When I think back to the Summer I interviewed $JAYY, all I can think about was how talented he was. It was almost like he had his hand in every pot and whatever new ingredient he decided to pick up off the shelf, it didn’t make a single dish any less than what it was.
It amazes me to see the drive that $JAYY has and how it plays a role in his music career. I remember while we were sitting at the table in the pizzeria of North Plainfield when he confessed that he wanted to try new things. There’s no surprise there! At some point, everyone wants to try something different. What shocked me the most was that he went ahead and “slayed!”
This new project $JAYY released is so cohesively constructed, that I literally believe that he can do anything. “BEEEMS,” is $JAYY’s latest EP that dwells on his fascination and experimentation with juke and footwork. While there are some elements in each track that remind you of the young artist’s club style, you can definitely hear some influence of other footwork and juke producer’s, such as Kush Jones.
Unsurprisingly, $JAYY is already working on a second tape. He’s had the chance to work with a few artists; Swisha, Kush Jones, and Blanco; but he still hopes to work with Lakim and Nadus, two people that he really looks up. And let’s not forget about DJ Earl of Teklife.
“I really wanted to target two places with BEEEMS,” $JAYY says. “Chicago because that’s where the culture started, and I want people to see that a jersey club producer can in fact step into any genre. Second, my hometown, because there’s a lot of people in Jersey that don’t necessarily know about other styles of music.”
When asked about the background story of “BEEEMS,” $JAYY will tell you how he got through a period of depression. There are thousands of people who can relate when one confesses about a time of struggle and how music influences them to create something that makes them happy. “BEEEMS” is something of a good vibe; mellow. You get some influences of trap and boom bap — but the majority of it was all $JAYY, especially in the track with the girl just going off of the voice recording. Yes! That was taken off YouTube, but the instrumental in the background was all him.
So why didn’t he just make a club tape? Well as he would put it, “I started making jersey club, but it wasn’t refreshing.” A couple weeks later, we have “BEEEMS,” a tape that represents different colors and lights. Between the bass line and good organic sounds, everyone can take something away from it. “I just want people to feel good,” said $JAYY.
There’s no telling where $JAYY will go for his next project, but he’s got some avid listeners and fans that really support his movements. Chances are he just might go on tour. If you want to learn more about $JAYY, you can follow him on Soundcloud, and you can listen to “BEEEMS” now too!
Ebony Anderson-Brown, Editor in Chief & Publisher
Twitter: @unratedebony