J-Live started his career by releasing solid 12" such as "Longevity", "Braggin' Writes", and "Hush the Crowd", which earned him a spot in The Source's "Unsigned Hype" column.
Recorded mostly at J's own Triple Threat Studios in Philadelphia, The Hear After actually seems to have taken on a life of its own. Guest vocalist on the album, include up and coming artist, Kola Rock, Cvees, and the soulful sounds of Virgin recording artist, Dwele. The album features production by Floyd the Locsmif (Atl), Hezekiah, James Poysner (Philly), Probe DMS, Fire Dept., (NYC), Oddisee (DC), and J-Live himself. "The title is a play on words. People think of the here after as the after life or somewhere you go when you die. Like heaven or hell. Me personally, I see heaven as being at peace with yourself while you're alive. I see hell as the path you choose in life as opposed to a place you go after death. The album is called The Hear After because I'm at peace with myself musically, and I've been through hell to get that way. This is what you "hear after" all that has transpired so far. This is what I've been working to accomplish since the last album."
Like J's last two full length records, The Best Part and All of the Above, The Hear After covers a wide range of thoughts and emotions both musically and with its subject matter. "If you were to look at the whole thing, you would see a story line about an artist trying to maintain and expand his career and still be there for his family. That was the biggest struggle while making the record, and its no coincidence that it's a theme that becomes obvious listening to it. But there are songs about almost every aspect of my life from growing up in the city, to raising kids, touring heavy, building and teaching, politics, party and bullshit. I can't just spit about one thing for a whole record. That's not my style."
J-Live has been rhyming and mixing since the age of 12 but he has made much more of a name for himself as an MC than as a DJ. "I definitely focus on rhyming more. Growing up doing both it was easier on the pockets to be an MC. Records and equipment can get expensive. But I love spinning." One of the highlights of his entertaining live show is when he rhymes and beat juggles on the turntables simultaneously, performing his classic, "Braggin' Writes." J-Live is also known to produce beats.
J-Live has always used music to get his messages across. He explains, "I grew up listening to everything from BDP to NWA, to PE [[artist]Public Enemy], Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Nice and Smooth. Whether the music was pimped out, gangsta, militant or whatever, rappers had something important to say to kids like me. And I listened intently. As a 5%er, I can't imagine how much of an influence hip hop had on the way I see the world."
Case in point, J's favorite song on the album, "Audio Visual" is so descriptive it's a song "in 3-D". From the quirky, key accents to the thick-ass bottom running throughout the song, J-Live paints a colorful, picture of his life on and off the mic. "Brooklyn Public" is his ode to his days as an educator. Earlier in his career, J-Live taught middle school English/Language Arts in Brooklyn for a few years.
Making music for the walkmans as well as the Jeeps, J-Live made a mature, sonically sophisticated album. "I feel like I represent hip hop's middle class. Seems like everybody's either crying broke or screaming rich or both. I try to speak to the people in between. The everyday hard working fun loving hip hop heads."
Year Formed: 1995
Official Site: http://www.j-livemusic.com/
Be No Slave
J-Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like it's just meant to be like that
So you think I can't take you by myself?
No, I'll take a girl before I take a nigga
What, a girl ain't gone do what I nigga gone do for you
Yeah right okay, okay
Yeah, she not the type to fall in love easy
Oh yeah yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs
She said no more rnb songs
No more rnb songs no more rnb songs
Niggas on fire girl
Yea, she way to independent for them lame niggas
She said, "I got it on me and I get my own figures"
"What the fuck I'm gone do with a lame ass nigga like you"
She said that, "I'm a smooth dog"
"I don't need nobody else because I got my own job"
"New car it's so fast I be flying, I got money I can buy it if I like"
Oooh Whoa, oooh woah
I got money I can buy it if I like
"What, a girl ain't gone do what I nigga gone do for you"
"Yeah right okay, okay"
Oooh Whoa, oooh woah
I got money I can buy it if I like
"It's just an unexplainable feeling"
"It's like it's just meant to be like that"
She said, if she fall in love she gone fall for a thug
She don't like no rnb she don't believe in love
She gone fuck a thug she won't even fall in love
Cuz he a nigga that she know she can't trust aw
She ain't gone fall in love with them rnb niggas oh, oh
She ain't gone fall in love with them rnb niggas oh, oh
Yeah, she not the type to fall in love easy
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She sick and tired of the love songs yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs
She said no more rnb songs
No more rnb songs no more rnb songs
Yeah, she said her hearts been broken way to many times
Rnb got her ex sitting in her mind
She said that she don't really like rnb
It makes her think about her ex nigga it reminds her
"What, a girl ain't gone do what I nigga gone do for you"
"Yeah right okay, okay"
Yeah, she not the type to fall in love easy
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She sick and tired of the love songs yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs
She said no more rnb songs
No more rnb songs no more rnb songs
She not the type to fall in love easy
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She sick and tired of the love songs yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs yeah
In J-Live's song "Be No Slave," the lyrics explore the singer's resistance to falling in love, particularly with R&B singers who typically portray romance and vulnerability in their songs. The song is driven by an unexplainable feeling that makes the singer hesitant to give in to love easily. They express a strong sense of independence, emphasizing that they don't need anyone else because they have their own job and can provide for themselves. The singer is tired of love songs and the reminders they bring of past heartbreak and relationships that have gone sour. They choose to distance themselves from R&B songs, which they perceive as superficial and lacking authenticity.
The lyrics also touch upon gender dynamics and challenge the traditional expectations of what men and women can offer in relationships. The singer suggests that a woman can do just as much, if not more, than a man for their partner. They assert that a girl is just as capable of taking care of someone as a guy would be, countering any preconceived notions about gender roles.
Overall, "Be No Slave" is an anthem of empowerment and self-sufficiency, refusing to be bound by societal expectations of love and relationships. It highlights the singer's determination to chart their own path, free from the influence of love songs and the vulnerability they often convey.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just an unexplainable feeling
There's a feeling that I can't quite put into words
It's like it's just meant to be like that
It feels like it's destined to happen
So you think I can't take you by myself?
Do you really believe I can't handle you alone?
No, I'll take a girl before I take a nigga
I would choose a girl over a man
What, a girl ain't gone do what I nigga gone do for you
You really think a girl can't do what a man can for you?
Yeah right okay, okay
Sure, whatever
She's not the type to fall in love easily
She doesn't easily develop romantic feelings
She's sick and tired of the love songs
She's weary of songs about love
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs
She proclaimed that she won't listen to RnB songs anymore
Niggas on fire girl
Guys are attracted to her
She's way too independent for those lame niggas
She is too self-sufficient for those uninteresting men
She said, 'I got it on me and I get my own figures'
She confidently stated that she can handle her own finances
What the fuck I'm gonna do with a lame ass nigga like you
Why would I be with a boring person like you?
She said that, 'I'm a smooth dog'
She described herself as someone who is slick and confident
I don't need nobody else because I got my own job
I don't rely on anyone else because I have my own career
New car, it's so fast I'll be flying, I got money I can buy it if I like
I have enough wealth to purchase a new car and enjoy the speed
I got money I can buy it if I like
I have the financial means to acquire whatever I desire
She said, if she falls in love she's gonna fall for a thug
She stated that if she were to fall in love, it would be with a gangster
She don't like no rnb she don't believe in love
She dislikes RnB music and has lost faith in love
She's gonna sleep with a thug, she won't even fall in love
She will have sexual relations with a gangster but won't develop deeper emotions
Cuz he a nigga that she knows she can't trust aw
Because he is a man who she is aware she cannot trust
Yeah, she said her heart has been broken way too many times
She expressed that her heart has been shattered numerous times
Rnb got her ex sitting in her mind
RnB music reminds her of her past lover
She said that she don't really like rnb
She confessed that she's not truly fond of RnB
It makes her think about her ex nigga, it reminds her
It evokes memories of her former partner
She's not the type to fall in love easily
She doesn't easily develop romantic feelings
She's sick and tired of the love songs
She's weary of songs about love
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs
She proclaimed that she won't listen to RnB songs anymore
She's not the type to fall in love easily
She doesn't easily develop romantic feelings
She's sick and tired of the love songs
She's weary of songs about love
She said no more rnb songs, she said no more rnb songs yeah
She declared that she won't listen to RnB songs anymore
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Artie Lindsay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind