Jay Electronica has yet to release a full-length album but has released two official singles to date, "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit C," which won a Sucker Free Summit Award for Instant Classic. His music so far has been made available through the internet, either through being leaked to what URB magazine describes as "obscure web forums", or through an appearing and disappearing MySpace page (currently two seem to be in existence, at /jayelect and at /jayelectronica). Erykah Badu has questioned whether he ever will release, in her words, "actual albums". From New Orleans, LA he has lived in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver, and Detroit, where he recorded his Style Wars-era music with several J Dilla beats, meeting the producer subsequently to ask for permission to use the recordings as a demo. Detroit is where Electronica met producer/engineer Mike "Chav" Chavarria, who introduced him to both J Dilla and Mr. Porter, and who is now a regular collaborator.
Jay Electronica first gained significant attention through Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), made available on a MySpace page in 2007. It is 9:13 continuous minutes of music, without drums, built from Jon Brion's soundtrack to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There are five segments or movements, marked by changes in music and mood, raps by Electronica, and occasional snippets of sampled dialogue (children arguing in Kurdish, Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka). The first segment is spoken word by Just Blaze and Erykah Badu describing the artist over piano music. The nature of the piece of music, along with the nature of its appearance, led to a slow build-up of interest in Electronica as an enigmatic figure. Songs circulating online as the Style Wars EP gained wider circulation, and other songs, such as the dream-inspired "Dimethyltryptamine", soon appeared. In January 2008, Gilles Peterson's 90-minute Gilles Peterson Worldwide was devoted to the rapper. Hiphopdx.com in 2008 called him "arguably...the most talked about new emcee last year ... at times...more like a myth or urban legend than an actual rapper", and URB ran a cover story on the artist under the banner "Jay Electronica: A Spotless Mind:: An MC’s mystery revealed", which referred to his wanderings as his being "like some sort of hip-hop Jack Kerouac".
Jeff Weiss' piece for the L.A. Weekly, "Jay Electronica: Much Better Than His Name Would Suggest", acknowledged that the rapper could be fairly described as "one of the most buzzed about rappers of 2008", but attempted to temper the hype somewhat, describing Act 1... as "ambitious, wildly original, if not slightly pretentious", while endorsing only to an extent the comparisons URB had made (referencing an "abstract rhyming style") to rappers like Nas and Pharoahe Monch.
According to URB, Act II: Patents of Nobility will feature Nas, and will be the second of a putative trilogy. URB also reported that digital EPs with both Guilty Simpson and producer 9th Wonder were planned. His most recent music as of November 2008 is the Just Blaze-produced track "Exhibit A (Transformations)".
According to a Filter TV interview, Jay Electronica has partnered with Decon to release his debut project. It is being described as a multi-media release and footage from the project which was partially shot in Nepal and Dubai has begun to surface online. The first clip to leak is titled "Dear Moleskine" and can be found on YouTube, the track was produced by Just Blaze and the clip was directed by Jason Goldwatch from Decon. In June of 2009, Decon and Jay's "The Dogon Society" released "Exhibit A" digitally. "Exhibit C" was released on iTunes December 16, 2009 and quickly shot to the top 10 of the iTunes Hip-Hop charts. The following week it was chosen by Hot 97's DJ Enuff as the Heavy Hitter pick of the week. On February 9, 2010, it was announced Jay Electronica will appear at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Further proof of the continuing buzz about this artist saw On Jay Electronica sell out 2 nights at the Jazz Cafe Jazz Café, London (UK) on Feb 17, 2010.
Jay Electronica continued his scattered release practice, dropping "A Million In The Morning" on April 4, 2010. The song features a weary Electronica trying to keep himself awake to escape his nightmares.
On April 30th, Jay Electronica debuted "The Ghost of Christopher Wallace" via his Twitter. The song features P Diddy and is produced by London beatsmith Quincey Tones, who is known for producing such acts as Young Jeezy and Royce da 5'9".
On 12th November 2010, Jay-Z announced that Jay Electronica was officially the newest member of his own 'Roc Nation' record label/management company, which boasts such acts as J. Cole and Willow Smith.
Jay has been travelling the world and was in London, United Kingdom for an extended period of time completing his debut album 'Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn)'.
Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu have a child together, a girl named Mars Merkaba, born on February 1, 2009.
Be Easy
Jay Electronica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a bunch a live wire niggas ready for war
So be easy you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch of live wire niggas ready for war
When the drama get to poppin' well be at your door
We can take it to a world you never seen before
Talk slick get your ass whipped down to the floor
Be easy my nigga be easy
Off top I bring the hot hot shit
That toxic
You know how I spit
That revolutionary Pac shit
Some times I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick
Sometimes I tell a hater to get off my dick
My flow is mega sick
Your flow is delicate
Big cars big guns the bling the rhetoric
Call me Jay Boogie
Microphone under my hoody
You cornball rappers couldn't do nothing to me
Ultra-magnetic flowetic rhyme poetic grind daily
Divine mind kinetic I shine blind with the light of the macli
Seventy six trillion years I'm still here, honey you motherfuckers couldn't match me
From New York to Cackalacky, California to Tallahassee, I terrorize a wack emcee
I be wilin' on you
I be stylin' on you
I'm wagin' war with the devil
The Asiatic rebel is back swing
Be easy, you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch a live wire niggas ready for war
So be easy you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch of live wire niggas ready for war
When the drama get to poppin' well be at your door
We can take it to a world you never seen before
Talk slick get your ass whipped down to the floor
Be easy my nigga be easy
Pawn to e-six move swift but cunning
Keep my knights on flank and my bishops gunning
My B-L queen she hold me down lovely
The gravitational pulls too strong for you to budge me
It's a lyrical miracle
Pound for pound syllable for syllable
I'm the unfuckwithable
Eighty percent of my life I was subject to ridicule
But it was the fuel that helped me to reach the pinnacle
The flows like Snowman I'm Abominable
This war has scarred me but the damage was minimal
Paid dues
Slayed crews
Did my sheriff dirt but never made news
The god stay smooth
Made moves like Kasparov
My sins like snake skins homey I cast 'em off
Meet the elite throne crusher, the god fearin' zone rusher
Perform under pressure,
Nobody's fresher
The soul stepper
Be easy, you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch a live wire niggas ready for war
So be easy you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch of live wire niggas ready for war
When the drama get to poppin' well be at your door
We can take it to a world you never seen before
Talk slick get your ass whipped down to the floor
Be easy my nigga be easy
Most of you lames never heard of me,
I'm the Third Ward born phenomenon don won sportin' the Burberry
Dippin' in the flashiest car,
In the mic booth spittin' the ras wa
The blase blah
Blase splee
You might find me in the D
Gettin' grimy with the D-A-M to the E
Mr. Porter in the *Lak*
Black Pearl in the back
Run your nab pack the loud gats that say sprrrraaat
Where your mans at now pa?
He ain't around and he never show his face when it's time for the Style War
I'm gettin' busy with the one two stick 'em
Let the rhythm hit 'em
Sound like a prism nigga who is 'im
Jay Electronica, Lord of the Rings
Baptizing 'yall with fire water slaughtering kings
From Seven Mile to Magnolia we crack soldiers
Somebody shoulda' told ya'
The rap game is over
Be easy, you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch a live wire niggas ready for war
So be easy you ain't really ready for war
With a bunch of live wire niggas ready for war
When the drama get to poppin' well be at your door
We can take it to a world you never seen before
Talk slick get your ass whipped down to the floor
Be easy my nigga be easy
Jay Electronica's song Be Easy is a song about the rapper's skills and the violence he's capable of. The lyrics are full of vivid images of warfare and aggression, like "live wire niggas ready for war" and "be at your door". Jay refers to himself in the third person throughout the song, calling himself "Jay Boogie" and "the Asiatic rebel." He brags about his lyrical skills, saying that he rhymes slow and fast, tells haters to get off his dick, and calls his flow "mega sick." Overall, the song is a warning to other rappers, telling them that they're not ready to take on Jay Electronica.
Line by Line Meaning
Be easy, you ain't really ready for war
Don't provoke violence, because you aren't prepared for war
With a bunch a live wire niggas ready for war
There are a group of aggressive individuals who are prepared for violence
When the drama get to poppin' well be at your door
If there is conflict, expect these aggressive individuals to confront you
We can take it to a world you never seen before
They are capable of escalating the conflict to a level beyond what you have ever experienced
Talk slick get your ass whipped down to the floor
Don't speak disrespectfully, or you will suffer physical consequences
Off top I bring the hot hot shit
He immediately delivers quality music
That toxic
His music can be powerful and controversial
You know how I spit
He's confident in his rap skills
That revolutionary Pac shit
He's inspired by Tupac's revolutionary style of rap
Some times I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick
He has a wide range of rap styles
Sometimes I tell a hater to get off my dick
He won't tolerate negative comments from detractors
My flow is mega sick
He has a unique and impressive style of rap
Your flow is delicate
Other rappers can't compete with him
Big cars big guns the bling the rhetoric
He has material possessions and status symbols that make him feel powerful
Call me Jay Boogie
He has a confident and casual nickname
Microphone under my hoody
He's always ready to rap
You cornball rappers couldn't do nothing to me
He thinks other rappers aren't as talented as him
Ultra-magnetic flowetic rhyme poetic grind daily
He has a unique and strong style of rap
Divine mind kinetic I shine blind with the light of the macli
He is divinely inspired and confident in his abilities
Seventy six trillion years I'm still here, honey you motherfuckers couldn't match me
He's been around forever and is still relevant, and other rappers can't compare
From New York to Cackalacky, California to Tallahassee, I terrorize a wack emcee
He has a reputation for being intimidating to other rappers
I be wilin' on you
He can be unpredictable and aggressive in his rap style
I be stylin' on you
He has a distinct and impressive sense of style
I'm wagin' war with the devil
He's fighting against evil forces
The Asiatic rebel is back swing
He's proud of his cultural heritage and willing to fight for his beliefs
Pawn to e-six move swift but cunning
He's strategic and moves quickly like a chess piece
Keep my knights on flank and my bishops gunning
He has a well-organized and powerful team
My B-L queen she hold me down lovely
He has a strong and supportive partner
The gravitational pulls too strong for you to budge me
He is resilient and cannot be easily moved
It's a lyrical miracle
His raps are impressive and seemingly miraculous
Pound for pound syllable for syllable
He has complete control over his rap skills
I'm the unfuckwithable
He's unbeatable and cannot be intimidated
Eighty percent of my life I was subject to ridicule
He has faced adversity throughout his life
But it was the fuel that helped me to reach the pinnacle
His struggles have motivated him to succeed
The flows like Snowman I'm Abominable
His rap skills are cold and impressive
This war has scarred me but the damage was minimal
He's been through tough times but has come out strong
Paid dues
He's worked hard to achieve success
Slayed crews
He's defeated other rappers in the game
Did my sheriff dirt but never made news
He's done questionable things but has managed to keep them under the radar
The god stay smooth
He's confident and composed
Made moves like Kasparov
He's strategic and intelligent like a chess player
My sins like snake skins homey I cast 'em off
He's redeemed himself from past mistakes
Meet the elite throne crusher, the god fearin' zone rusher
He's a powerful and intimidating force to be reckoned with
Perform under pressure,
He excels in high-stress situations
Nobody's fresher
He's the best in the game
The soul stepper
He's innovative and creative in his rap style
Most of you lames never heard of me,
He's not as well-known as some other rappers
I'm the Third Ward born phenomenon don won sportin' the Burberry
He has a distinct and stylish fashion sense
Dippin' in the flashiest car,
He has expensive and flashy material possessions
In the mic booth spittin' the ras wa
He's recording his rap music with passion
Blase blah
He's indifferent to people's opinions of him
Blase splee
He's unbothered by negative comments
You might find me in the D
He's from Detroit and often there
Gettin' grimy with the D-A-M to the E
He's collaborating with other Detroit-based artists
Mr. Porter in the *Lak*
He's working with fellow rapper Mr. Porter in the studio
Black Pearl in the back
He's driving a black luxury car
Run your nab pack the loud gats that say sprrrraaat
He's involved in gang activity and violence
Where your mans at now pa?
He's asking where someone's associates are now that they need them
He ain't around and he never show his face when it's time for the Style War
Someone who's supposed to have his back has abandoned him during times of conflict
I'm gettin' busy with the one two stick 'em
He's focused on working hard and making an impact in the rap game
Let the rhythm hit 'em
He's allowing the music to take over and move him
Sound like a prism nigga who is 'im
His music is unique and multi-dimensional
Jay Electronica, Lord of the Rings
He has a powerful and authoritative presence in the rap game
Baptizing 'yall with fire water slaughtering kings
His music is powerful and impactful, and he's unafraid to take on other powerful rappers
From Seven Mile to Magnolia we crack soldiers
He's connected to different communities and has a diverse group of supporters
Somebody shoulda' told ya'
He's warning other rappers of his power and influence
The rap game is over
He's declaring that he's at the top and there's no one left to compete with
Contributed by Stella O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.