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/
Once Upon A Mic
J-Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You a fairy That's ordinary
But who’s comparing Im tha chupacabra
Ghoul or goblin Play violins in insane asylums
Ya brains are flying
In lamens terms you lames are dying
Im michael myers Facing fire
Hop out tha lake like jason
Or evade tha razor blade Im never fazed
Chase you like im leather face Hang you from tha highest place
Causing ruckus Put ya guts inside of buckets
Im a psycho On ya neck
mark an x thats where tha knife go
Its easier than geico
Tha darkness take ya life slow
Making you eat a pinecone
Then I’ll have you just repeat tha cycle
A needle in your eyehole
Demeaning when I’m meeting any rival
Im gone
Yup
That’s Stone Tha Profit
Spittin in the Booth
It’s Mr D.J. to you
I Just dug a hole about bury me a dragon
So now I’m spittin fire and I’m flying through your ashes
Spread my wings but no relaxin on your tracks I am attackin’
but my hits are so fantastic going hard my name is Cassius
Poof you gone like magic ya family’s lookin tragic
If your ratchet then come at me I’m stabbin backs with hatchets
Now you’re Coughing on your blood it’s got you sounding so asthmatic
Ye ain’t even lost a pint so please stop being so dramatic
Complaining like a faggot concentrate on what you’re lackin
If a small house is your problem I could solve it a match stick
It’s bout to get so graphic with these words I’m an assassin
You’re so done that now they call you you’re so done they call you past tense
I’m not finished let’s re hash it out of my mind like I’m on acid
I just left your Ex girls house and your nickname there is flaccid
With me she feels climactic she just test me till I’m avid got an A plus on my last quiz then I made her do a backflip and when I landed she was absent
When she landed I was absent
I’m Pragmatic and handcrafted
But this game is so disastrous
I can feel it telepathic
LOVE, The Label yo we classic
In J-Live's Once Upon A Mic, the artist showcases his lyrical prowess with vivid descriptions of himself as a legendary and super scary figure. He compares his greatness to those who are ordinary, concluding that he is like the mythological creature Chupacabra, while his opponents are like fairies. J-Live goes on to paint a gruesome picture of his opponents' demise, invoking the imagery of classic horror film killers such as Michael Myers and Jason to describe how he would take his victims' lives in a variety of painful ways. He even brings up the concept of cycle-like violence, describing how he would force his victims to eat pinecones and then repeat the process.
The song's second verse features rap artist Stone Tha Profit, who continues the theme of violence and destruction. He likens himself to a dragon and boasts of his ability to spit fire and destroy his opponents. He mentions using hatchets to stab people in the back, causing them to cough up blood and sound asthmatic. He dismisses the idea of complaining and encourages people to concentrate on what they lack. He concludes by saying he is not finished and will continue to assault his opponents with his words until they are defeated.
Overall, the song is meant to showcase the artists' lyrical skills and their ability to paint vivid and often disturbing imagery with their words. It is a classic example of the horrorcore sub-genre of rap, which uses graphic descriptions of violence and gore to create a sense of shock and fear in listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Im legendary Super scary
I'm an iconic figure who inspires terror in people.
You a fairy That's ordinary
You're nothing special and unremarkable.
But who’s comparing Im tha chupacabra
But why compare when I'm an enigmatic predator.
Ghoul or goblin Play violins in insane asylums
My presence invokes images of ghosts and monsters playing music in a madhouse.
Ya brains are flying
Your brains are being scrambled and destroyed.
In lamens terms you lames are dying
In simple terms, you losers are doomed.
Im michael myers Facing fire
I'm like the horror movie icon Michael Myers facing danger and not backing down.
Hop out tha lake like jason place a stake inside ya iris
I'm like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, emerging from the water to kill you with a stake to the eye.
You cannot erase tha virus
You can't get rid of the terror that I bring.
Or evade tha razor blade Im never fazed
Trying to escape my blade won't work, and I'm never intimidated.
Chase you like im leather face Hang you from tha highest place
I'm like Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, chasing you and then hanging you in the most dangerous place.
Causing ruckus Put ya guts inside of buckets
I'm creating chaos and putting your guts in buckets.
Im a psycho On ya neck mark an x thats where tha knife go
I'm a psychopath, and I'm putting an X on your neck to know where to stab you.
Its easier than geico Tha darkness take ya life slow
It's easier to kill you than to buy insurance, and you'll die slowly in the dark.
Making you eat a pinecone Then I’ll have you just repeat tha cycle
I'm making you suffer by making you eat a pinecone, and then repeating the cycle of torture.
A needle in your eyehole Demeaning when I’m meeting any rival
I'm putting a needle in your eye to show my dominance over you.
Im gone
I'm leaving, confident in my abilities.
Yup That’s Stone Tha Profit Spittin in the Booth It’s Mr D.J. to you
Introducing a new person taking over the microphone from J-Live.
I Just dug a hole about bury me a dragon
I've created a hole to bury a fearsome creature.
So now I’m spittin fire and I’m flying through your ashes
I'm spitting hot rhymes and soaring over the remains of my enemies.
Spread my wings but no relaxin on your tracks I am attackin’
I'm soaring high but still attacking fiercely on your tracks.
but my hits are so fantastic going hard my name is Cassius
My rhymes are amazing, and I'm going all out like the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay).
Poof you gone like magic ya family’s lookin tragic
You'll disappear suddenly like a magic trick, leaving your family in sadness.
If your ratchet then come at me I’m stabbin backs with hatchets
If you're disreputable, I'll come after you and stab you in the back with a hatchet.
Now you’re Coughing on your blood it’s got you sounding so asthmatic
You're coughing up blood and struggling to breathe like someone with asthma.
Ye ain’t even lost a pint so please stop being so dramatic
You haven't even lost much blood, so don't overreact.
Complaining like a faggot concentrate on what you’re lackin
You're whining like a fool instead of focusing on what you need to improve.
If a small house is your problem I could solve it a match stick
If you're complaining about a small house, I could easily burn it down with a match.
It’s bout to get so graphic with these words I’m an assassin
My rhymes are about to get very violent, and I'm an expert at taking out my enemies.
You’re so done that now they call you you’re so done they call you past tense
You're finished, to the point where people refer to you as past tense.
I’m not finished let’s re hash it out of my mind like I’m on acid
I'm not done yet; let's analyze it again as if I'm on a psychedelic drug.
I just left your Ex girls house and your nickname there is flaccid
I just had sex with your ex-girlfriend, and you've earned a new nickname for being impotent (flaccid).
With me she feels climactic she just test me till I’m avid got an A plus on my last quiz then I made her do a backflip and when I landed she was absent
Your ex feels incredible when she's with me, and I'm so good that she tests me like I'm an expert on the subject. I even made her do a backflip after acing a quiz, and when I landed, she was gone (referring to being sexually satisfied).
I’m Pragmatic and handcrafted But this game is so disastrous
I'm practical and expertly made, but this industry and competition is full of chaos and destruction.
I can feel it telepathic LOVE, The Label yo we classic
I can sense it intuitively - our label, LOVE, is a classic in this business.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mr D.J., Stone Tha Profit, ClarkMakeHits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind