shares Jon. “And then being overlooked in the industry made things more and more challenging.”

Living through that period inspired Jon to create The Follow Through for listeners facing similar challenges. Known for crafting music rooted in motivation and resilience, he viewed the experience as an opportunity to channel adversity into something positive and uplifting. The song reflects his belief that some of the most difficult moments in life can spark the most meaningful and impactful creative work. The Follow Through was then recorded upon Jon’s return to Toronto with his engineer of eight years, JustUnlimited, and producer ItheDon, who has been a collaborator of Jon’s for the past three years.

The Follow Through marks the first single from Jon’s upcoming EP, Jon Nash, and arrives with an accompanying music video which was shot on the University of Toronto’s campus to resemble Princeton and references the biopic of academic, John Nash, from A Beautiful Mind.

“As someone who aspires to innovate in rap music, I chose John Nash as a muse for the project to show what type of ambitions I have on this journey,” shares Jon. “I also wear a Steve Nash jersey (and reference him lyrically) to show appreciation for a Canadian pioneer in the world of basketball. As a former national team player, Steve Nash is held in high regards in my books and his success in an American dominated field inspires me to achieve the same.

“This song is more than just a single. It is a statement. It is a declaration of who I believe I am and what I will continue to be. There is no doubt in my mind that I was made to rap, and if there’s anything I want people to leave with after listening to this song, it’s that.”

Yesterday, Jon dropped by CP24 Breakfast to talk more in-depth about the single and music video - watch that here. Additionally, read more in the track lyrics here and stay tuned for more this summer as the Jon Nash story continues.

ABOUT JON KABONGO:

Jon Kabongo is a Congolese-Canadian Rapper born and raised in Blake Street of Toronto. In his early years he gained recognition in the Canadian basketball scene which led to him becoming an All-Canadian and earning a scholarship at Virginia Tech. After experiencing an unfortunate battle with multiple injuries, Jon leaned on his love for hip hop to overcome the physical pain and trauma. Over the last 5 years he has consistently built his name as a rap artist and has had full circle moments such as the Raptors using his song OMW for a commercial featuring his former teammate RJ Barrett. His upcoming project Jon Nash gives the world a short introduction to who Kabongo is and how he came to be, while leaving so many more stories untold for his future projects.