Happy Birthday, J. Holiday!

Hip-hop and R&B has its share of rappers and singers who get a high amount of hype before they blow up. Some live up to expectations, but most never really do. One artist who fits the latter description is crooner J. Holiday. The Chocolate City native, who's still a respected singer-rapper in some circles, turns 31 years old today (Nov. 29).

Holiday's 2007 debut, Back of My Lac, was mostly known for its breakout hit "Bed." The soul-burning jam made its way to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and pushed the album to sell over 100,000 units in its first week. "Suffocate" also did well, peaking at No. 18 on the Hot 100 tally.

The hype simmered right after. 

His follow-up album, Round 2, didn't reach gold and his 2014 LP, Guilty Conscious, didn't do well sales-wise.

Currently, J. Holiday is flourishing as an independent artist. Although he didn't reach the status of his fellow R&B peers, he's still making music.

"That’s another thing you learn in the game is that it’s all about timing," he tells YouKnowIGotSoul.com. "Sometimes it’s good to keep pushing and sometimes it’s good to take a break. I’m working on a few things and I’m aligning myself with so many different projects. I’m getting into some TV stuff. Between juggling the independent thing, TV and music, it’s all merging together."