Jay IDK on positivity and the evolution of hip-hop
"The universe works in mysterious ways but the universe will always work with you, not against you."
[A]t just 17 years old, Jay IDK (standing for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge), found himself, as a juvenile, in an adult county prison on a charge for armed robbery with bail set at $300,000. He was looking at 80 years in prison.
After securing release to private detention home and setting on the path towards gaining a college IT qualification whilst working part time, he was violated for late payments at the detention home and ended back up this time in state penitentiary to serve one year of a three year sentence.
Money landed Jay in jail, either lack of it or the need for it, but it was while in jail that he realised he could write and write well. His lyrics on Empty Bank are some of the densest and intricate you’ll hear from a rap album released in the last year, confronting as they do the complexities of the monetary trap many of us find ourselves in, in myriad ways, throughout our lives. And it especially confronts the braggadocio commonly associated with money and what it means within hip-hop, a notable and legitimate characteristic of the genre. It’s funny, political and, at times, it’ll even make you want to dance.
Over the course of a comparatively limited output, including two albums (Empty Bank and 2015’s Subtrap) and a mixtape (Sex, Drugs, and Homework), Jay is already proving himself to be one of the more stylistically innovative rappers out there and 2017 could prove to the year he makes his mark.
Are you conscious of being part of the changing characteristics of a hip-hop artist? Thematically and sonically you’ve set yourself apart from some of your contemporaries by subverting usual tropes, while other artists are certainly taking themselves in very distinct directions from what we consider to be traditional to the genre. What’s your take on where it’s all headed?
Rap is at a state where talent isn’t the focal point. I come from an era where it is. Right now a lot of the younger kids don’t really want to think. It’s more about a vibe. We saw this in the punk rock era. At the end of the day you have to respect the change, but for me my goal is just to make the best music possible. I can’t really say where it’s headed. I have no idea, but I can say that whatever it may be will end up having positive results.
Given your experience of the American penal system, do you feel any greater sense of urgency to speak on social/political issues given the platform you’ve made for yourself?
I speak about my experiences. I love to educate people, whether its through music or just speaking. I would say I feel a sense of urgency but when you add the two things I just mentioned it almost comes naturally. There are probably times where I’ve answered this question differently, but now that I understand a bit more bout my process and what I do, this seems like the most REAL answer I can give you.
Do you feel hip-hop is an inherently political?
That all depends on what type of artist you are. Rap is one of the most influential things in the world. I mean even the president of the United States knows to surround themselves with the hottest rappers. I mean it’s as literal as when Public Enemy would make songs like “Fight The Power.” But there are still artists like Kendrick, J. Cole and even more recently Amine, who used large public platforms to be political. But again it depends on what type of artist you are.
Given the current state of politics and race relations in America, do you feel any sense of positivity for the future?
If you asked me this question a few days ago when it happened my answer would be “We’re fucked…”. Now since there’s no way to change it, I feel like we have to look at the positive side. Maybe it won’t be SOOO bad. Maybe there are people in place that will prevent bad from happening. Everything happens for a reason, Trump won for a reason. The universe works in mysterious ways but the universe will always work with you, not against you.
To what extent did the musical genres you grew up around influence the music you’ve ended up producing yourself? Or was it a reaction against those other genres?
Growing up I had phases. I listened to music from Papa Roach to Cash Money millionaires. And of course the Kanyes and Eminems. All of that stuff comes to play is songs like “Sexy Bartender, Pt. 2” where you hear the Eminem, or songs like “Mr Mills,’ where people say they hear the College Dropout influence.
What other genres feed into your listening and ultimately influence you?
Nowadays I love music from people like Gorillaz, Fela Kuti, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys…. The list goes on so don’t be surprised if you hear influences from that too.
Can you a little bit about the HXLY TRiBE movement that you’re a part of, what’s the message behind that?
HXLY means Hated By Others Loved by You (The Lifestyle). TRiBE Backwards means Everlasting Bond In Rough Times (The People). The “i” is lowercase because “i” is just a small figment of what makes up a TRiBE. This a movement that was created for people who want to be themselves despite what others think.
Follow Jay IDK on Instagram here.