There’s a specific kind of frustration that builds when the news cycle becomes so relentless that regular people feel paralyzed by it. Johnny the Hobby Artist, the Fort Worth-based independent musician also known as JRS3 or Johnny R. Sanford III, channels that feeling directly into “Red White Blue,” a track that opens with electric guitar before you even have a chance to settle in.
The song wastes no time. Opening lyrics “Look into my eyes. Don’t be surprised. I am prepared to die for the prize” hit before the two-minute-thirty-six-second runtime even gets going, and they set the tone for everything that follows. This isn’t background music. JRS3 is asking for your full attention, and the production makes it hard to give him anything less. The guitar and drum work grab you immediately, and from there the track doesn’t let up.
What’s interesting about “Red White Blue” is how it pulls off something a lot of politically charged music fails to do: it doesn’t feel preachy. The track leans hard into rock-rap territory, with electric guitar work that’s genuinely addictive, and JRS3’s cadence sits comfortably inside it rather than fighting the instrumentation. The Rage Against the Machine fused with LL Cool J comparison has been made, and it’s not inaccurate, though Johnny the Hobby Artist brings a smoothness to his delivery that feels distinctly his own. His vocals are controlled in a way that keeps the energy high without tipping into shouting. It’s a balancing act, and he pulls it off.
Lyrically, the song addresses the fractures running through the United States right now, specifically the tension between law enforcement and communities, the protests, and the broader question of whether people across different backgrounds can find common ground before things get worse. The central hook, ‘Red white and blue, that’s where we coming from, whatcha gon’ do,’ functions as both a challenge and a rallying cry. It’s the kind of chorus that sticks around after the song ends, which is the whole point. Simple lyrics, but they land with weight because the track earns them musically first.
Johnny the Hobby Artist has been building his catalog since around 2020, blending hip-hop, R&B, rock, and gospel in ways that don’t feel forced. He cites LL Cool J, Donald Hathaway, and Dolly Parton as influences, which tells you a lot about his range and why his music resists easy categorization. His style is often described as “Rock Rap” or “mellow hip-hop storytelling,” and both labels make sense depending on which track you’re listening to. Earlier releases like “Can’t Fill My Shoes” and “Thank You” show his range as a writer, and his catalog runs deep enough that there’s clearly more ground he hasn’t fully mapped yet. “Red White Blue” feels like a natural progression of all of it, just louder and more urgent given the current moment.
The song dropped February 13, 2026, and it arrives at a time when music that says something specific is more valuable than music that hedges. JRS3 isn’t hedging. The track sounds like the 80s, the 90s, and right now all at once, which is either a contradiction or exactly what this particular moment called for. Probably both.
You can watch a short visual snippet on YouTube, stream “Red White Blue” on Spotify, and follow Johnny the Hobby Artist on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
