You may not know who Jay Electronica is yet, but I’m willing to bet that you would had he chosen a better name. Jay Electronica does not sound like the one of the most buzzed about rappers of 2008. Jay Electronica sounds like the name of a small-potatoes Milwaukee techno DJ circa 1999 who magically found a way to include “Do you Think We’re Better Off Alone,” and “We Like to Party” in every set. Somehow, despite this ill-fated nomenclature, Electronica has received a deal from Just Blaze and Erykah Badu, a spot on the new Nas and Roots records and the cover of last month’s Urb, where he elicited a comparison to a “Live at the BBQ”-era Nas. Not bad.
The buzz comes off the strength of his ambitious, wildly original, if not slightly pretentious,”Act 1: Eternal Sunshine: The Pledge,” and a few unofficial EP’s released on a since-deleted Myspace page. While the material that has surfaced is certainly strong, the Nas comparisons only bear a superficial resemblance. At 31, Electronica has spent the last decade living a peripatetic existence, with stops in New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington DC, Denver and Dallas, a far cry from the 18-year old Queens prodigy with a ferocious imagination and a poet’s eye for detail.
Still, the attention is at least partially merited. Judging from “Act 1″ and the rest of the flotsam and jetsam floating around the Web, Electronica has certainly studied his Nas, Pun, and Pharoahe Monch. Plus, getting beats from the likes of Dilla and Madlib, never made anyone sound worse. My favorite song thus far is, “Bitches and Drugs,” a rant about the weak state of hip-hop, where Electronica manages to craft an interesting song out of a trite subject. Moreoever, you can’t help but be dazzled by the way in which Electronica absolutely man-handles Dilla’s jittery paranoid beat, a furious two minute drill of ringing alarms, bleak, haunting synth lines and executioner drums.
As Zilla pointed out a few weeks ago, “Dilla’s beats don’t work with technical wordsmiths, There’s too much movement, too much lush instrumentation, too many pockets to catch for an MC like Talib Kweli or Black Thought (sorry) to handle comfortably.” But Electronica stays afloat, curving with the beat’s parabolic bends while flipping complex similes and impressive lyricism. It’s an encouraging start to what will hopefully be a solid career. Let’s just hope that someone explains to Electronica that calling his debut LP, Abracadabra: Let There Be Light might be better suited as the name of the next J.K. Rowling book.
Download:
MP3: Jay Electronica (prod. by Dilla)-”Bitches & Drugs”
MP3: Jay Electronica (prod. by Madlib)-”Extra Extra”
ZIP: Jay Electronica Sampler (Left-Click)
13 comments
Dart_Adams says:
April 4, 2008 at 5:22 am (UTC -7)
Did you read my blog about him entitled “Jay Electronica: Hip Hop’s New Black Jesus” regarding his live performance that left some audience members (who were there to see Mos Def) cold.
I think he’s a tremendous artist but in this day and age Rick Ross, Plies and Flo Rida can come on stage spewing bile and the audience doesn’t care. Whatcha gonna do?
One.
Zilla Rocca says:
April 4, 2008 at 6:42 am (UTC -7)
I like Jay Elect more than this new wave of “hipster” rappers, so to speak. Yeah he wears a scarf around his neck but he’s getting co-signed from actual hip hop figures based on his actual hip hop skills.
And Dart…I don’t know why a Mos Def crowd wouldn’t at least appreciate dude. Then again, alot of MC’s that you named in your piece are moreso headphone rappers. They don’t necessarily make songs that hit live on stage and/or their persona or style is more suited for writing and recording. Maybe Jay Elect is that kind of dude. Either way, I’m still checking for him.
Zilla Rocca says:
April 4, 2008 at 6:45 am (UTC -7)
Oh yeah, some of the realest bars spit this year in relation to the 2008 rap game from Jay Elect:
“Guru told me slow up the flow
Cause science and metaphors will slow up the dough”
And is it just me or does his voice and delivery on “Bitches and Drugs” remind you of Rakim?
goathair says:
April 4, 2008 at 7:13 am (UTC -7)
He looks like he could be 50′s brother.
padraig says:
April 4, 2008 at 7:44 am (UTC -7)
dart – co-sign on that piece 100%. that “messiah” stuff isn’t limited to hip hop up though, it’s endemic to all forms of pop music. it just sticks out more in hip hop b/c it’s usually so focused one person instead of a band or scene.
imo Jay is the most exciting MC to show up in hip hop in the last several years. my tastes are pretty eclectic though and I can see him putting a lot of people off. it seems like a lot of the criticism directed towards him is of the “he’s too pretentious/avante-garde” variety, which is kind of frustrating. i mean, it’s not like he’s making electric circus (yet). he raps about real, relevant things. yeah, he lays the mysticism on pretty heavy at times but plenty of classic records are riddled with all manner of 5% gibberish and that never seems to bother anyone.
padraig says:
April 4, 2008 at 7:52 am (UTC -7)
oh, and co-sign on him sounding like Rakim at times (though more like Kane I think). he really comes off like a rap scholar, but what separates of lot of those drier, studious dudes is that instead of just copping his entire flow whole-heartedly from a Kane or Masta Ace he takes bits and pieces from everyone to make something unique. I’ve also heard him criticized for being overly technical and lacking prescense, though I think the general monotony of his voice works as a counterpoint against the beats which are supposed to do the heavy emotional lifting along with his subject matter. I guess in the end he’s a dude who people are either going to love or hate.
oh, and I also think his name on a “so-inconceivably terrible that it’s great” tip. not in an ironic sense at all, more like ed wood movies.
rob a says:
April 4, 2008 at 10:50 am (UTC -7)
anyone know what song that is at the beginnig of bitches and drugs?? sounds like nico singing but i can’t find it…any1??
Disco Vietnam says:
April 4, 2008 at 11:05 am (UTC -7)
nope!
mecca says:
July 7, 2008 at 1:54 am (UTC -7)
I keep hearing Jayelectronica, Jayelectronica!!! Who is this jayelectronica chararcter? Who are the men behind this jayelectronica character? Its like he’s a mythical figure. Its like he’s “Kiaser Sose” from the movie usual suspects.
ashinn says:
July 14, 2008 at 4:26 pm (UTC -7)
Listening to the stylewars EP, I can’t help but feel like dude is a newfangled, less burnt-out Doom. His flow is nice, I like his shit, but I’m still feeling like I’m hearing the same ole same ole through a new voice.
Plus, who the hell does he think he is using those unreleased Dilla beats without permission? Where’s the respect? Leave the man’s legacy in peace, please.
MSSIAH says:
July 29, 2008 at 8:00 pm (UTC -7)
Jay Electronica was very good friends will Dilla, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind Jay using his beats. Listen to his newest song on Jay’s Myspace, titled Encore. He’s got a quote from Dilla right in the beginning of it. He’s doing Dilla plenty of justice on those beats.
Impulss says:
September 20, 2008 at 3:55 pm (UTC -7)
It’s crazy because he’s supposed to be from New Orleans, and he’s around my age, and I don’t know a single person that knows him. This is a small town. It’s a tight knit Hip Hop community and I don’t see how a dude like this gets through the cracks here without me knowing him or meeting him several times. No shows, no Bionik Brown (or largest local real Hip Hop artist) status here, nothing, and then BOOM Jay Electronica is here and famous. WTF??? I like his shit, but did he move outta NOLA at like 10 years old or something but still claims it?? Cause honestly if you’re on some real shit I’mma come across yo uin this town….Like his shit though…can’t wait to hear more…
Sashay says:
November 4, 2008 at 2:09 pm (UTC -7)
Man…This kid is a breath of fresh air.I definitely can’t see why anyone would throw hate in his direction..the kid has someting to say. For the past fews years, the rap game has been on some ol’ candy bar rah- rah. This kid defines Hip Hop.Respect due!! Jay Elec–I got my ears to the streets for you…keep doin’ ya’ thing baby!