Johnny Venus Drops Debut Solo Album "The 11th Hour"

Johnny Venus Releases "The 11th Hour" on Epic Records

Johnny Venus, the GRAMMY-nominated artist and co-founder of Atlanta duo EARTHGANG, has released his debut solo album, The 11th Hour, a 12-track R&B, soul, and funk project out now on all streaming platforms via Sincethe80s and Epic Records. The album dropped October 9, 2026, and was executive produced by The-Dream.

The project builds directly on Johnny's August 2025 debut EP, Shooter, which first signaled his move into solo territory. Where Shooter introduced a more reflective side of his artistry, The 11th Hour goes deeper, centering themes of self-love, romantic relationships, family, spirituality, and community across a full-length body of work.

"The 11th Hour is the final moment when you accept all of yourself, and you choose your destiny," Johnny said in a statement. "In this album I share stories of this time of my life; love, pain, happiness, loss; parts of my soul's growth as a person. Maybe you'll recognize these parts of yourself too; the best parts."

Four singles arrived ahead of the full release. "I Want You Back" came out in April 2026 and was written by Baby Tate, Barry Johnson, Zekiel Nicholson, Johnny Venus, and The-Dream, and produced by Dom Sanders. "Porsche 911" followed as a groove-driven track co-written with The-Dream that samples R. Kelly's "Bump and Grind" (Remix) and Uncle Luke's "I Wanna Rock." "Nightmares" came next, exploring emotional unrest in love, and "Sarahtonin," featuring INK! and Alissia, closed out the pre-album run. Together the four tracks mapped the emotional range the full album now delivers.

Who Is On "The 11th Hour" and Who Produced It

The-Dream, who co-wrote three tracks on the album including "Porsche 911," "American Dream," and the closing track "Can You Pray For Me?," serves as executive producer. His involvement is notable given his track record producing and writing for artists across R&B and pop for two decades.

The production credits spread across a team of collaborators. Natra Average and Latrell James produced "On and On." Cam Herring and Johnny Venus handled "Runway Killer" and contributed additional production across several other tracks. Asha Imuno produced the closer, "Can You Pray For Me?," which also features JID, Spillage Village, and Asha Imuno. Patrick Paige II, known as the bassist for The Internet, co-produced "Swallowed Pride" with Johnny. Randy Runyon plays guitar on "Sarahtonin."

Featured artists on the album include 6LACK on "So Beautiful," INK! and Alissia on "Sarahtonin," and Spillage Village and Asha Imuno on the closing track. JID, a fellow Atlanta artist and Dreamville signee, also appears on that final record.

The full tracklist runs as follows: "11:00," "On and On," "Porsche 911," "Runway Killer," "Sarahtonin" featuring INK! and Alissia, "American Dream," "So Beautiful" featuring 6LACK, "I Want You Back," "Feng Shui," "Swallowed Pride," "Nightmares," and "Can You Pray For Me?" featuring Spillage Village and Asha Imuno.

What Johnny Venus's Solo Career Looks Like Beyond EARTHGANG

Johnny Venus, born Olu Fann, grew up in Atlanta in a communal, church-based schooling environment. He and Doctur Dot formed EARTHGANG, signing to J. Cole's Dreamville imprint and releasing projects including Mirrorland in 2019 and Ghetto Gods in 2022. The duo built a reputation for genre-blending rap that pulled from funk, soul, and psychedelia alongside sharp, community-rooted storytelling.

The solo pivot that started with Shooter and now arrives at The 11th Hour is a different lane, leaning toward R&B and soul production with personal reflection at the center rather than the broader social commentary that defined much of the EARTHGANG catalog. The Epic Records deal and Sincethe80s imprint back the project commercially, giving it major label distribution while maintaining a degree of independent label identity.

Outside of music, Johnny runs a yoga and lifestyle practice called COMPXSS focused on wellness and mindfulness, a thread that runs through the album's themes of inner alignment and intentional growth.

No tour dates were announced in the release. The album is available now on all major streaming platforms.

For independent artists watching this rollout, the structure here is worth noting. Four singles over several months, each targeting a specific emotional angle of the album's theme, gave fans and press a map before the full project arrived. That kind of deliberate single sequencing does not require a major label budget. It requires a clear concept and patience. If you are building toward a project release of your own, our [submit page](/submit) is open for premieres and features, and you can catch more release strategy conversations on [Pass the Aux](/pass-the-aux).