Jay Electronica is not your average emcee. His methods are different and with the sounds of Madlib, the late J Dilla and Mr. Porter, the New Orleans nomadic wordsmith who tends to move whichever way the wind moves him, has arrived. With ancestral lyricism that is hypnotic, simple and complex simultaneously, the immediate acceptance from the people is a testament that good music is still sought after by the true hip-hop heads and fans of good music alike.
During the recording of Nas’ Untitled Electronica met Nas through Erykah Badu’s friendship with Nas’ now ex-wife, Kelis. He gave Nas a CD of his recordings, causing Nas to invite him to produce for the album. Jay Electronica provides the music for the album’s opening track, “Queens Get The Money”. Nas describes him as having provided “the Jay Electronica sound”. He toured North America with Nas, and was part of the Rock The Bells International Festival Series in 2008.
So far, Jay Electronica has been putting out his music on the internet, free to download for the people who look hard enough to find it. This includes a compiled sampler, a mixtape called “Style Wars EP”, and some various other tracks.
One of these tracks exceptionally stands out, as it’s an original and creative 15 minute compilation of music, monologues and film samples, titled: “Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)”. Being interviewed on the Gilles Peterson podcast, Jay revealed it to be the first ‘act’ in a series of three - as inspired by the film The Prestige, in which magicians refer to their acts as consisting of three elemental parts: the Pledge, the Turn and the Prestige. His next project being the Turn (titled “Patents of Nobility”), and eventually releasing his debut album as the final Prestige.
The album will be released on Control FreaQ Records - Badu’s new record label to which Jay Electronica is the first artist to be signed.
On June 23, 2009, Jay Electronica officially released his first single with the Just Blaze produced “Exhibit A (Transformations)” under Decon Records. His first single “Exhibit A” was featured in the hit boxing videogame “Fight Night Round 4”.
