J. Randy's gift is his song

J. Randy is ready to make his move.

After a decade of stops and starts in the music industry, working with countless bands and linked to everyone from Bone thugs-n-harmony to U2 producer Steve Lillywhite, the 27-year-old from Plainview feels like he has everything in order.

"I am the gangsta Dave Matthews," Randy says, laughing.

Randy is looking to combine the musicianship of Matthews with the hustle and edge of hip-hop for what he's calling M.O.B. Records, standing for "Music Over Business."

His first video, "Murderer," which debuted last week, shows off his style. Randy could actually be the next Bruno Mars, the kind of singer who seemingly emerges fully formed in the pop spotlight out of relative obscurity.

"Each song is really important to me," says Randy, adding that he already has hundreds of songs written over a wide range of genres. "They're stories from my life. Each song is like a movie in itself."

Peter Raspler, who manages 311 and Sugarcult at Red Light Management, says it was Randy's music that got his attention, but the drive behind that music also impressed him.

"J.'s got the whole package -- the songwriting, the voice, the look, the swagger," says Raspler, who now manages Randy. "There's something great there."

Randy has finished an EP of demos, currently available on his MySpace page (myspace.com/jrandy), and is looking to record his debut this year.

"I'm talking about being big enough to stimulate the economy," he says. "I'm not one of those guys who is sitting around waiting. If you're waiting, you're just not trying hard enough. . . . I'm not messing around at all."

Contact The Long Island Sound at glenn.gamboa@newsday.com or follow @ndmusic on Twitter.