Jay Electronica
Jay Electronica | |
|---|---|
 Jay Electronica in 2014 at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Oluwafemi Abdullateef[1] |
| Born | September 19, 1976[2] New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah[3]; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica, is an American rapper, record producer, and songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Early life[edit]
Inspired by LL Cool J, Jay Electronica began rapping at the age of 10. He grew up in the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans and attended the all-boys parochial high school St. Augustine High School and was a part of the famed Marching 100 band where he played multiple instruments.[4]
Electronica left New Orleans on January 1, 1996 with the intention of moving to New York City but took a stop in Atlanta. Electronica was struck by "all the now hiring signs because of the Olympics," here he accepted the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad via the 5% Nation before moving on to becoming a registered member of the Nation of Islam at its headquarters in Chicago.
Career[edit]
Jay Electronica released Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) via MySpace which became wildly popular (the fifteen-minute piece was downloaded over 30,000 times) propelling Jay into the national spotlight. That success and the catalog (consisting of songs like "Dimethyltriptamine," "Victory is in My Clutches," etc.) he built to that point lead to Electronica joining the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008. [5]
Later that year, Producer Just Blaze and Jay Electronica hand-picked songs for Guitar Center’s GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named “Exhibit A (Transformations).” [6]
Just Blaze would later (October 27, 2009) debut Exhibit C on Tony Touch’s Sirius Radio program [7] and it quickly caught on making its way to terrestrial radio stations like New York’s Hot 97 and spawning artist remixes from MCs AZ, N.O.R.E, Saigon, & Joell Ortiz (to name a few).
A bidding war ensued with Jay Elec finally signing (November 12, 2010) with Roc Nation. Over the next decade, Electronica released several collaborations and solo songs.
On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter[8] the completion of his album, A Written Testimony, which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020.[9]
Personal life[edit]
Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu were in a relationship for 5 years and have a daughter together, Mars Mekeba.
Discography[edit]
- A Written Testimony (2020)[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Jay Electronica gets a yoruba name "Oluwafemi Abdullateef" Cool FM Nigeria". Cool FM Nigeria; TouTube. April 23, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Jay Electronica Co-Signs Soulja Boy 'It's Not About Lyrics, It's About Energy - HIPHOPNEWS24-7.COM". YouTube. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ^ "Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ https://www.spin.com/2010/06/jay-electronica-man-or-myth/
- ^ "A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Pharcyde Lead Rock the Bells 2008". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Guitar Center Helps Employees Release Their Music with Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 Compilation CD". Guitar Player. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Just Blaze debuts Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C" and more on Toca Tuesday (Updated w/ lyrics)". Miss Info. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Album Done ". Twitter. J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A @JayElectronica. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (March 13, 2020). "Jay Electronica's Debut Album Is Real, and It's Finally Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (February 7, 2020). "Jay Electronica Says His New Album Is Out in 40 Days". pitchfork.com.
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jay Electronica. |
- :::::::Magnetik7::::::: (come on in, the water's fine.) at the Wayback Machine (archived February 4, 2005) - Old official web site (2004–2005)
- Jay Electronica video interview on redbullmusicacademy.com
- Just Blaze, Jay Electronica, & Mike "Chav" Chavarria - An Interview with Jay, Chav, & Just Blaze
- Exclaim! magazine interview with Jay Electronica-Exclaim!
| Subsidiaries | |
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| Partners | |
| Related articles | |
- 1976 births
- Living people
- St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni
- African-American male rappers
- African-American record producers
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- American hip hop record producers
- Members of the Nation of Islam
- Rappers from New Orleans
- Roc Nation artists
- Southern hip hop musicians
- Songwriters from Louisiana
- 21st-century American rappers
- Erykah Badu
