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/
Satisfied?
J-Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lights, camera, tragedy, comedy, romance
You better dance from your fighting stance
Or you'll never have a fighting chance
In the rat race
Where the referee's son started way in advance
But still you living the American Dream
Silk PJ's, sheets and down pillows
You got it good like hot sex after the break up
Your four car garage it's just more space to take up
You even bought your mom a new whip scrap the jalopy
Thousand dollar habit, million dollar hobby
You a success story everybody want to copy
But few work for it, most get jerked for it
If you think that you could ignore it, you're ignorant
A fat wallet still never made a man free
They say to eat good, yo, you gotta swallow your pride
But dead that game plan, I'm not satisfied
[Chorus]
The poor get worked, the rich get richer
The world gets worse, do you get the picture?
The poor gets dead, the rich get depressed
The ugly get mad, the pretty get stressed
The ugly get violent, the pretty get gone
The old get stiff, the young get stepped on
Whoever told you that it was all good lied
So throw your fists up if you not satisfied
Are you satisfied?
I'm not satisfied
Hey yo, the air's still stale
The anthrax got my Ole Earth wearing a mask and gloves to get a meal
I know a older guy that lost twelve close peeps on 9-1-1
While you kicking up punchlines and puns
Man fuck that shit, this is serious biz
By the time Bush is done, you won't know what time it is
If it's war time or jail time, time for promises
And time to figure out where the enemy is
The same devils that you used to love to hate
They got you so gassed and shook now, you scared to debate
The same ones that traded books for guns
Smuggled drugs for funds
And had fun letting off forty-one
But now it's all about NYPD caps
And Pentagon bumper stickers
But yo, you still a nigga
It ain't right them cops and them firemen died
The shit is real tragic, but it damn sure ain't magic
It won't make the brutality disappear
It won't pull equality from behind your ear
It won't make a difference in a two-party country
If the president cheats, to win another four years
Now don't get me wrong, there's no place I'd rather be
The grass ain't greener on the other genocide
But tell Huey Freeman don't forget to cut the lawn
And uproot the weeds
'cause I'm not satisfied
[Chorus]
All this genocide
Is not justified
Are you satisfied?
I'm not satisfied
Yo, poison pushers making paper off of pipe dreams
They turned hip-hop to a get-rich-quick scheme
The rich minorities control the government
But they would have you believe we on the same team
So where you stand, huh?
What do you stand for?
Sit your ass down if you don't know the answer
Serious as cancer, this jam demands your undivided attention
Even on the dance floor
Grab the bull by the horns, the bucks by the antlers
Get yours, what're you sweating the next man for?
Get down, feel good to this, let it ride
But until we all free, I'll never be satisfied
[Chorus: x 2]
Are you satisfied?
Whoever told you that it was all good lied
I'm not satisfied
Throw your fists up if you not satisfied
Are you satisfied?
Whoever told you that it was all good lied
I'm not satisfied
So throw your fists up
So throw your fists up
Throw your fists up
J-Live’s song “Satisfied” is a commentary on the state of the world and the ways in which people try to attain satisfaction. The opening verse criticizes the American Dream and the way that people strive for wealth and success, but are never truly satisfied with what they have. The chorus emphasizes the stark differences in treatment between different groups of people, with the poor getting worked while the rich get richer. J-Live stresses that he is not satisfied with this status quo and encourages others to fight against it.
In the second verse, J-Live touches on the serious and tragic events of 9/11, and the ways in which the government response to the tragedy has perpetuated inequality and division. He also calls out the hypocrisy of people who claim to stand for justice but are not willing to take action. The final verse addresses the commodification of hip hop and the way it has been turned into a means of making money rather than a platform for social change. J-Live concludes that until everyone is free, he will never be satisfied.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey yo
Listen up
Lights, camera, tragedy, comedy, romance
Life can be a mix of different emotions
You better dance from your fighting stance
You need to be prepared to fight for what you want
Or you'll never have a fighting chance
If you don't fight, you won't succeed
In the rat race
In the competitive world
Where the referee's son started way in advance
Some people have a head start in life because of their family background
But still you living the American Dream
Even with obstacles, you can still live the American Dream
Silk PJ's, sheets and down pillows
Enjoying a luxurious lifestyle
Who the fuck would want to wake up?
Life is good, who would want to end it?
You got it good like hot sex after the break up
Life is good like post-breakup intimacy
Your four car garage it's just more space to take up
Having more possessions doesn't necessarily bring happiness
You even bought your mom a new whip scrap the jalopy
A symbol of success is being able to take care of loved ones
Thousand dollar habit, million dollar hobby
Expensive habits and hobbies
You a success story everybody want to copy
Successful people are often copied or emulated
But few work for it, most get jerked for it
Success is often achieved through hard work but many people try to cheat their way through it
If you think that you could ignore it, you're ignorant
If you think success comes easily, you are being naive
A fat wallet still never made a man free
Money can't buy happiness or freedom
They say to eat good, yo, you gotta swallow your pride
Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do in order to be successful
But dead that game plan, I'm not satisfied
I am not willing to compromise on my values for success
[Chorus]
Refrain that emphasizes the message of the song
The poor get worked, the rich get richer
The wealth gap is growing
The world gets worse, do you get the picture?
The world is not getting better, can you see it?
The poor gets dead, the rich get depressed
Poor people struggle to survive while rich people struggle to feel fulfilled
The ugly get mad, the pretty get stressed
People who are considered unattractive are discriminated against while attractive people suffer from stress and pressure to maintain their looks
The ugly get violent, the pretty get gone
Ugly people resort to violence while pretty people run away from problems
The old get stiff, the young get stepped on
Older people suffer from physical ailments while the young are often mistreated
Whoever told you that it was all good lied
Life is not all good despite what people may tell you
So throw your fists up if you not satisfied
Fight against the status quo if you are not satisfied
Are you satisfied?
Are you happy with the way things are?
Hey yo, the air's still stale
Still talking to the listener, the world is still not good
The anthrax got my Ole Earth wearing a mask and gloves to get a meal
People are wearing protective gear to prevent getting sick
I know a older guy that lost twelve close peeps on 9-1-1
Talking about the tragedy of 9/11 and how it affected people personally
While you kicking up punchlines and puns
While people are busy being entertained, bad things are happening in the world
Man fuck that shit, this is serious biz
This is not a game, we need to take things seriously
By the time Bush is done, you won't know what time it is
Political leaders create confusion and chaos which makes it hard to know what's really happening
If it's war time or jail time, time for promises
Times of war and unrest are also times for political promises and propaganda
And time to figure out where the enemy is
People need to figure out who the real enemy is, rather than blindly following leaders
The same devils that you used to love to hate
The people people used to hate, are now the people they follow
They got you so gassed and shook now, you scared to debate
People are now afraid to speak out against those who they used to despise
The same ones that traded books for guns
Leadership that was once educated, have now turned into tyrants
Smuggled drugs for funds
Leadership that was once respected, have now turned into criminals
And had fun letting off forty-one
Leadership that was once about diplomacy, are now about war and destruction
But now it's all about NYPD caps
People are now focused on symbols of authority like police badges
And Pentagon bumper stickers
People are now focused on symbols of patriotism like bumper stickers
But yo, you still a nigga
Despite these symbols, people of color are still discriminated against
It ain't right them cops and them firemen died
The loss of life in service of protecting others is tragic
The shit is real tragic, but it damn sure ain't magic
The tragedy is real but there is no solution that will magically fix everything
It won't make the brutality disappear
Simply acknowledging tragedy will not make things better
It won't pull equality from behind your ear
Just like magic, equality cannot be conjured out of nothing
It won't make a difference in a two-party country
In a two-party system, there are only limited choices and true change is difficult to achieve
If the president cheats, to win another four years
Political leaders can cheat in order to stay in power for longer
Now don't get me wrong, there's no place I'd rather be
Despite everything, the artist loves their country
The grass ain't greener on the other genocide
The problems in this country are not exclusive to this country
But tell Huey Freeman don't forget to cut the lawn
A reference to the cartoon character, the singer is reminding people to focus on the small things that matter
And uproot the weeds 'cause I'm not satisfied
Focus on the problems rather than ignoring them
[Chorus]
Refrain that emphasizes the message of the song
All this genocide
Talking about the tragedy of genocide
Is not justified
Genocide is never justified
So where you stand, huh?
Where do you stand on these issues?
What do you stand for?
What are your values and beliefs?
Sit your ass down if you don't know the answer
If you don't know the answer, you have work to do
Serious as cancer, this jam demands your undivided attention
This song demands your full attention
Even on the dance floor
Even while dancing, you should think about these issues
Grab the bull by the horns, the bucks by the antlers
Take control of your life and your future
Get down, feel good to this, let it ride
Enjoy the music while reflecting on the song's message
But until we all free, I'll never be satisfied
Until everyone has equality and freedom, the singer will not be content
Are you satisfied?
Are you happy with the way things are?
Whoever told you that it was all good lied
Life is not all good despite what people may tell you
So throw your fists up if you not satisfied
Fight against the status quo if you are not satisfied
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CHUCK BUTLER, KIPP WILLIAMS, LESLEY ROY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EvanLovett
J-Live, man - criminally underrated. One of the most intelligent and dopest lyricists all-time.
@nicolastullis
2023 still bumpin this tune
@terencemccants8358
J Live is the of MC that represent real true hip hop just like DeLa Soul.
@thedons4270
This is a classic! still one of my favourite tunes! This is the real shit right here!
@benjamm1nn
I hadn't listened to J-Live in a while and then this song popped up on my Pandora...now he's back at the top of my playlist
@SjoeperdKnoepert
Wow a sample from Augustus Pablo, never heard it before! Rastafari!
@aiutaladigestione
Augustus Pablo - East of the River Nile ...So dope.
@canaroo6650
I found this song from season 1 of The Wire. Good show and good songs.
@MsVolak-PalmTours
My favorite !
@palmtours9475
Love this music so much, i had your CD about 10y already, still love to listen it