Jonathan Emile

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Jonathan Emile, born Jonathan Whyte Potter-Mäl on February 19, 1986, is a Jamaican-Canadian singer, rapper, producer, and cancer survivor. He uses the stage names Jonathan Emile or Jon E.

Early life and education
He was born in Montreal, Quebec, to a Canadian father and a Jamaican mother. He grew up in the LaSalle area and finished school at Selwyn House in 2003. He trained at the Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal.

Cancer, philosophy, and starting a label
At 18, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a serious cancer. After years of treatment, he went into remission in 2010. While in the hospital and after, he developed his personal motto of Mindpeacelove and taught himself studio production and musical skills. He started his own record label, MindPeaceLove Ent., to support new artists.

Music career
In 2009, Emile released The Lover/Fighter Document EP. His first full album, The Lover/Fighter Document LP, came out in 2015 and mixes hip hop with reggae, jazz, R&B, and electro-pop. It includes collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Murs, Buckshot, and others.

His second studio album, Phantom Pain, was released at the end of 2016. In 2019, he signed a distribution deal with Tuff Gong, making him the first artist from Quebec to work with the label. He released the single Savanna and began work on Spaces-in-Between, his reggae-influenced third album, which came out in January 2020. The project was produced and co-composed with Paul Cargnello and features all original songs, with contributions from Ezra Lewis and Chanda T. Holmes.

Emile also released singles from Spaces-in-Between, including Moses and Try a Likkle More, and a French version of Keep on Fighting called Solidarité. In 2020, he teamed up with Maxi Priest for a remix of Babylon Is Falling and released Canopy in collaboration with Etana.

Musical style and themes
He blends hip hop, reggae, R&B, and electro-pop, and sings in English, French, and Jamaican Patois. His music often addresses social and moral issues. A notable example is Heaven Help Dem, a track about police brutality and urban violence inspired by the death of Fredy Villanueva in Montreal.

Legal matters
In 2015, Kendrick Lamar’s label briefly removed Heaven Help Dem from streaming services due to a copyright concern about Lamar’s verse. Emile sued Top Dawg Entertainment, Interscope, and Universal Music Group and won a small settlement in 2016 for financial loss and reputational harm. He published an open letter to Kendrick Lamar in 2017.

Community and education
Emile has spent time mentoring urban youth, giving workshops, and participating in Black History Month events. In 2013, he led a 15-venue “Songs of Freedom” tour of Montreal-area schools to use music as a tool for social change.

Today
Jonathan Emile continues to create and perform, balancing his life as an artist, producer, and community advocate while exploring new musical directions.