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.
Dimethyltriptamine
Jay Electronica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It began in the Nixon Administration, when Rumsfeld was looking for a staff aid..."
Frank Carlucci : "One day, Don called me and said
'There's a...young intern on the hill named Dick Cheney, Frank, uh,
I'm thinking of hiring him I'd like you to interview him and see what you think.'
So I interviewed uh Dick and called Don and said
'I think this guy's pretty good you outta hire him.'"
Narrator : "They would be closely linked...for more than three decades."
Jay Electronica :
Pigs with the heads of men, spat acid
That lasered my third eye closed, like LASIK
A midget in a casket like a baby in a bonnet with a bottle and a basset
Horn playin' the theme song from Children of the Corn
Oh I must be dreamin'
A lady in a night gown puffing kush screamin'
Signaled me over psst you with the waves,
I seen you from the Catholic church steeple diggin' graves,
I got your number sonny,
So ain't no use in fightin' yellin' or running from me
I never ran ma'am
Well then you ain't a clever man Sam
Listen, the two faced king from Britain and Rome
Had a baby in the bush on the Grassy Knoll
Where they peeled back the orange head peel of a gnome
He said he emcee, I know you like killin' them
You terrorized the skies for twenty-five milleniums
Now you settin' fire to land
You the lion you the savior the messiah the lamb
You need backup he movin' on the youth at dawn
Call Badu and get Tyrone on the megaphone
Tell 'em I sent you and your codename is Megatron
If trouble come use your brain like a telephone
He'll take you to the Chocolate City
Where Two Face and the prince of darkness have they committee of snakes
Drill 'em, let the skin peel off to reveal 'em
Then spray 'em with them rhymes you like spillin'
Hit 'em up real real good but don't kill 'em
We only wanna burn 'em to the point that they willin'
To give the location of the blank faced villain
Who split atoms and give mushrooms to civilians
Hiroshima never recovered
And all the evidence was smothered
Under a thick cloud of rubble
The pope is his brother
The hillsides is his mother
The statue with the torch and steel eyes is his lover
She's a harlot, who stood still like time while New York turned scarlet
And the levee monster sucked up New Orleans
While they was playin' man verse man in Afghanistan
With they mind of Iran, Iraq and Sudan
Let 'em recruit you
He will try to use his powers to seduce you
Just let him think that the feelin' is mutual
'Cause if he found out that you already knew
The atom had a positive a negative and a neutral
He'll probably salute you
Then wait 'til you turn your back like a coward and shoot you
Man this shit is crucial...
Yea, you from the Third Ward right,
Very treacherous,
A place where they kidnap assassins and bury specialists
John F. Kennedy : "*This administration has failed to recognize, has failed to recognize,
that in these changing times with a revolution of rising expectation sweeping the globe,
the United States has lost it's image as a new, strong, vital, revolutionary society."
Kase (New York City graffiti artist, quote from 1984 documentary film "Style Wars") : "*Shoot I got styles already that's more complex that nobody know about, I mean super duty
tough work huhuh, see this is just semi-like what I would call it, but if I really get into it and
start camouflaging it...I don't think you'd even be able to read it."
The spoken words at the beginning of the Jay Electronica's song "Dimethyltriptamine" describe the relationship between Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, which lasted more than 30 years, and began during their time in the Nixon Administration when Rumsfeld was recruiting staff. The song then transitions to Jay Electronica's verses, which are heavily metaphorical, and describe various political conspiracies and cover-ups. The lyrics mention acid-spitting pigs with heads of men that lasered the third eye closed, a lady in a nightgown smoking weed and signaling the singer, and a two-faced king from Britain and Rome who had a baby in the bush on the Grassy Knoll. The verses further describe a call to action to expose blank-faced villains who split atoms and gave mushrooms to civilians, while Hiroshima never recovered under a thick cloud of rubble, and the pope is described as his brother while the hillsides are his mother.
The lyrics are full of symbolism and references to conspiracy theories, urging the listener to pay attention to what's happening behind the scenes instead of being blind to the truth. The verses can also be interpreted as a commentary on the state of politics in the United States, which is marred by secrecy, power struggles, and corruption. The chorus, which simply repeats the phrase "It's still Allah, it's still Allah," provides a spiritual and philosophical backdrop to the verses, calling back to hip-hop's earliest roots in Islam and its focus on social justice.
Line by Line Meaning
Pigs with the heads of men, spat acid
Hallucination about creatures that are part human, part pig, spitting acid.
That lasered my third eye closed, like LASIK
The acid from the pig creatures caused his third eye (symbolic for spiritual awareness) to close.
A midget in a casket like a baby in a bonnet with a bottle and a basset
Horn playin' the theme song from Children of the Corn
Another hallucination about a strange scene featuring a small person in a casket and a horn playing a song from a horror movie.
Oh I must be dreamin'
A lady in a night gown puffing kush screamin'
Jay realizes he is probably dreaming as he sees a woman in a nightgown smoking marijuana and screaming.
Signaled me over psst you with the waves,
I seen you from the Catholic church steeple diggin' graves,
I got your number sonny,
So ain't no use in fightin' yellin' or running from me
I never ran ma'am
Well then you ain't a clever man Sam
A woman signaling him near a church describes how she knows he's digging graves and that he can't escape her. She tells him he's foolish if he thinks he can outrun her.
Listen, the two faced king from Britain and Rome
Had a baby in the bush on the Grassy Knoll
Where they peeled back the orange head peel of a gnome
He said he emcee, I know you like killin' them
Jay describes a conspiracy theory involving a two-faced ruler from Britain and Rome having a child in public on the Grassy Knoll, and a gnome being involved. The ruler raps and Jay acknowledges he enjoys destroying other rappers.
You terrorized the skies for twenty-five milleniums
Now you settin' fire to land
You the lion you the savior the messiah the lamb
You need backup he movin' on the youth at dawn
Call Badu and get Tyrone on the megaphone
Tell 'em I sent you and your codename is Megatron
If trouble come use your brain like a telephone
Jay views himself as a savior figure (lion) who has been around for thousands of years, and who is now fighting back against someone threatening young people. He references singer Erykah Badu and gives himself a code name.
He'll take you to the Chocolate City
Where Two Face and the prince of darkness have they committee of snakes
Drill 'em, let the skin peel off to reveal 'em
Then spray 'em with them rhymes you like spillin'
Hit 'em up real real good but don't kill 'em
We only wanna burn 'em to the point that they willin'
To give the location of the blank faced villain
Who split atoms and give mushrooms to civilians
Jay describes a plan to go to a place called Chocolate City, where he will reveal and defeat some sort of committee. He talks about a villain who gives mushrooms to people and the need to capture him.
Hiroshima never recovered
And all the evidence was smothered
Under a thick cloud of rubble
The pope is his brother
The hillsides is his mother
The statue with the torch and steel eyes is his lover
She's a harlot, who stood still like time while New York turned scarlet
And the levee monster sucked up New Orleans
While they was playin' man verse man in Afghanistan
With they mind of Iran, Iraq and Sudan
Jay talks about various historical atrocities and conspiracies, including the Pope being related to a bad guy and New York becoming red with blood. He mentions the levee in New Orleans breaking and the US being involved in conflicts with Middle Eastern countries.
Let 'em recruit you
He will try to use his powers to seduce you
Just let him think that the feelin' is mutual
'Cause if he found out that you already knew
The atom had a positive a negative and a neutral
He'll probably salute you
Then wait 'til you turn your back like a coward and shoot you
Man this shit is crucial...
Jay warns listeners to avoid being recruited by the bad guy, but if they are to feign interest. He references the structure of the atom and the bad guy eventually turning on them.
Yea, you from the Third Ward right,
Very treacherous,
A place where they kidnap assassins and bury specialists
Jay talks about the Third Ward, a dangerous area where people are kidnapped and killed.
*This administration has failed to recognize, has failed to recognize,
that in these changing times with a revolution of rising expectation sweeping the globe,
the United States has lost it's image as a new, strong, vital, revolutionary society.
A quote by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy about the United States failing to recognize the changes taking place in the world and losing its image.
*Shoot I got styles already that's more complex that nobody know about, I mean super duty
tough work huhuh, see this is just semi-like what I would call it, but if I really get into it and
start camouflaging it...I don't think you'd even be able to read it.
A quote from a documentary about a New York City graffiti artist named Kase, who talks about his complex art style and how it can be camouflaged and unreadable to others.
Contributed by Muhammad H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edrian Collantes
Verse: Jay Electronica]
Pigs with the heads of men spat acid
That lasered my third eye closed like LASIK
A midget in a casket like a baby in a bonnet
With a bottle and a basset horn playing the theme song
From Children of the Corn, oh I must be dreaming
A lady in a night gown puffing kush screaming
Signalled me over, "Psst, you with the waves
I’ve seen you from the Catholic church steeple diggin' graves
I got your number sonny
So ain't no use of fighting, yelling or running from me"
"I never ran ma'am", "Well then you ain't a clever man Sam"
Listen, the two-faced king from Britain and Rome
Had a baby in a bush on the grassy knoll
Where they peel back the orange head peel of a gnome
He said "Hey MC, I know you like killing 'em
You terrorized the skies for 25 millenniums
Now you settin fire to land
You the lion, you the savior, the messiah, the lamb
You need back up, you moving on the youth at dawn
Call Badu and get Tyrone on the megaphone
Tell'em I sent you and your codename is Megatron
If trouble comes use your brain like a telephone
He'll take you to the Chocolate City
Where two-face and the prince of darkness had a Committee of Snakes
Drill 'em, let the skin peel off to reveal him
Then spray 'em wit them rhymes you like spilling
Hit 'em up real, real good but don't kill him
We only want to burn him to the point that they willing
To give the location of the blank face villain
Who split atoms and give mushrooms to civilians
Hiroshima never recovered and all the evidence was smothered
Under a thick cloud of rubble
The pope is his brother
The hillsides is his mother
That statue with the torch and steel eyes is his lover
She's a harlot, who stood still like time while New York turned scarlet
And the levee monster sucked up New Orleans
While they was playin' man vs. man in Afghanistan
With they mind on Iran, Iraq and Sudan
Let him recruit you, he will try to use his powers to seduce you
Just let him think that the feeling is mutual
Because if he found out that you already knew
The atom had a positive, a negative and a neutral
He'll probably salute you
Then wait till you turn your back like a coward and shoot you
People this shit is crucial
Trombonebone
"Pigs with the heads of men,"
I think this is a reference to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," considering the overall theme of the track; Hiroshima, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan...
The (war) pigs are the Mythical figures:
"The Two-Faced King from Britain and Rome" (two civilizations that were built through military conquest)
"Had a baby in a Bush" George W. and George H.W. represent the baby, as they followed Britain and Rome's blueprint of conquering through military force.
"He'll take you to the Chocolate City (Washington DC) , where Two-Face and The Prince of Darkness had a Committee of Snakes."
"Two-Face" is, of course, Brittain and Italy (Rome). "The Prince of Darkness" (Satan) is The United States because the pentagram (5-point star) often represents Satanism, and as Ras Kass put it, "Inside every pentagram is a pentagon." The Pentagon, (Headquarters of the Department of Defense). The "Committee of Snakes" could be George Bush's "Coalition" for the invasion of Iraq, or he might be referring to NATO
Alvin Pagan
[Verse: Jay Electronica]
Pigs with the heads of men spat acid
That lasered my third eye closed like LASIK
A midget in a casket like a baby in a bonnet
With a bottle and a basset horn playing the theme song
From Children of the Corn, oh I must be dreaming
A lady in a night gown puffing kush screaming
Signalled me over, "Psst, you with the waves
I’ve seen you from the Catholic church steeple diggin' graves
I got your number sonny
So ain't no use of fighting, yelling or running from me"
"I never ran ma'am", "Well then you ain't a clever man Sam"
Listen, the two-faced king from Britain andRome
Had a baby in a bush on the grassy knoll
Where they peel back the orange head peel of a gnome
He said "Hey MC, I know you like killing 'em
You terrorized the skies for 25 millenniums
Now you settin fire to land
You the lion, you the savior, the messiah, the lamb
You need back up, you moving on the youth at dawn
Call Badu and get Tyrone on the megaphone
Tell'em I sent you and your codename is Megatron
If trouble comes use your brain like a telephone
He'll take you to the Chocolate City
Where two-face and the prince of darkness had a Committee of Snakes
Drill 'em, let the skin peel off to reveal him
Then spray 'em wit them rhymes you like spilling
Hit 'em up real, real good but don't kill him
We only want to burn him to the point that they willing
To give the location of the blank face villain
Who split atoms and give mushrooms to civilians
Hiroshima never recovered and all the evidence was smothered
Under a thick cloud of rubble
The pope is his brother
The hillsides is his mother
That statue with the torch and steel eyes is his lover
She's a harlot, who stood still like time while New York turned scarlet
And the levee monster sucked up New Orleans
While they was playin' man vs. man in Afghanistan
With they mind on Iran, Iraq and Sudan
Let him recruit you, he will try to use his powers to seduce you
Just let him think that the feeling is mutual
Because if he found out that you already knew
The atom had a positive, a negative and a neutral
He'll probably salute you
Then wait till you turn your back like a coward and shoot you
People this shit is crucial
J Prince
This is God level rap...still here In 2020 on the heels of a written testimony 🤲🏾
Mike Joyce
many secrets behind the truth in the society and music of today, many live wickedly. some seek jesus
Jilhan
I’m here for it! 2021
withinequalswithout
YES IT IS. TESTIFY.
Finished!!!!!!
God level. U said it, god.
Big Hearolds House
I agree
T Lex
The more I listen to Jay Electronica, the more I realize that many other artists ain't really talkin bout shit.
Chris G
Yep!!
Stratosphere
If you like conscious rappers that spit knowledge like Jay Elec, I recommend listening to Immortal Technique. And don’t just listen to Dance With the Devil either, he has other songs that go deep.
john gillians
At all