Jwalt: Carrying the Torch

Rooted in poetry and spirit, Jwalt turns Oakland into song 

by Natalie Villanueva

Justin Carter Walton, better known as Jwalt, is a 24-year-old recording artist breaking barriers in Bay Area hip-hop. With the Raimondi and Oakland-ubiquitous Ballers Ballad, an anthem celebrating the Town, B’s fans, and the resilient spirit of the team, Jwalt says he hopes to give listeners a renewed sense of pride in the city. 

“Seeing the Ballers bring a championship back to the town, it was everything. It brought the spirit back to Oakland, it brought fire and, you know—we are a championship winning city,” says Jwalt, “I still remember the last game. It was such a magical moment, and if you were there, you’re never going to forget it.” 

Inspired by the hyphy movement, both Jwalt and his friend Ethan Swope produced the song in a makeshift home studio. The track blends a high tempo, catchy rhythm with Raimondi Park history and a deep sense of love for Oakland baseball. “My lyrics, to my sound, are just very Oakland at the end of the day—that old school, mobby, Too $hort sound,” says Jwalt.

Having first performed at a game during the summer of 2024, his talent captured the attention of B’s co-founders Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel. A few years later, the invitation to create an anthem gave Jwalt the opportunity to organically capture the joy and community spirit surrounding this particularly Oakland brand of baseball.  

As a Town native witnessing the transitions of sports teams walking in and out of the city, Jwalt says the experience was devastating. To him, the Ballers Ballad isn’t just an anthem–it’s a mantra of resistance, survival, and new beginnings. 

Some of his lyrics read; 

You can never a take baller out the bay

They can leave but the B’s we gon stay 

“I want listeners to feel happy and excited when they hear the song,” says Jwalt, “Be excited about where we’re from because Oakland is a special place.”

Jwalt’s music career began in the second grade, when he found interest playing the clarinet. A single-reed instrument then became drums and later a beat machine. He shared with Dispatches that he was first inspired by his cousin, Javad Jackson, who passed away when he was seven. Jackson was a poet and a hip-hop artist who Jwalt hopes to honor through his craft of storytelling.

Jackson once said, “‘I’ll listen with my eyes because the sound is more clear’” says Jwalt, “I thought that was the coolest line ever and it always stood out to me.” 

With inspiration and newfound encouragement from his elementary school teachers, Mrs. Bagby and Mrs. Kendricks, Jwalt participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Festival, a district-wide event where students presented poems, spoken word pieces and speeches. He first competed in the second grade and won the competition in the fifth grade. 

Jwalt later attended Oakland School of the Arts where he wrote daily as a student in the literary arts department. In 2025, Jwalt was brought back to the high school but this time as a keynote speaker for the graduating class of seniors. To this day, he considers himself a poet and is currently working on a full spoken word album that is set to be released later this year. 

“I studied hip-hop and I study what I do before I approach and create music. I was a student and still am a student of the game,” says Jwalt, “I hope the younger generation sees that if I can do it, so can they. I want to show people that it’s possible to carry the torch well.” 

Photos courtesy Jwalt, Darrell Lavin Photography, and the Oakland Ballers.

Natalie Villanueva is a writer, a journalist and a student at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. A reporter for Oakland North, she finds herself actively engaging with the community of Oakland and Richmond. She's covered stories ranging from Oakland Ballers' fans rallying for a historic win to capturing culture, sports and education within the Bay Area. She's self-published 5 young adult novels and is a proud daughter of first generation Mexican immigrants, raised in the Central Valley. Find her on Nataliereports.org