Jacobi Ryan

Not counting the other collaborations and EPs he has planned, Jacobi Ryan is on track to release a song every week this year, but several he has written might not be released at all.

“I have probably 50 songs that need to be recorded,” said Ryan in a phone interview, while he was, not surprisingly, driving to the studio. “Right now, I have enough songs done to last through the whole year. They’re just not the songs that I want to put out. There are songs I probably will never release just because I’m not happy with them.”

Ryan — the Lawton-raised hip-hop artist formerly known as Fresh — moved to OKC in 2013 after choosing to pursue a career in music instead of basketball. Over the past few years, he has learned to be more strategic about how he releases his music after struggling to find anyone to listen.

“When I came here, I didn’t know a soul,” Ryan said. “The whole plan from the jump when I got here was to just do as many live shows as I could, and in 2014 … I dropped three mixtapes. After that I really didn’t drop anything else because the strategy was, ‘Don’t put out any more content until people are actually asking for it,’ because I noticed when I put out content, it was like pulling teeth to get to people to actually engage with it. … I didn’t blame them not engaging on them; I blamed it on me. I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t have good enough content. I wasn’t making good enough music.”

In an effort to improve, Ryan estimated he has played more than 400 shows in the past few years and has been paid for “less than 20, easily.” Around 2017, people began asking about new music, but for reasons he said he will reveal throughout the course of the year through his music and on his weekly podcast, The More I Know, the More I Know I Don’t, Ryan could not afford to begin recording the approximately 80 songs he had written until August of last year.

“Failure is not the opposite of success. It’s a prerequisite of success.” — Jacobi Ryan
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While he was too broke to go to the studio, Ryan, who has a background in financial planning, did research on marketing, reading Donald S. Passman’s All You Need to Know About the Music Business and strategy guides by digital marketing entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk to develop a more deliberate plan. Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album, released with no prior promotion and with a video to accompany every song, served as a significant inspiration for his new strategy.

“I’d seen my passion for business and my passion for art come together seamlessly,” Ryan said. “The art was in the business; the marketing was artistic. I knew also that as an artist in this time, in this day and age, it’s easy for people to overlook you or for people to just go to the next song because there’s an oversaturation of content, so I had to separate myself. … I didn’t want to waste a release. I didn’t want to waste a song. I wanted to make sure that it was all going to be a unified effort where I knew what the intention was.”

His #52in365 campaign promises a new single every week of 2019. On his weekly podcast, Ryan discusses his life and work to offer more insight and context for songs such as “If You Gon Know Me,” “Hated” and “Lawton View.” By putting so much of himself into the world in deliberate, consistent doses, Ryan hopes to progressively expand his listener base before releasing his debut album in 2020. Ryan will also appear on Curriculum of the Mind, an upcoming album from hip-hop collective The Space Program. Ryan has several other collaborations and releases planned for 2019 in addition to his weekly singles. Though he said he was initially worried he would run out of material for all this music, he has since realized he can always draw inspiration from his experiences if he is honest with himself and his listeners.

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Ryan releases Viewer’s Discretion Friday. - PROVIDED
Provided
Ryan releases Viewer’s Discretion Friday.
“I’m not really tripping on it because I know everything I create is me,” Ryan said. “Everything I create is who I am, so I know it’s not going to be the same and I know it’s not going to be copying off anybody else. And I know it’s relatable to people who go through the same things, and I’ve seen people who talk about things, people who are real artists who talk about life, people don’t get tired of them. The only people who last long are the ones who do talk about real life.”

Real life is imperfect, of course, and by making himself adhere to such a strict schedule, Ryan said he also hopes to give listeners and himself a better look at his creative process, flaws and all.

“When you’re starting a new business, starting a new product, whatever you’re trying to do, create a new habit, you’re going to fail,” Ryan said. “You’re going to do wrong sometimes; you’re not going to do it the best sometimes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just as a matter of learning from it, seeing how you could have done it better and then doing it better the next time. And that’s really what I want people to get out of this; it’s not about being perfect. It’s about figuring it out and not being ashamed of that. Failure is not the opposite of success. It’s a prerequisite of success.”

Ryan has rechristened himself to reflect his new clarity of vision and purpose.

“A lot of Fresh was finding myself, trying to find what my sound is, just trying to make stuff work, and Jacobi Ryan is kind of what Fresh led to,” he said. “It allowed me to find myself; it allowed me to be confident in myself as an artist. It allowed me to really look at things as opportunities and not be as scared and just be a lot more of a leader. … I know what I need to do. I know the business now. I know what roles to fill in my team to make things happen. I know what I need to do for myself as a company because I don’t want to be signed to a label; I want to be independent, so I have my vision and I understand it thoroughly. … My life is just now starting.”

Ryan performs regularly at Heart of Hip-Hop, a monthly showcase at Hubbly Bubbly, 2900 N. Classen Boulevard. To stay up-to-date on Ryan’s latest releases, subscribe to the email list at jacobiryan.com. - The Oklahoma Gazette

Still moving forward with Week 8 of his #52in365 campaign, today Jacobi Ryan dropped the visuals for his high energy, Nolo Ellis produced track “No Small Talk”. In the visuals, Jacobi gives fans the nightime city vibes of downtown Oklahoma City, as he effortlessly flows on the streets of his native home state. Jacobi also displays his desire for creativity and motivation which is undeniable, and Jacobi said so himself, that is one of the goals that he strives for as an artist. Keeping in context with the lyrics of the track, the energy in the video is definitely all passion, fearlessness, humbleness, and a hunger for knowledge to path forward on his next strategic steps, whether ordered or not, on his quest to achieve greatness. Just sans that “small talk” when it comes down to advice. Check out the video below and y’all enjoy!

The #52in365 #FormerlyFresh campaign includes, a weekly song, video, and podcast all 2019. So make sure you, check out Episode 8 of Jacobi Ryan’s “The More I Know, The More I Don’t” (#TMIKTMID) podcast where he discusses creating vs competing, abundance vs. scarcity, the concept behind blue oceans vs. red oceans, hip hop as the force of aspiration, and of course the song story behind “No Small Talk”. To stay connected and updated on the campaign, sign up at jacobiryan.com. Listen below and share your thoughts on IG/Twitter: @Nothin2Much. - THE GREENER SIDE OF HIP HOP

​The battle between right and wrong can often be blurred. In an era where there are so many sources for news, the facts can depend on who you ask. But what about when your on both sides of the argument? Are you both right and wrong? Or are you a victim of perception? This is what Jacobi Ryan tackles in his latest single "Hated". Being a multi-racial artist in a majority "urban" genre means that Jacobi Ryan like other multi-racial artists are forced with the decision to choose a side. Drake similarly tackled this issue in his track You and the 6 where he spits the line, "I used to get teased for being black, and now I'm here and I'm not black enough." The feelings seem mutual with Jacobi Ryan as he starts out both his first and second verse with a statement about his blackness.
"I'm mixed with black and white, I wish it didn't matter,
Are you telling me I ain't black enough?"
Jacobi Ryan is an artists from Lawton, Oklahoma who has an incredible lyrical skill and a powerful delivery that can't be denied. In his music are a reflection of the times and the hope for change. This includes the awareness of the social issues and humanitarian efforts that have labeled him as 'Conscious Rapper', which is both a gift and a curse. Gifted are the abilities to stay grounded in your truths and speak out against injustices without the fear of backlash. Curse because you are then always the one being called upon to speak on social topics whether you want to or not. But through it all he intends to get his message out to the masses.

The track "Hated" cannot be easily summed up. It is complex and layered with generational wounds that then weaved into the familiar use of the snare and bass kick drums. The outer layer of the track are the lyrics that describe the issues that are going on in the country. Which perspective comes into play. On one side he spits about the problems that Reganomics caused for generations of blacks, while on the other side and in the next bar he spits that "we" (black people) could've made better choices. This is where we start to see just how real the prison of perception is. Perception can be everything even the Jacobi's delivery can be seen from two different sides. From his white side his delivery may be considered militant at times as seen in his mention of slavery and Reganomics. While his black side may consider his delivery as him venting from the frustration of having to overcome obstacle after obstacle. This is the truly an internal battle. But as the chorus ends and the beat fades, Jacobi Ryan breaks into a spoken word performance of a Bob Marley quote where he lets it be known that he stands for the side of the "Creator".

To be "Conscious" is to be well-read, to think for yourself, and to fight for the people. All things that hardly sell and hardly make the radio. But "Hated" is the hardly that it takes to open a dialogue that can change the world. But as Jacobi says: - Tulsa Lines

Jacobi Ryan – paving the way for Oklahoma artists

Jacobi Ryan, formerly known as Fresh, is a name to know in the Oklahoma Hip Hop scene. Jacobi is releasing new music every week in 2019, and he’s one of the masterminds behind the Heart of Hip-Hop at the Hubbly Bubbly.

In an interview with the Oklahoma Gazette, he said he wants Heart of Hip-Hop to create opportunities for rising stars in OKC.

Jacobi said he spends a ton of time working on his craft, going to shows, getting to know himself, and finding peace in solitude. He listed his influences being Bob Marley and Kendrick Lamar, as well as Oklahoma artists.

“There are a lot of cats I met since coming here to OKC that are hella dope at what they do on a consistent basis.” – Jacobi Ryan

He called Oklahoma a creative gem waiting to be discovered and is hopeful for growth in the next few years.

“Everything I’ve done since 2013 has been strategic in laying my foundation and paying my dues and mastering my craft. I made myself earn the right to be confident in myself – true confidence, not arrogance.” – Jacobi Ryan - OkSessions

Oklahoma rapper Jacobi Ryan recently hit my inbox up to discuss his latest endeavor. The Lawton-born, Oklahoma City-residing artist has his sights aimed high, as he plans to release weekly songs--along with visuals and a podcast to go along with each track. The movement, "#52in365," is a very ambitious one, since he's manning several wheels at once. However, if the rest of the year is anything like this week's entry, I've got faith that we'll see some barriers broken and some new avenues ventured.

This week, in "Is It You," Ryan talks to God about his love life.

We've all been there, asking The Powers That Be if we'll ever find the one and/or when we'll do so. Of course, these things take time, so Ryan's exercising a bit of restraint, but still needs that special someone to come into his life. With the visuals dropping the week after Valentine's Day, Ryan seems to shoot a shot for all the lonely hearts out there. Check out the visuals (and the song on DSPs) below and remember to support dope music in all its forms. For more information on Jacobi's movement and his music, visit his site. - Speed On The Beat

This week’s Tuesday Treat Q&A session highlights an on-going project by Jacobi Ryan as he releases a new song every week throughout 2019. Accompanying each song is a behind-the-scenes podcast, artwork, and music videos.

How do you describe yourself and your music?

Growing. Bruce Lee is someone I’m hella inspired by and try to study and learn from. He has been quoted saying something along the lines of there are no styles, only growth. As I experience life and continue getting to know myself my art can adjust and develop a million times over into all type of sounds and styles. I’m always looking to learn something new and get better. And that can have a drastic impact on my work at any given time. I just try to build on what speaks to me. It’s hard for me to define a style for myself bc I don’t fit in any boxes. I’ve been told my sound is akin to Big KRIT & J Cole. And while I respect and get a lot of influence from them I just don’t like to compare myself to anyone else on any level. I’m Jacobi Ryan, and trust me there’s a looooooot inside of that alone – sometimes it’s a good thing, other times not so much.

What is #52in365 and what does it all involve?

#52in365 is a campaign I launched this year where I drop a new song, a new podcast explaining the song, and a new music video with that song every week, all 2019.


What prompted you to take on this endeavor?

Two reasons. First, I’ve done a lot to build and establish a foundation for my brand over the past 5+ years – all with strategy. Since releasing three mixtapes in 2014 I haven’t released much content at all, I’ve wanted to continue building – but not blindly. I’m somewhat of a calculated person and I’ve grown to value myself and my work so much that I want to operate with a strategy I can experiment with, implement, track, analyze, adjust, and scale. After performing close to 60 shows/year over the last 3 years while recording and stockpiling material, I wanted to release it with intention and purpose to really take me to the next level I want to go. My intention in performing so much while not releasing anything was to create demand instead of trying to supply a demand not there. I also wanted to take the time to gain security and confidence in myself by working and improving my craft while polishing my live show any opportunity I could get. People began to ask me when the next project was coming out and things like that around late 2017 so I’d known the time was coming. In the middle part of last year I thought of the idea to drop a song every week after listening to some Gary Vee podcasts (big fan of his).

As an artist, it’s easy for us to say “Oklahoma doesn’t support us” for whatever reason. But I’m not really into making excuses, complaining or allowing other people to decide my reality.

The second thing that prompted this was to get people’s attention. As an artist, it’s easy for us to say “Oklahoma doesn’t support us” for whatever reason. But I’m not really into making excuses, complaining or allowing other people to decide my reality. I’ve never really been one of those “support me bc I’m your friend” or “support me bc I’m a local artist” or “support me bc I’m in the same state or city as you.” To me, that’s entitled and lazy. I always felt like people from Oklahoma haven’t supported anybody enough to launch them into a mainstream type of position bc none of us have been good enough yet. When I say that I’m not discounting at all the dope ass artists who have been in Oklahoma for ages. But moreso that since we are in Oklahoma, where we are slept on and the reality/chances of us being successful Hip Hop artist out of Oklahoma are slim, we have to be more than good enough. We have to be undeniable. I always saw not getting support as a challenge for me to become so good that even the biggest haters have no choice but to acknowledge and give the proper respect. Make it inevitable. On top of that, as an artist, gaining attention for your work is hard bc the market is so saturated. And trolling has always been corny to me. I don’t rock w the idea of gimmicks or playing the political game. I’m here to disrupt and shake things up, point blank period. I’m 100% about independence and owning what I create to maintain my freedom and dignity to express myself how I please and be in control of my purpose. So to do that, I have to garner attention somehow to build a fanbase of sorts. So instead of taking the trolling/click bait/easy bake oven route, I figured I’d use what I’ve accrued and try to do something out of the box like releasing a new song and video every week for a whole year. Quality content is king and our attention spans are so short now with social media and technology having everything at our fingertips now. I just want to create my own real estate in people’s lives by providing and producing value – period. In everything I do that’s what it’s about. The bottom line is providing value.


What has been the greatest challenge so far with this project?

So far it’s been figuring out what resonates with people. Bc just throwing out a song/week wasn’t enough we started doing videos as well. And that’s what’s seemed like draws people in to be interested enough to listen to the song and the podcast and give the campaign a chance. In essence, creating the infrastructure was difficult at first just bc like previously talked about, we had to figure out what was going to incentivize the attention the campaign needs to build some momentum. From there it’s just been figuring out a weekly routine to ensure the songs are uploaded and released on streaming services on time, the videos and photos (shoutout Imageline Studios and SIKE Images) are taken on time and ready to be released each week, making sure the captions are right, the marketing strategy is in place as well as ads and different promotional assets, and also making sure we have tracking systems in place to ensure we’re growing and learning from out mistakes, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. After the first two months things have stabilized and I’m a lot more confident and comfortable in the infrastucture and routine, now it’s more about polishing the machine and continuing to cut the dead weight to be as effective and lean as possible.

What’s something positive you try to keep in mind or do when negativity surrounds you?

I just try to control and focus on the things that I can control and mind my business. Negativity is inevitable. Especially when you strive to succeed at anything. I just stick with my gratitude and try to continue improving. In my view the traditional definition of happiness is hella overrated. Gratefulness is all I strive for. Depression, struggle, suffering, anxiety are all, in my opinion, very human things that we all experience. There’s nothing wrong with us bc we go through these things and these things are not necessarily bad for us, again I can only speak for me. Things just are and the way we respond is what makes them what they end up being. I don’t believe complaining, arguing, or making excuses helps anything. So I just try to be accountable for myself, deal with the reality (even and especially when it makes me uncomfortable), and adjust myself to the reality I can’t control by aligning how I respond with the understanding of the reality I want to create. Again like Bruce Lee says, be like water. I constantly question myself and proactively look for ways I can be better. The more my time is spent on that the less time I have to worry about the external things. Nobody is a bigger critic of me than me. I find solace in that. Bc I can trust myself the most and live with the results. Falling on my own sword and standing on my own feet definitely gives me a security that makes it easier to deal with the negativity that comes from the outside. My biggest problems come from me. If I can win the war within myself, the war outside of myself is easy.


What are some of your favorite places to perform or listen to live music in Oklahoma?

Kamps, to me, is my favorite place to perform so far. Hubbly Bubbly’s culture is so dope to go chill and experience the artists that go through there on a monthly basis. I don’t know that I’ve experienced anywhere else that provides culture the way Hubbly Bubbly does and always has since I’ve come to OKC. The Plaza Festival and Norman Music Festival are dope too of course. I’d imagine Tower or the Criterion will be dope too once I can pack it out lol. Another favorite place I’ve performed at has been on the street in front of Harkins Theatre in Bricktown, thanks to Hiei Enriquez. That experience did a lot for me as an artist and really as a person as a whole.

What are some of your favorites places to go to on a Friday in Oklahoma?

I be chillin yo lol I’m either at a show, at the movies, or at the house. I like reading and learning a lot so when I get free time I try to discipline myself into getting engaged with something that’ll provide value for me.


Looking forward, what can people expect from #52in365?

A new song, video, and podcast every week. Getting to know me. Value. And the benefit of saying you were on board/remember when this whole thing was just getting started.

What else would you like people to know about yourself and your music?

All I need people to know is that I’m from Lawton, Oklahoma and I’m nothing without the Creator. - Uncovering Oklahoma - Dennis Spielman