When opening the Limitless Dropbox of beats, melodies and loops in her 2014 Chevy Cruze, Elon senior Nailah Ware heard a melody created by Elon junior Jax Bohnenberger that became a “hit” in just one night.

“I said, ‘That is hard.’ My whole car was shaking. I said, ‘That’s it,’” Ware said.

Ware is the co-founder and former president of Limitless, Elon’s student music performance organization that specializes in hip-hop and R&B. Bohnenberger is its rising co-president.

Working through the melody together, Ware and Bohnenberger sat down in a recording studio and recorded their song titled “DMV,” which would be the first for their album “J MAJOR.” The title of the album is a mix of Ware’s stage name, “N Major,” and “J” for Jax. The title, “DMV,” is inspired by Ware’s home. 

“We just mesh. It just made sense,” Ware said.

After finishing “DMV,” the creators had the idea to create their album during the last few weeks of the 2024-25 school year. Bohnenberger said they managed to get time in the studio every day before the end of the semester.

Jax Bohnenberger (left) and Nailah Ware (right) promote their album "J MAJOR." Photo courtesy of Ware.

“We said, ‘Let’s do an album,’” Bohnenberger said. “Right in the middle of crunch time, when every final project and test was happening.”

Ware said there is a deeper meaning to the album, especially in how comfortable she felt working with Bohnenberger. To Ware, she said Bohnenberger is the only producer she knows who is inviting and overall kind. 

“I felt respected with Jax, and knowing that we have different backgrounds and we still come together like brother and sister — that’s what I appreciate the most,” Ware said.

This summer, Ware is one of 16 students studying in Los Angeles through the Elon in LA program. She said that while working with Bohnenberger, she pushed herself to rap like never before, coming together to make the album cut through the noise — especially in divided times.

“For us to come together the way we are with our diverse backgrounds, there’s something special about this,” Ware said.

When Ware attended an Audio Engineering Society summit held at Benedict College in South Carolina in April, she learned about press kits during a workshop. Most kits include résumés, songs, metadata and more. Inspired by Recording Academy member Jelani Harris, Ware brought the idea of submitting to the Grammy Awards to Bohnenberger. 

“I said, ‘You know what? We’re two college students — let’s submit this. Who’s doing that? Ain’t nobody touching that. No one’s doing that,’” Ware said.

Bohnenberger said the team has maintained a professional outlook on the submission. He said he doesn’t want to jinx it, but he thinks they have a good shot in the categories they fall under.

“I did my absolute best to make sure everything is industry standard,” Bohnenberger said. “Everything is cream of the crop. Best quality that I’ve ever put out, for sure. And I know I can say the same for Nailah, because I had never heard any music that hard in a while.”

Ware said that when their whole team — including production, marketing and lyrics — returns to Elon’s campus in August, they will have more ideas to promote “J MAJOR,” including creating videos inspired by AreYouKiddingTV.

“We’re keeping that momentum going. We’re lit on campus,” Ware said. “When we get back, we’re gonna be very engaging.”

“J MAJOR” is set to drop on Aug. 1 and will be available on all streaming platforms.