Why the smooth boy of hip hop Jay A, is not about to slow down

It is barely two years since he launched his career. Read on why the 22 year old smooth boy of hip hop is not about to slow down.

Pulse: Last week, you released Don’t Stop, only a few months after unleashing your Get Money project. Boy, you are on fire...

Jay A: Thanks. I have to keep feeding my fans with good music. Don’t Stop, a jam I have collaborated on with dancehall fresh girl Tiana is a project we had been thinking about for some time. Fusing hip hop and dancehall is something no one in Kenya has done. I wanted to break the monotony and give Kenyans something fresh.

P: How was it working with Tiana?

Jay A: For someone who has got such enviable music success to be so humble and easy to work was a big lesson for me. She has been on tour and had to do her part in Germany.

P: You are known for your fine hip hop lyrical prowess. Is dancehall something you are now trying?

Jay A: Like I said, I like being versatile and unpredictable. All my songs come with different moods according to the season they are released. Don’t Stop is a club party song, which is ideal for this time of the year.

P: Your debut single Clap yo Hands had a similar mood...

Jay A: The inspiration behind Clap yo Hands was two-fold; to celebrate my entry into the music industry and to also acknowledge and appreciate that I was starting from the bottom, but confident that I had capacity to climb up the ladder fast. This song not only became a hit locally but also big in clubs and radio stations in Uganda.

P: Your second single On Me on which you featured Amina also had a fusion touch; seeing that you tried R&B on a hip hop beat...

Jay A: True., On Me was a jam that was meant to show how versatile I could be by singing in a different genre, shifting from hip hop to R&B. It also managed to appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners. The song set me up in the major league, creating a huge buzz in the local industry. It also launched me onto the International market with major music channels such as Channel O and MTV Base playing the video.

P: Well the sky seems the limit seeing that you have done all these big projects in less than two years since you started singing professionally. Is everything simply falling in place?

Jay A: Well, the plan is working. It is not like I release a song every month but whatever I release ends up getting received well in the market. I have haters and that is normal. Success comes with a price. Since my music hit the market, haters have been crawling out of the woodwork and my other single Take Notes was meant to address such people. It was meant to put them in their right place and to show them that there was a new sheriff in town and they needed to take their notes on the new order in town.

P: Then there was Gello and Pledge my Love. Were these also created from personal experiences?

Jay A: Well, when I was releasing Gello, most of those haters had given up and so Gello was a happy celebration song. My fan base grew even stronger and brought pressure to bear as people seemed to want another R&B song. I then wrote Pledge my Love and could not have been luckier to have done a collabo with the crooner Antoneosoul. Pledge my Love has added to my growing list of hit songs. You remember how the video, which was shot at the exotic Tafaria Castle on the slopes of Mt Kenya created such a buzz? Dumbala also came with a feel good mood and became a club banger.

P: How was it working with Seyi Shay of Nigeria in the recently concluded Coke Studio, season two, project?

Jay A: Good. It was awesome. We have recorded another number whose video we are about to shoot. Coke Studio was a lot of fun and wonderful experience. It has given my brand good visibility.

P: We have seen you do major collabos with the likes of STL in her Stella Stella Stella song, Ligi Soo remix as well as Octopizzo’s Bila Mike. Do we expect more of such?

Jay A: Working with all these guys has been a great honour. I was the only Kenyan on the STL song. I don’t mind doing collabos as this also helps in creating a versatile brand. I would really like to work with Wiz Khalifa as I feel that he has the same kind of lyrical touch.

P: We understand you have signed a management deal with a company that is now repackaging you. Is that true?

Jay A: Yes, I am currently under Melodia Mobi, a leading artistes management stable. They are responsible for my image and general publicity.

P: Who would you say is your competition right now?

Jay A: I really don’t believe I should focus on competition as I did not have anyone else in mind when I was joining the industry. I just want to keep doing my thing and I don’t stop.