Carlos St. John Phillips[1][2][3] (born August 26, 1986), known professionally as Saint Jhn (stylized as SAINt JHN; pronounced "Saint John"), is a Guyanese-American rapper and singer.[4][5][6]

Saint Jhn
Saint Jhn performing in 2018
Saint Jhn performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameCarlos St. John Phillips
Also known as
  • Ghetto Lenny
  • Santo
Born (1986-08-26) August 26, 1986 (age 38)
New York City, U.S.
OriginGeorgetown, Guyana
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2010–present
Labels
Websitesaintjhn.com

He is best known for the 2019 remix to his 2016 song "Roses". The remix, produced by Kazakh DJ Imanbek, reached the top 5 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song became the lead single for Saint Jhn's third studio album, While the World Was Burning released on November 20, 2020. Prior, he released his debut album Collection One (2018), its follow up, Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs (2019) through the L.A. Reid's label Hitco.

He has written songs for artists including Kanye West, Jidenna, Usher, Hoodie Allen, and Kiesza, among others.[7] He is a founding member of the music collective Gødd Complexx.[8]

Early life

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Phillips was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and raised in Georgetown, Guyana. Growing up, he split his time in three-year intervals between Guyana and the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. He began creating music when he was twelve years old and was inspired by his older brother, who would rap in the neighborhood with friends. He wrote his first song in his first year of high school while living in Guyana.[8][9]

Career

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Prior to adopting the Saint Jhn stage name, he performed and wrote using his birth name, Carlos St. John (or Carlos Saint John).[8][10] In 2010, he released an EP, The St. John Portfolio, and a mixtape, In Association, under his birth name.[11][12] Soon after, he was flown to Los Angeles, California, by music executive Zach Katz. For 2 months, he wrote songs for Rihanna, but none of his records were accepted. After returning home, Saint Jhn co-wrote the Hoodie Allen song, "No Interruption".[8][13] In the following years, Saint Jhn wrote songs for Kiesza, Gorgon City, and Nico & Vinz, among others.[14] In 2016, he earned a writer credit for the Usher songs, "Crash" and "Rivals", both of which appeared on the album Hard II Love.[13] Also in 2016, he released his first song under the moniker Saint Jhn, entitled "1999".[15] He followed that with two more songs in 2016, "Roses"[16] and "Reflex".[17] In October 2016, it was announced that Saint Jhn would open for Post Malone during a run of shows on the West Coast.[18]

In February 2017, Jidenna's album, The Chief, was released featuring the song, "Helicopters / Beware", which Saint Jhn co-wrote.[13] The following month, Saint Jhn released another original track, "3 Below".[19] In October of that year, he played at two festivals, Rolling Loud and the Voodoo Experience. He also released another new song, "Hermes Freestyle".[20] In February 2018, Saint Jhn released "I Heard You Got Too Litt Last Night".[21][22] In early March, he released the song, "Albino Blue",[23] and on March 30, 2018, his debut album was released. At that time, the already-released songs on the album had accrued 50 million total streams on various platforms. In addition to working on music and a tour in support of Collection One, Saint Jhn was hired by Gucci as a model for its "Guilty" campaign alongside Adesuwa Aighewi.[24][25] In April 2020, Saint Jhn's single "Roses" hit number one on the ARIA Charts as well as the UK Singles Chart, surged by the release of the Imanbek remix.[26] The song later received two other remixes, with Future and J Balvin, respectively.[27]

In early October 2020, Saint Jhn was among the acts who performed live for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, following the success of "Roses".[27] On October 23, 2020, he released the video for the single, "Gorgeous", which serves as the lead single for his third studio album, While the World Was Burning. On October 26, he revealed the album's artwork, tracklist, and release date as November 20, 2020. The album includes the songs "High School Reunion, Prom", featuring Lil Uzi Vert, "Monica Lewinsky, Election Year", featuring DaBaby and A Boogie wit da Hoodie, as well as "Pray 4 Me", featuring Kanye West.[27]

In December 2022, Saint Jhn and London on Da Track released "Stadiums" as the first single for their upcoming collaborative album.[28]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums with selected details
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
[29]
CAN
[30]
Collection One 50 7
Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs
  • Released: August 23, 2019[31]
  • Label: Godd Complexx, Hitco
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
39 41
While the World Was Burning
  • Released: November 20, 2020[27]
  • Label: Godd Complexx, Hitco
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
34 24

Extended plays

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List of EPs with selected details
Title Details
The St. John Portfolio
(as Carlos St. John)
  • Released: March 8, 2010
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download

Mixtapes

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List of mixtapes with selected details
Title Details
In Association
(as Carlos St. John)
  • Released: December 25, 2010
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

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As lead artist

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Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[32]
AUS
[33]
BEL
(FL)

[34]
CAN
[35]
DEN
[36]
FRA
[37]
GER
[38]
NLD
[39]
NZ
[40]
UK
[41]
"1999"[42] 2016 Non-album single
"Some Nights"[43] 2017 Collection One
"N***a Sh*t (Swoosh)"[44] 2018
"McDonalds Rich"[45] Non-album singles
"White Parents Are Gonna Hate This"[46]
"Trap"[47]
(featuring Lil Baby)
2019 Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs
"Brown Skin Girl"
(with Beyoncé and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter)
76 60 82 [A] 42 The Lion King: The Gift
"All I Want Is a Yacht"[52] Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs
"Anything Can Happen"[53]
(featuring Meek Mill)
"Roses"
(single version, Imanbek remix or remix featuring Future remix)
4 1 3 1 3 2 3 1 1 1 While the World Was Burning
"I Can Fvcking Tell"[60] 2020 Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs
"Famous"[61]
(with Octavian and Gunna)
Alpha
"Gorgeous"[62] While the World Was Burning
"Sucks to Be You"[63]
"Just for Me"[64]
(featuring SZA)
2021 [B] Space Jam: A New Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Si Te Vas"
(with Tainy and Yandel)[66]
Dynasty
"The Best Part of Life"[67] [C] TBA
"For the Squadron" 2022
"Stadiums"
(with London on da Track)[69]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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List of singles as a featured artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Beretta Lake"[70]
(Teflon Sega featuring Saint Jhn)
2016 Non-album singles
"Sink"[71]
(Maya B featuring Saint Jhn)
2020
"Been Thru This Before"[72]
(Marshmello and Southside featuring Giggs and Saint Jhn)
2020
"2HONEST"[73]
(Vic Mensa featuring Saint Jhn)
2020 V TAPE

Songwriting and production

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Selected songs with production and songwriting credits[14]
Song name Year Primary artist(s) Album Role
"No Interruption"[13] 2012 Hoodie Allen All American Co-writer
"Bad Thing" 2014 Kiesza Sound of a Woman
"The Love"
"Piano"
"Praying to a God" 2015 Nico & Vinz Cornerstone
"Doubts" 2016 Gorgon City Kingdom
"Crash" Usher Hard II Love Co-writer, producer
"Rivals"
"Helicopters / Beware" 2017 Jidenna The Chief Co-writer
"Can't Wait" Dvsn Morning After
"Lord I Need You" 2021 Kanye West Donda

Notes

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  1. ^ "Brown Skin Girl" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number six on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[49]
  2. ^ "Just for Me" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 23 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[65]
  3. ^ "The Best Part of Life" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 34 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[68]

References

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  21. ^ Aniftos, Rania (February 9, 2018). "Saint JHN Delivers an Ode to the Wild Ones in 'Heard You Got Too Lit Last Night': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
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  43. ^ "Some Nights – Single by SAINt JHN". iTunes. September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  44. ^ "N***a Sh*t (Swoosh) – Single by SAINt JHN". iTunes. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  45. ^ "McDonalds Rich – Single by SAINt JHN". iTunes. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  46. ^ "White Parents Are Gonna Hate This – Single by SAINt JHN". iTunes. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
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  71. ^ Brake, David (June 8, 2020). "Maya B writes anti-materialist anthems for our times". Document Journal. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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  73. ^ "Vic Mensa (Feat. SAINt JHN) - 2HONEST".
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