Hip Hop comes out of the Bean in hard forms like Slaine and Krumbsnatcha….and honestly, after performing up there myself, I remember getting some really hard street banging CDs that represented a city I never knew supported rap as much as their baseball team. It’s quite refreshing to know there are other marketable artists out there that still represent a hometown without embodying the accent that the famous bodybuilder Mike Matarazzo had (yeah I have been following bodybuilding since like 8 because my bro was one). I met J The S in NYC and by being cool he has had much bloglicity, as well as stage time at good venues like the Middle East and acclaimed NYC Knitting Factory before it retired.
Also being named after a great WWF wrestler, I think he can take it to another level with a boa constrictor on his neck..OK..I’ll stop here.
RubyHornet: J the S….heard you are on the bus to the Bean right now?
J The S: Yea, I’m on the way to the bean, listening to Peter Tosh.
RubyHornet: Ok, what are you doing out in the Bean?
J The S: Gonna be at my people’s spot for the Superbowl and tomorrow I’m hittin the studio with my man Amadeus of our crew, The Greater Good, to work on some s**t.
RubyHornet: Can you tell people what city you reside in now?
J The S: I live in Brooklyn, NYC
RubyHornet: You have a mixtape for free download…what is it called?
J The S: My Will hosted by DJ Warrior & Peter Parker, feat. Saigon, B.O.B., Kool G Rap, and more.
RubyHornet: So now after doing some history on you…what up with the West Indies…Why would you move out of there? More tropical …right?
J The S: Well, that’s where I grew up, first on the island of Montseratt, then over to Nevis. My parents were living down there for a minute before I was even born. I’d move back cause it’s more peaceful to me. I feel at home there, at peace, not stressed. And yeah, it’s much more tropical, its the Caribbean.
RubyHornet: OK…who is your favorite baseball team?
J The S: Haha. Boston Red Sox.
RubyHornet: So this is a Chicago website…What do you think about the Chi in regards to running the music scene ( I mean i think they are really doing well).
J The S: Haha. One of my best friends, he is from the Chi, I met him while he was going to school in the Bean. I f**ks with the Chi. As far as musically, they’re definitely doing their thing, can’t front on that.
RubyHornet: What does RubyHornet mean to you? If you were to break it down…of course in the “J the S” science…
J The S: Hmmm..Sounds like a strip joint in Virginia. A cheap one.
RubyHornet: People sometimes say, ‘Kosha Dillz..you should have pickles at the shows…do people say, ‘J the S….you should have a snake around your neck when you rap??
J The S: Yea I’ve gotten that. And I always wanted to have some girls dancing on stage with snakes on’em, but I was always stressin’ about going to have to smuggle snakes into the club. Weed and weapons are one thing, reptiles another.
RubyHornet: Do you know how many downloads you have on this album?
J The S: No clue.
RubyHornet: What sports did you play? Did you ever play Dungeons and Dragons?
J The S: Baseball, Basketball. Dungeons and Dragons is loose.
RubyHornet: The video with B.O.B, I know lots of the guys in there. What’s your camp like in regards to pushing you as an artist spiritually, and to the public as well?
J The S: My crew, the Greater Good. That is my brethren, we’re family. We all push each other creatively. Like when we’re in the lab, or writing, someone will drop something, and we’ll all go back and rewrite our s**t. We all hold each other down musically, but more important, in regards to life matters. So, in terms of pushing me spiritually, we all build, so my mind is steady growing when we lamping. We all learn from each other. And they always support me and push me in the music thing.
RubyHornet: How is it working with B.O.B? Are these major label artists given so much more opportunity than your fellow indie artists?
J The S: B.O.B is a cool motherf**ker, talented cat. That was a good experience. Artists on majors generally are afforded more opportunity than indie artists or unsigned artists because the majors got more money to play with, so they get much more for promotion, radio, videos, production budget, access to endorsements and publishing. But they also can get f**ked. I know cats on majors that are f**ked, sitting on the shelf, signed to some bulls**t 360 deal. Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.
RubyHornet: What are your plans in regards to touring?
J The S: I’m always playing shows in the East Coast, and I’ve made numerous trips out to the West Coast to play shows. As far as an organized schedule of numerous consecutive dates, there are no plans that are concrete. Some s**t in the works though. Always.
RubyHornet: What do you think it takes to make the complete artist/band that is successful? AKA…How the hell can you make a great living off your music?!!
J The S: I think an artist needs to be an ARTIST, not just a puppet or clown. They also must have character, charisma, an aura about them, and know the right people, cause in the end, that’s a big factor.
RubyHornet: To elaborate, what areas are you delving into to increase your net worth as an artist, financially for your own benefit and in the public eye?
J The S: I strive to make music that has a wide appeal, but that doesn’t mean making pop music, or music with no substance or message. Musically, sonically, I like diverse sounds, s**t that is for many types of people. I like to take advantage of viral or visual exposure because it captures more of my character. I wanna dabble in acting more, modeling. I started producing last year.
RubyHornet: Word man…these questions are tough…sorry if it’s heavy…
J The S: Haha. It’s good.
RubyHornet: OK, now for something easy and simple…this is called Fill In The Blank.
J the S is a man who used to be about teaching middle school. J the S got his name from The Nickname Jake The Snake. If I was the devil, I think I would jump off a bridge 10 ft off the fires of hell and scream for mercy. If I lived in Chicago right now it would be colder than Bean town because it’s f**king freezing when it’s windy, and it’s the windy city. I hate it when I forget my girlfriend on stage because Veronica and Toya are in the crowd and I may have the threesome of my life. I’d rather be in a reggae band than a rapper since reggae bands make a better impact on the scene. B.O.B stands for Bombs Over Baghdad. J the S stands for Justice The Savior, Jake The Snake, J The Essence. Same Plate is a management organization that holds down J The S. If we ate on the same plate in real life that would be less than enjoyable. Kosha Dillz gives the most entertaining interviews because they are good interviews!!! It ain’t nothing but a hennessy BBQ chicken wing thang baby. Pork is not civilized nor in my diet. J the S will be in everybody’s realm soon enough…and Ruby Hornet is peace as the west indies is to me. In the end, I would like to be remembered for the goodness I have brought upon people, the great I have done for others, what I have given and taught and for happiness I brought my family and friends. I am a different kind of rapper, meaning I’m smart, original, and fly . After you have gotten to know me personally you will see my vision my album will seem much more cooler!
RubyHornet: Yo J the S, you are the friggin man. Much success to you on My Will. It’s dope that we can get to know you out here in Chi-town..The B.O.B video is soooo dope…I think we should leave it here for everyone to watch. I am also gonna leave a direct link for your mixtape…so the world can download it!!
J The S: GLO doggie.
RubyHornet: Since rappers are very famous for their shout outs and plugs, let’s not forget that we gotta do what we do best..and that’s giving “shout outs” to all our homies. Let me see you shout out on 1, 2 ,3…go (plug all names, myspace links, itunes links, projects here).
J The S: Check me on myspace.com/jtheshiphop. For the free download of My Will click here. Watch for the album The Last Days coming. Shouts to the Greater Good, Dom, my manager Jonathan master, Peter Parker, Dove, my dogs locked down, Touch, Maze, Caype…one love. And all the websites that hold me down.
RubyHornet: Once again…good at luck at your upcoming boston shows @ the middle east…and we’ll be checking for you in the midwest!