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/
Interlude 1
J-Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eighteen strides and she stops to abide
By the law that she herself has set
That eighteen steps is one complete set
And before the next nine right and nine left
She looks up at the blue
And whispers to all of the above
Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone
No kicks no pangs no broken bones
Never let me sink, always feel at home
No sticks no shanks and no stones
Never leave it too late, always enjoy the taste
Of the great grey world of hearts
As all dogs everywhere bark
It's worth knowing
Like all good fruit the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin
The lyrics of J-Live's "Interlude 1" narrate the meticulous and ritualized walking habits of a woman who adheres to strict rules in her movements. The lines "She only ever walks to count her steps/ Eighteen strides and she stops to abide/ By the law that she herself has set/ That eighteen steps is one complete set" detail her strict practice of counting her steps to dictate her daily movements. She follows her own self-imposed laws in controlling her pace and stops exactly after eighteen strides. These rules are her way of organizing her movements and possibly dealing with anxiety or compulsive behavior.
The following lines, "And before the next nine right and nine left/ She looks up at the blue/ And whispers to all of the above / Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone" show the woman's contemplative side - she looks up at the sky and prays for protection and guidance as she moves forward in life. She fears drowning or feeling alone and requests the universe to help her move forward free of pain or harm. The lyrics "No kicks no pangs no broken bones/ Never let me sink, always feel at home/ No sticks no shanks and no stones/ Never leave it too late, always enjoy the taste/ Of the great grey world of hearts" describe her wishes for a life without physical harm or pain, and her desire to feel secure and comfortable in her surroundings.
Line by Line Meaning
She only ever walks to count her steps
She walks for the sole purpose of counting the steps she takes
Eighteen strides and she stops to abide
After taking 18 steps, she stops as per her own rule
By the law that she herself has set
She has set her own rule of walking, which she follows diligently
That eighteen steps is one complete set
Her complete set of walking comprises of 18 steps
And before the next nine right and nine left
Before proceeding with her walk, she takes 9 steps with her right foot and then 9 with her left
She looks up at the blue
She looks up at the blue sky
And whispers to all of the above
She whispers to the sky, clouds and the divine
Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone
She hopes to not feel overwhelmed by life and hopes to never feel isolated
No kicks no pangs no broken bones
She wishes for a life free of physical pain and injuries
Never let me sink, always feel at home
She wishes to not feel lost in life and always finds comfort in her surroundings
No sticks no shanks and no stones
She wishes for a life free of violence and harm
Never leave it too late, always enjoy the taste
She wants to live in the moment and enjoy every part of life while there is still time
Of the great grey world of hearts
She acknowledges the complexity and emotional depth of the world we live in
As all dogs everywhere bark
Amid all the chaos in the world, there is still a sense of consistency
It's worth knowing
It is valuable to understand the following statement
Like all good fruit the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin
Just like good fruit, life has a balance of the right time for things to happen and the inevitable decay
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Augustus Figaro Niso Unger-Hamilton, Thomas Stuart Green, Joe Jerome Newman, Gwilym David Dylan Sainsbury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pushno1
She she she she only ever ver ver ver ver
Walks to to count count her steps
Eighteen teen strides and she stops to abide
By the law that she herself has set
That eighteen steps is one complete set
And before the next nine right and nine left
She looks up up at the blue
And whispers to all of the above
Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone
No kicks, no pangs, no broken bones
Never let me sink
Always feel at home
No sticks, no shanks and no stones
Never leave it too late
Always enjoy the taste
Of the great great great grey world of hearts
As all dogs everywhere bark bark bark bark
It's worth knowing
Like all good fruit the balance of life is in
The ripe and ruin
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Maxim Uskimbaev
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