“I’ve been afraid to release Act II because I feel like it’s not gonna be good enough. I know the people expect so much from me. — Jay Electronica on Aug. 9th, via Twitter for the iPad
Jay Electronica has no one to blame but himself. During his sold-out Key Club appearance last week, the post-backpack brigade weren’t there to see 34-year old Timothy Tedford, they were there for the myth. The voodoo man throwing chicken bones and feathers up. The mercurial and mysterious would-be savior of hip-hop — a throne he craved and claimed from the get-go, while surrounded by Erykah Badu, Just Blaze, Jon Brion, and the splintered remnants of Charlie Kauffman’s skull.
During a period in which the notion of media and blog saturation is a cliche in its own right, Jay Electronica took the opposite tack. While rappers drowned the market in mediocre mixtapes, he hewed to what he was raised on: quality control and intricate rhymes that demanded rewind (or at least ←). By now, most have forgotten how spotty his early releases were. It’s hard to reconcile the sub-Lodi Dodi “super MC rhyme slayer” of “I Feel Good,” with the virtuosity of “Exhibit C.” At his best, Electronica is a storyteller that sticks you in the middle of pouring rainstorms. You feel his hunger and desire to get a slice of pizza. His conversion to Islam is re-imagined as the awakening of a prophet. He shines like he “grew up in a shrine in Peru,” but grew up in the Magnolia slums. He’s a binary for those who still believe in such delusions.
He won over his core audience (those who grew up in the 90s and those that wish they did) by preaching to the choir. Embedded in nearly every song are a few bars about the staleness of contemporary hip-hop and how he will bring The Change. Abracadabra. But what separated him from the rest of the lyrical/spiritual types was his sharp eye and canny ability to conceive himself as an enigma, but a humanistic one. He’s the train-riding scofflaw grown up to discover that fame wasn’t a foregone conclusion. He suffered like a Buddha. He name-drops “yarmulke” to signify his inclusiveness. When you try to be everything to everyone, you usually fail. Electronica was the rare rapper that everyone could agree on. He flies the banner of the South, works with Puff Daddy and Dame Dash, and impregnated Erykah Badu. That’s a winning resume.
The ? Remainz
But sometime during the last six months, Electronica’s promise began to feel unfulfilled. He guaranteed Act II last Christmas. We’re currently a month away from hearing Christmas carols on the radio. The momentum he’d built throughout 2008 and the first half of 2009 ground to a halt. The creative slowdown wouldn’t have mattered had he carried himself differently. When you claim to be the messiah, people expect miracles not Twitter accounts dedicated to Middle East trips and Marilyn Flowers quotes. He couldn’t even finish the “Dear Moleskin” video. While his 2010 output has amounted to one great verse on the Curren$y record, one good one on Reflection Eternal, a mediocre 16 on a mediocre Game mixtape, and a collaboration with Puff Daddy so self-indulgent that it sounded like it was recorded after a night of drinking Cirroc and hiring $1,000 an-hour porn stars to use a unicorn for a stripper’s pole. Which probably happened.
When he stepped into the Key Club, Elecronica was greeted by an audience that would’ve accepted anything. To both their credit and detriment, the Okayplayer orgy will generally support an artist in spite of his occasional failings. Provided you don’t make a “Lollipop” or work with Waka Flocka, you’re guaranteed a lifetime pass. This is how I rationalize the enduring semi-popularity of Kidz in the Hall and Torae. So no matter what Electronica did, he received uncritical adoration. From stepping on the stage swilling Henny and pair of Abercrombie-looking cargo shorts, to performing only six or seven songs, most of them acapella, Electronica seemed hell-bent on shattering the myth. In front of us was not one of the brightest talents to emerge in recent memory, but an uninspired and insecure guy who never made it until he was 32, because he lacked the minerals.
For all the swag-bashing that marks the elephant graveyard underground, there’s merit to a confident performer. One of the reason why indie rock shows are so tepid is because all too often, the gaunt frontmen look like they stepped out of a lightless coma induced by an overdose of vegan weed twinkies. Sporting the Silverlake uni of a red lumberjack flannel, Electronica seemed overwhelmed. He played a minute-long snippet of a new song, but refused to perform it, begging the crowd: “please don’t boo me. I’m really sensitive about new shit that hasn’t been heard.” The song was good, but redundant. Damningly, it seemed to signify what happens when modest fame strikes and you aren’t prepared. It apparently reduces you to writing lyrics about chilling in Miami with Puff Daddy, who tells you to fuck the underground and win a Grammy for “you and your family.”
I’m Not Here
Sustaining a cult requires sleight of hand, but Electronica’s only intent was to patronize. Instead of smoke and mirrors, he squinted in the sickly light and started “I Wanna Fuck Right Now” chants. Separately, he asked how many J Dilla and Nas fans were in the house, which is like going to a Tea Party Rally and asking how many people like Ronald Reagan and anti-sodomy interdictions. He held fingers in the air for Biggie, 2Pac, and Guru. He considered the age-old question of whether ladies or fellas ran this motherfucker. He defended “real hip-hop,” then in the next breath asked how many people were on Facebook. It was like meeting one of your childhood heroes and discovering that they spend all their time indoors eating rock candy, reading Twilight, and surfing Internet message boards.
Jay Electronica was the worst thing a rapper can be: corny. And to add a tin foil corona, he started spouting 9/11 conspiracy theories and accusing George Bush of conspiring to blow up the levees. I’m not one to defend our ex-pretzel choking potentate, but the notion of him engaging in a byzantine and undetected plot to blow up an array of national landmarks is the sort of lazy conspiracy mongering that belongs alongside the reptilian fantasies of David Icke and L. Ron Hubbard fetishists.
Oh, and by the way, he claimed that Act II is coming on on Sunday, so set your sun dial. I’m still anxious to hear it, even though his delays and false promises have created a level of expectations that will it make it an inevitable disappointment. I’m just hoping that the next time he rolls through Los Angeles, he can at least invest in a smoke machine and stock up on self-help tapes from Senator Stuart Smalley. Jay Electronica is good enough. I think.–Weiss
Download:
ZIP: Jay Electronica-What the Fuck is a Jay Electronica (Left-Click)
MP3: The Game ft. Swizz Beatz & Jay Electronica-”Higher”
37 comments
Barry says:
September 16, 2010 at 12:35 pm (UTC -7)
My suspicion is Jay Electronica will read this post. Which means he’s reading this comment right now. Which means I can predict him. Which means I’ve lost interest. And that’s all I had to lose.
hl says:
September 16, 2010 at 12:40 pm (UTC -7)
Ouch.
hl says:
September 16, 2010 at 12:42 pm (UTC -7)
He said Act II was coming sunday? Like this weekend?
Passion of the Weiss says:
September 16, 2010 at 1:23 pm (UTC -7)
Yup, this weekend. I hate to write something negative about someone who I respect, but this was the worst show I’ve seen in a long time.
another one says:
September 16, 2010 at 1:30 pm (UTC -7)
in 2010, he also had a superb appearance on Paul Wall’s Live It…
mike says:
September 16, 2010 at 1:55 pm (UTC -7)
one of the worst blog posts ive ever read
Cale says:
September 16, 2010 at 2:03 pm (UTC -7)
damn this is just depressing. does not sound like the rapper that I saw having the time of his life on stage back at bonnaroo. He also had the best piece stage banter I’ve heard in a minute (James Murphy not withstanding cause I couldnt understand him) when he got the audience to weigh in on an argument between him, Nas and his DJ about whether or not girls like to be choked during sex. true story
Scott says:
September 16, 2010 at 2:21 pm (UTC -7)
As always, great writing Jeff. I think you hit a lot of things right on the head, but I do think it’s worth mentioning that Jay hung out in the crowd to shake hands, chat, and take pictures with literally every person that walked up to him. Whether that’s because he’s really just that fucking cool, or whether it was simply an act of self-aggrandizement, we may never truly know. I found it to be rather endearing though. Keep up the great work man.
Passion of the Weiss says:
September 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm (UTC -7)
Thanks Scott. I didn’t catch that part as I pretty much left the second his set ended (it was too crowded in there) I imagine he’s a good dude and I feel this may have came off as more of a personal attack than I intended it to be. I really hope he continues to make great music, but it was frustrating to have to watch someone so obviously talented turn in such a lackluster performance.
I didn’t even mention the distraction that was the 100 people on-stage for roughly half the show.
DV says:
September 16, 2010 at 2:48 pm (UTC -7)
Off-topic but…
You going to do a write-up on the Yayo-Brown album that just dropped?
Passion of the Weiss says:
September 16, 2010 at 2:54 pm (UTC -7)
Working on the Q&A right now. The goal is for it to be up tomorrow morning.
Scott says:
September 16, 2010 at 3:10 pm (UTC -7)
Thanks Jeff, I agree with you entirely on the part about way too many people on stage (like all hip hop shows it seems), and no shots but there are a million better local acts in LA that could have (should have?) opened instead of what we got presented with for opening acts. And the performance from Jay did feel a bit phoned in. I think just seeing dude live was a great experience for me, but I agree; he (and Blu as well!) need(s) to stop wasting time. There’s a million people putting out FREE mixtapes, some of them multiple times a year. The world is waiting, but people are only more fickle than they were 10 years ago. The window of opportunity for these guys is closing. Hopefully pieces like this get back to the artists and inspire them. If not, they certainly aren’t going to be the ones to “save” hip hop. Again, good piece as always.
DV says:
September 16, 2010 at 3:11 pm (UTC -7)
Great to hear. Dude is on a fucking epic roll right now.
Pecue says:
September 16, 2010 at 6:36 pm (UTC -7)
This is a surprise. Though I feel that his released material is a bit too few and far between, his set at the Roots Picnic back in June was full of energy.
curt says:
September 16, 2010 at 6:37 pm (UTC -7)
i saw jay at the bumbershoot festival in seattle, and like you said, corny.
schmillson says:
September 16, 2010 at 7:41 pm (UTC -7)
damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve read something negative on this site. thought it was against your nature weiss.
Passion of the Weiss says:
September 16, 2010 at 8:12 pm (UTC -7)
I got nostalgic.
D. $cience says:
September 16, 2010 at 8:49 pm (UTC -7)
Excellent writing. You almost had me fooled at the beginning, thinking it would be another “Jay Electronica is our savior” post, but just realized that Jay Elect haven’t really made any noise.
I wasn’t there personally, but I saw the video where he previewed his new song, and it sounded really bland. I really am a fan of Jay Electronica, but I’m starting to lose interest in him. I started to think whether it is bad to keep feeding the streets (and the internet) new material, because Jay haven’t released anything for me to be hyped up about Act II. I know we b**** and complain about rappers constantly putting out mixtapes and leaking songs with no quality, but I say why not release some new tracks or do a freestyle to get fans hype if you’re an emcee like Jay Electronica? Him feeling like Act II wasn’t good enough to release damn near a year ago is no excuse to not release it; the fans and the listeners play the part in you staying relevant. A lot of people will get Act II solely off the waiting factor, but I’m not really excited for him anymore.
Deen says:
September 16, 2010 at 11:47 pm (UTC -7)
I come here for the negative shit. This mostly read as being extra real. I saw a clip of that snippet and I had a similar reaction, but then again, I’m a hater by blood. I’m still eager to hear Act II though…
elmattic says:
September 17, 2010 at 11:05 am (UTC -7)
Remember when Snoop was gonna save hip-hop? (If you’re under 30, no, you won’t.)
Never understood why Jay Elec got so much love off of about 5 songs, when Autolect does pretty much the same thing, except he, you know, actually makes lots of albums. http://www.myspace.com/autolect
Candy Man says:
September 17, 2010 at 2:05 pm (UTC -7)
some blog said you blew it
nigga fuck yo’ blog
aka, passion weiss, you’re a pisshead, don’t know shit, and have only started listening to Jay since Exhibit C dropped.
So stfu, eat another dick, and get raped by a monkey
Dan Love says:
September 17, 2010 at 2:26 pm (UTC -7)
Great post Jeff. I felt like Jay’s time was passing 6 months ago. I would have wet my pants if he’d dropped something last January/February but now I’m at a point where an album release (or not…) doesn’t particularly excite me. A lot of hype for not much output. It’s just frustrating because when he’s good he’s very, very good.
We’ll see…
joshua says:
September 17, 2010 at 3:17 pm (UTC -7)
what happened to my post?
wasnt negative enough?
xRapHeadx says:
September 17, 2010 at 5:17 pm (UTC -7)
Actually,Act II was supposed to be released 2 Christmases ago.
“Moleskin” has been done for over a year and remains unreleased.
+ a ton of tracks we know are done that no one outside of Jay’s circle have heard: Exhibit A Remix,Exhibit B(He said it exists and no one has heard),Candy Man full,Google Eyes CDQ, War With the Dragon demo tape(full)+ all the other tracks that no one knows about. He’s a lazy bum who hates his fans.
Having said that, he is still easily the best rapper alive, and if he cared enough could put to some very special music, but we all know Act II will be pushed back to next Christmas or some other bullshit.
Dom says:
September 18, 2010 at 2:13 am (UTC -7)
I personally find it curious when it’s implied that an artist in nearly any field of expression is losing time in some sense. Is he expecting to die soon? That said, it’s good to see a writer actually taking an act to task without hating.
Charlie says:
September 18, 2010 at 4:21 am (UTC -7)
I thought this was coming ever since he wasted valuable lyrics to tell us that Diddy, Nas et al were waiting for him to ‘drop’ on Exhibit C. Seemed like he’d already lost some of the spark that made Act 1.
“He’s a lazy bum who hates his fans”. Excellent.
Victor says:
September 18, 2010 at 6:03 am (UTC -7)
I think more than anything his delay will hurt him as a name trying to make a splash in the mainstream to any degree. After exhibit c most people who listen to hip hop on any frequent basis knew him and were to varying degrees looking forward to him. Now though he has fallen out of the consciousness of many. I’m still looking forward to ACT 2 though.
His underwhelming live act is a shame. I heard when he was over here in london’s jazz cafe he destroyed it, still bugged i missed that.
jonglittle says:
September 20, 2010 at 2:36 am (UTC -7)
Man, I can understand you not feeling a show and all. But what I don’t get is the idea that Jay has to stay on someone else’s schedule? If he continues to drop the quality music he tends to drop (albeit slooooowly) I’ll be hapy. Of course I’d like to hear a great new Jay song every week. But if he only puts out one great song a year I’ll be happy to hear it nonetheless…
Anyways, that’s how I’mn feeling.
Peace
Jimmy101 says:
September 20, 2010 at 5:13 am (UTC -7)
I don’t get the initial hype anyway
‘Exhibit C’ is the type of song that looks nice on paper, but it SOUNDS boring… slow talky flow, no interesting rhythms/cadences, dull beat
He’s just not sharp or intricate with the flow and doesn’t use his voice very well
Benovite says:
September 20, 2010 at 8:04 am (UTC -7)
Jay E seems to e-mbody the internet: momentarily great but mostly fickle.
Oh and Weiss, I HOPE YOU GET RAPED BY A HEARD OF LOCUST EATING MONKEYS THAT FOAM AT THE MOUTH AND AND AND(jk)
Enigmatik says:
September 20, 2010 at 8:34 pm (UTC -7)
Great write up…Act II was supposed to come out eons ago…it’s time to drop it.
ru says:
September 21, 2010 at 12:13 am (UTC -7)
How many shows has he done in L.A.? I’ve seen him twice so far in the Bay area and he kills it every time. I’ve never been to this blog before, someone on FB had in their shared posts. Your writing is eloquent and personal as well, I can’t say I agree with your perspective cause we have different experiences with Jay man. So be fair, see him in another area, as I should as well. Although seeing yourself as part of scene but still making a judgment about who the scene is centered around is quite the conundrum to me? At one point you liked what you were hearing enough to believe in it’s presenter but are not happy with it’s execution and would have given better advice on how to to it? That’s the life of a critic huh?
Isa says:
September 21, 2010 at 12:16 am (UTC -7)
incisive criticism. honest and sharp. provoked quality comments. I know “it’s complicated” arguments can feel spineless but I think there’s a matrix of circumstances that have produced the jay electronica conundrum. with the current ADHD market, I find “fans” have almost delusional expectations of artists to produce. while I think you’re absolutely right to point out where jay’s strategy falls short and betrays itself — I think his elusive character is far less calculating. there’s little room for rappers to be sincerely insecure hot messes whose perfectionist tendencies lead to their inevitable failure (by industry standards). I too am anxious to hear act II and the numerous projects slated to drop light years ago but I struggle with feeling entitled to them…like others have said, creativity isn’t an art of convenience. I’m not trying to defend some lofty “genius” syndrome either (or make excuses for alliances with diddy that simply read as self-sabotage). hype is only ever a trap. I do appreciate how you identify the ways in which he has created his own prison and I completely agree. ultimately, artists have to trust their audiences more to receive their work respectfully…and audiences need to model that back (vis-a-vis critical engagement and practicing patience). I think this article is succeeding in just that; generating necessary dialogue to hold both the artists and ourselves accountable. kudos.
Chris says:
September 21, 2010 at 9:36 am (UTC -7)
Jeff, great piece of writing. I get the feeling that Jay is too concerned with perfection, or living up to the collective perception of who people think he is. We all feel a level of anxiety when trying to achieve or maintain quality in our creative production. The problem is that we try to get everything right the first time. As a consequence, our products suffer from costly delays and too much second guessing prior to launch. I follow the Seth Godin principle on shipping product out the door: defeat the resistance! It doesn’t mean that you neglect critical thinking about your composition, but to borrow the Based God metaphor, it quite literally means that if you aren’t serving the food you cook, nobody can eat!! http://the99percent.com/tips/6249/seth-godin-the-truth-about-shipping
And god forbid don’t ask the crowd not to boo you. Feedback on his songs, be it positive or negative, means that people are talking about you and digesting your stories/ideas. The story need not be perfect. Just tell us a story…
Jay Electronica – The Announcement x Shiny Suit Theory (ft. Jay-Z, The-Dream). says:
November 16, 2010 at 8:30 pm (UTC -7)
[...] The songs highlight the delicate balancing act of Jay’s image. He’s supposed to be “the mercurial and mysterious would-be savior of hip-hop” who releases music at his own pace and doesn’t care about getting an album on Best Buy [...]
Lance says:
December 26, 2010 at 8:46 pm (UTC -7)
Why is there the assumption that he has done so few songs. Look up the mixtapes from 2004 to now you have about 4 albums worth of work which if you think in 6-7 years not bad at all. Jay doesn’t give a fuck about the box you are trying to put him in. He is a perfectionist in his art and no one will tell him otherwise. Picasso never rushed a painting. Also jay is thinking of more than just putting out a cd that will sit on a shelf until someone who knows about him finds it. He is going for the push of making himself known to more so his timing is can be dead on to blow. And i guess his lines like “flow so tolstoy, fyodor Dostoy’(evsky)” blew right over your head. Haters want to hate be it a lexus or a camry. He knows you are saying this shit, it ain’t knew ya’ll arent prophets, critics just ribbit.
driz says:
April 14, 2011 at 10:17 pm (UTC -7)
aughties:90′s::exhibit C:time’sup