JB!!

INTERVIEW WITH JB!

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Author: Keetria Garner
Publishing date: 15.07.2003 00:33


Genre: Hip-hop
Location: Albany,NY
Email: jstbcz@hotmail.com
Web site: www.pitchcontrolmusic.com

The 518

Hip-Hop is definitely on another level from what it was even three years ago. You don't believe me?? Listen up, the proof is right here before you…JB. New, catchy and still getting the point across. I call it 518..when I heard it I knew right then JB was coming with something new..there you go 518 style. Get with it cause it's in ya face!

Keetria: How long have you been rapping and writing lyrics? What made you want to be a rap/hip hop artist?



JB: I have been rapping for about 15 yrs or more. But I didn't take it serious for the first 5 yrs. It was just a hobby. I was so in to HIPHOP culture that I believe it was part destiny part passion for the music that pushed me to do it fulltime. plus with some of the stuff that's out now….if they could do it and make it, so can I. I started with breaking, then some graffiti, then I deejayed. I think that's what set it off for me. the beats. The art of putting words together in rhyme form creating stories and battling.

Keetria: Pitch Music Control is dedicated to representing the 518 area of New York, how does that work if artists outside of that area want to get in on it, or is that something that hasn't been extended to artists outside the 518?

JB: We have an open door/open arm policy. As long as you make good music and are dedicated to making it happen for yourself then you can perform @ our venues and get some shine in our newsletter. But you should return the favor. We've had people from all over come perform with us and they have done the same for us. Places like MD, MA, NYC, San Diego, Long Island NY, so on and so forth.

Keetria: What music and artist did you listen to as a kid, who influenced you?

JB: Growing up in Harlem I listened to some of everything. jazz, a lot of soul music, HIP-HOP, everything. people I looked up to musically range from Barry White, Stevie Wonder, Prince (from the 80's), Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis to Kane, G Rap, KRS, Rakim. Then on to snoop, redman, eminem, 50, nas, jay-z, etc, etc….
As for producers…..Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Alchemist, Havoc, and the Ummah.

Keetria: Are you currently performing anywhere?



JB: Yes. I am at colleges and venues all over the northeast region. Summertime I have some dates in the DC, MD, VA areas. looking to do some dates in Florida and Georgia as well. I would like to hit up Texas too. I perform in Albany and other NY areas at least once a month with a show on 3/8/03 @ BR Finleys, Troy, NY. Trying to stay busy. Get that name out there you know………..?

Keetria: Your EP "Dirty Moses", what kind of beats/tracks can we expect from your album, I know it dropped in November, what kind of feedback are you getting from it? Where is it available?

JB: Online distribution through CDBABY.COM. Or you can cop it by contacting me via e-mail or the website. On this 9 song opus you can expect a collage of different topics ranging from battle lyrics, street stuff, something for the clubs, humor, and a little bit about myself. As for a response…so far it's been good. Although I get "it should be longer" or, "I want more".

Keetria: What has been your biggest accomplishment this far as an artist?

JB: Getting my music played on commercial radio here in Albany, NY 96.3 FM JAMZ. Though this shouldn't be hard for a homegrown artist, politics at the station make this feat quite difficult.

Keetria: Are you currently working on any other projects?

JB: I am working on pitch control artist Nittie Jux full length LP. I am producing 10 trax for it. Trax for Tunnel Rats/EMI artist Sev Statik's follow up LP. Stuff for the second neighborhood watch compilation from pitch control music as well as my compilation for Just Because Ent. and my full length album due this summer.

Keetria: Do you think it is difficult getting into the music industry if your not bringing diversity or anything new to the game?



JB: Yes & no. I feel you have to find your niche. Find the formula, duplicate it, incorporate your style into it. then create a buzz. Create a interest in yourself. Once you're seen & heard on everything and everywhere and you move units, then your foot is in the door. But placement and timing is everything. put yourself where HIPHOP is. big events, big name appearances, you be there too. If your music is for sale, get in good with the store managers and place your stuff where the new hot joints are. Make your packaging stand out.

Keetria: How do you think your music is different from the other artists out there? What is your (rap) style?

JB: My style is very aggressive. Straight lyrics, though I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm just trying to do me. My music is different because it's a reflection of me and not anyone else and the experiences I have been through. Some of my stuff is underground. I have battle joints, club joints like I said previously. Nothing too sappy though. I make most of my trax and I am a fan of the music. so I try to give the consumer good music, some of what I would like to hear. lyrics, lyrics, lyrics and beats, beats, beats……….

- Keetria Garner

Jay Seagraves owns this item.


Rarely do I receive a "demo-level" album that features an emcee as vocally talented as Albany, New York's JB!! You may remember JB!! (the "!!" is part of his name) from the Sev Statik/ O Barbosa collaboration, "Web Slingin." Though both Sev and O gave spirited performances, it was JB's presence on the song's hook and final verse that dominated the track. Point blank, JB!! has one of, if not the, nicest deliveries I've heard from a "C-Horizon" type of artist.
Lyrically, JB!! is no slouch either! Total Karnage 2001 covers a lot of ground, from raw battle joints like "Bring on the Real MC's," to more thought-provoking tracks like "Portrait of a Stick-up Kid" JB!! is solid throughout. He and Sev collaborate on two other tracks of particular note, "Spit That" and the apocalyptic "Karmageddon." But my favorite of the twenty pieces presented here has to be "Your Luck's Up," where JB's vocals perfectly compliment the unorthodox production.

Speaking of production, JB!! crafted all but two of the album's tracks, the raucous "Push the Panic Button," and the somber "War Pt. I," both handled by Soundwave D Omen. Total Karnage's sound is solid, but perhaps a little too predictable at times. This is why I like "Your Luck's Up," and even "Open Fire" and "The Outcome," which have JB!! flipping it in an almost Ruff Ryders-like style.

With all that said, the album's only real problem is its less than excellent sound quality. Though it appears to have been professionally manufactured, Total Karnage basically sounds like a bedroom/ basement project that was left unmastered. But this is underground hip hop, right? Fans of the grit and grime heard on the early Kemetic Suns and Living Legends albums will have no problem bumping Total Karnage 2001.

http://hiphopinfinity.com/Underground/default.php?action=review&itemid=424 - Jay Seagraves

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http://blaze1graphixs.com/streetbuzz.htm - Jillina Baxter