Justin Mende, known as FJ OUTLAW, was born in Dec 1986 in Tallahassee FL. His father played in a country band called 'Slim Sommerville and the Southlanders'. They played at “The Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville in 1981. FJ moved to the rural area of 'Port St John' at the age of 3. 

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By age 7, his mother bought him his first guitar. He spent his youth growing up in low income trailer parks and moving around from town to town. At age 13 FJ had already taught himself how to play and been in several bands. ​

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During his early teen years he began listening to and growing a fond appreciation for hip hop music. By late teens he had begun to experiment with rapping himself. He soon found a unique mix of his country music, rock and roll, and hip hop roots that messed together to form his unique style and flow.

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In 2016, he released his debut EP "Shotguns N' Whiskey" followed by his first LP “More Trash Than Hick”.​

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FJ parted ways with his original record label in 2018. He then released his next studio “LIFE OF THE OUTLAW”. In 2019 he released three more albums. “Lyrical Narcan- The Mixtape” and his throwback album

“Phonetic Freshman”.

In 2020, he released “Label Denounced”, an album revolving around Eleven86 Music.

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In 2021, he released “Broken” and a Christmas album. In 2022 he released “Hopeless Emotions” and “King of the Trailer.”

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In 2022, he became an independent artist.