J.Good

I Posted JGOOD not too long ago for his smooth flow and his J Dilla-esque beats and after taking a look through my latest music in order to pick my song of the month I gave him another listen and remembered just how good JGOOD’s latest release is. “Look on the Brightside” is full of creative beats and crafty lyrics, definitely an album worth a pick of the month posting. - Ivy League Spins-Seefrorun

"From the Sauce Fonda produced Intro to the last track touching on subjects of first class coach seats and taking a lady friend wherever in the world she may want to go, this album is a pretty good one. J.GOOD puts in work on the mic backed by cool production. This one got played through easily and enjoyably." - The Mad Bloggers- OC Supreme

"I had actually downloaded his album Look On The Brightside and loved it, it’s a timeless project and just plain dope, soulful hip hop that I love. We got the opportunity to sit down and interview him" - Youthful Kinfolk

Up here in Minneapolis, the birds have begun chirping, the sun is shining, and the freezing wind no longer threatens to ravage the barest inch of exposed skin; in other words, it’s the perfect time to spark up a spring romance. What’s more, us Midwesterners can finally listen to a breezy, sun-kissed joint like Cali So(u)l, the Booth debut from Sacramento representative J. Good, without turning green with envy. Here, the glittering synths of beatsmith Rufio set the mood for a tale of romance under the Golden State sun. In an infectiously laid-back flow, Good pays tribute to a girl who, though her self-confidence initially made her seem a touch bougie, quickly won him over thanks to her natural style, charm and grace – and it certainly doesn’t hurt that her “ass fat kinda like a Philly when it’s rolled up.” Los Angeles neighbor TiRon guests, dedicating his closing 16 to the “West Side” honey who’s always on his mind when he’s on tour, and singer April Bambao tops it all off with a soulfully fresh hook. - Richard- DJ Booth

If J. Good‘s Booth debut, the breezy Cali So(u)l, wasn’t enough to convince you to regard the Cali up-and-comer as a master of warm-weather music, perhaps the second time will prove to be the charm: on current single Rolling Stone, Good once again puts together all the necessary pieces for a killer late-spring/early-summer banger. Nefarious provides the blissfully mellow production work, flipping an understated soul sample as the emcee lets his mind wander, waxing poetic about a wide variety of topics. In lyrically-dense bars, J. affirms his drive to succeed and his commitment to classic hip-hop culture (“...an old soul, my spirit is high-tops and gold ropes.”), before taking a look back at his formative years as a project youth (“...speaking on our days on section 8 / Let the lesson say we got stronger the less we ate.”). Through it all, he maintains an unflappably chill delivery that makes for perfect vibe-out material. For more mellow tunes to soundtrack the sunny days ahead, check out Good’s Look on the Brightside mixtape, released in late March and available now online.

- Richard- DJ Booth

TCP: Sometimes I compare evolution in the industry to the schooling system we’re all used to. You start off with raw talent but don’t fully know how to handle it, elementary school. You grow & learn, middle school. Things start taking off, high school. Work harder at it, college. & then you made it, graduation. Think that’s a fair train of thought? If so, where would you say you stand right now?

J. Good: Definitely agree with that haha. I’d say I’m just graduating high school because things are just starting to take off. I’ve really only been rapping seriously for a short amount of time (2-3 years) in comparison to some artists. My first mixtape ‘Breakfast At Night’ was just me seeing if I could and wanted to do rap. My second project ‘Scrubs: The Lost Mixtape’ was just something fun I wanted to do to showcase my improvement, and ‘Look on the Brightside’ was my first step into actually putting everything I had learned into an original project with a consistent sound.

TCP: Musical influences? Name some CD’s you bumped on the Walkman back in the day.

J. Good: Growing up I had a lot of different views given to me on music. My mom introduced me to the dope R&B like New Edition, Jodeci, and Blackstreet. And my grandma would school me to the legends like The Whispers, Teddy P and Earth Wind and Fire . My first albums I ever got to pick out on my own were ‘Aquemini’, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ and ‘Harlem World’ by Mase, so those albums really got me deep as a music listener.

My current influences though are Jay-Z first and foremost, as well as Blu, Phonte, Joe Budden and my T.U.S fam.

TCP: In “Change My Ways” you say, “So rhyme books & text books took up my time…” When did you first put pen to paper & realize you should make a career using this talent in you?

J. Good: I did spoken word poetry with a crew called One Drops Disciple in high school, so I always loved words. But the first time I heard ‘Below the Heavens’ I knew I wanted to do music seriously. The stories Blu was telling I related to and I felt like I wasn’t alone, so I figured, if I could give someone else that feeling, it would be hella fulfilling. From there I found myself in class trying to take notes and write down lyrics I was thinking of, and everything went from there.

TCP: You stood at the top of your class during school, didn’t you? Did you go on to higher learning after that? If so, how did you manage classes & music?

J. Good: I was always in honors classes coming up, and set college as a goal for myself before I started to do music. I wanted to be the first person in my family to attend college so I definitely went. I’m still in school actually. It’s hard trying to balance time, and I always think about what I could do if I devoted all my time to music, but for me school is first and I figure I can do that when I graduate. I give all my free time to music though.. thankfully I’ve had some professors who are understanding about me missing some days for shows haha.

TCP: How have you seen your name growing, both in California and all over the nation? ‘Look On The Brightside’ definitely bounced around the blogosphere & has gotten good play.

J. Good: It’s still a little weird for me hearing my name in different places. It’s most def exciting though. I’m definitely appreciative to everyone who has taken the time out to listen to ‘Look on the Brightside’. The most shocking thing to me is how it’s spread internationally to various places. It shows how the internet can make the world smaller.

TCP: When I first came up on ‘LOTBS’ I learned of The Usual Suspects . I went on to research a little bit about the collective, but the Facebook page is outdated, and there is not much available online, unless it is a blog promoting an LP. Give me a little background on TUS.

J. Good: T.U.S is my second family. We’re basically a collective of emcees, producers and other artists from Sacramento. Myself, Chuuwee, Keno, TonE da Underdog, Tellapath, Konkwest & Lady Blue and Drian, do the music and Jordan Yee (Photographer/graphic designer) and Mandark (artist) do the visual side. TonE, Chuuwee and I basically showed up later in the Sacramento hip hop scene, and it didn’t seem like the established cats took us too seriously, so we decided to make our own crew, and do our own thing.

TCP: You grew up around the original West Coast rap. The West Coast game has definitely changed since then. For some time, it seemed West Coast artists were a bit quiet, but lately A LOT of talent has been coming out of California. What are some names that have caught your eye, both rappers & producers?

J. Good: So many to name lol. The West Coast is making crack right now. I always make sure I’m a fan before an artist. I listen to a lot of Blu, Pac Div, TiRon, Ayomari, El Prez, Hawdwerk, everyone in TDE, Odd Future and Childish Gambino (I guess he counts as West Coast). Northern Cali is definitely underlooked as well. Bias aside, I feel we are just as talented. My T.U.S crew, DLRN, Skynet, Torrey Tee and C Plus from Sacramento all make crazy music and none of it is similar to the next artist, which makes the scene ill. As far as producers go, Jansport J, Rufio, Nefarious are some of my favorites. I’d like to do some work with Swiff D and Jhene Aiko at some point in my career also.

TCP: Think TCP can get a little peek into your future? What moves do you have coming for fans?

J. Good: Coming up, I have a couple music videos from LOTBS dropping and a project with producer Rufio put on by my sponsor GOLD. I’m in a group called The Avengers with Chuuwee, and you’ll see our project soon too. I like to take my time with projects so they have that lasting replay value which I feel is lacking nowadays.
- The Collab Projekt

I’ve been patiently waiting for this project to get released; judging by the leaks I’ve already posted, it’s a no brainer – this shit knocks. J.Good is a competent MC, who isn’t afraid to speak on whatever he’s got on his mind. I did have a concern: I didn’t want the quality of the features (with MCs like Von Pea, L.E.G.A.C.Y., TiRon, El Prez and others) to overshadow dude’s skill, or be “the reason niggas check for it”, and I’m proud to say homey holds his own. “Crazy Dreamin’”, is an open and honest knocker, and not the only opportunity Good gives you to step into his world. With beats from Nefarious, Jansport J and others, the sonic liquor cabinet is well stocked. It’s all wins, really – and with a day like today, where it’s all rainy/snowy and dreary, you need tapes like this to help you search for that sunshine. - Rock The Dub

We previously featured J.Good when he leaked “The Rush”, one of several killer tracks on his newly released Look On The Brightside album. As that track indicated, the majority of the record boasts laid-back tunes from the Sacramento-based rapper, whose music is made for the sunnier days that are soon approaching. But even if it’s drizzling and colder outside right now, you can sit back with Good’s verses, which include waxing on his aspirations (“Crazy Dreamin”), how to move forward in life (“Rolling Stone”), and questionable females (“2000 Days”). - Potholes In My Blog

J.Good ft. L.E.G.A.C.Y. & Von Pea "Change My Way" (prod. by Tellapath): Having just been introduced to J.Good the other day, I wasn’t expecting him to sort out a track with two of my favorite MCs, L.E.G.A.C.Y. and Von Pea. It’s almost like they crafted this track for me. Over a heavenly beat, Leg, Pea and J provide exactly what the title says – breaking down the trials and tribulations that sew the seeds for changes niggas have to make in life. It’s hard being a starving artist, especially when you’re locked up for slanging trees when you should be in the studio or on tour. Love the cuts DJ Jun throws on here – has a lil Preem feel to it, cutting up phrases to accent the underlying theme. Beautiful track. Look On The Brightside is on the way. - Rock The Dub

Performing live October 8th, J.Good - A3C

http://www.themadbloggers.com/2010/05/download-j-good-scrubs-lost-mixtape.html - The Mad Bloggers