Swilson (aka John, J Willy, JW) is an aspiring songwriter, rapper, producer, playlist curator, practicing attorney, father, coach, and former professional baseball player from Houston, Texas. The name "Swilson" was one of many nicknames that was given to him by his team-mates at Rice along with "J Willy", "Willy", and "Swilly". With the aim of keeping his music career separate from his baseball career, the rapper chose a stage name that didn't resemble his real name in any way.

Long before recording or releasing any records, Swilson began writing music and freestyle rapping in the hallways and on the buses at Lamar High School where he was a Perfect Game All-State outfielder/pitcher committed to Rice University. At that time, his style was inspired by the up and coming Houston rap scene in the early 2000's (S.U.C., Lil' Flip, Lil' Keke, etc.). When Swilson moved just blocks away from his childhood home to his college dorm room at Rice, he kept up his passion for rap, which eventually led to a breakthrough he never saw coming.

Shortly after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 MLB Draft, a freestyle video of his caught the attention of Bleacher Report and Barstool Sports, briefly propelling him to the forefront of the Hip-Hop industry. In the infamous clubhouse freestyle, he predicted his Cubs would break their 108 year losing streak and win the World Series. The video quickly accrued 10+ million views in 24 hours.

Following the viral video, the pitcher dubbed "Swilly" released three full-length albums and reached #15 on iTunes Hip-Hop while living with his best friends in a town-home near campus (nicknamed "1201" or "Bertha") in the offseason. When Swilly's baseball career ended just a year later in 2017, he continued to pursue music as a hobby while finishing his undergraduate degree at Rice, studying law at the University of Houston, and obtaining a masters of public administration degree from the University of North Carolina. John now lives in Houston with his wife, Madeline, and their two children, Adelaide and JW. He has continued to write, and produce, music while practicing law and coaching baseball.

Swilson recently hit 10,000,000 streams on Spotify featuring dozens of artists including Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Lil' Flip, Chris Webby, Felly, YONAS, Arizona Zervas, Lil’ Keke, Big Pokey, Trilly Polk, Nate Good, JZAC, Michael Minelli, & Huey Mack. Be on the look out for the 4th album “Carolina Screw” from the ball player turned rapper in 2023.