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 MCβs 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 CafΓ©, 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.
Hard To Get
Jay Electronica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and make ya feel sooo good
so why you sittin therrrr-re allll alone
when ya look sooo good
dont you play hard to get with me (no no no no)
and throw yo games baby soon youll see
hey we gotta play some hard to get
him, who be hangin on the corner with them
nevertheless
you lookin good in the anthropology dress
i might say yes but, you gotta realize you fuckin with the best
boo im never ever stressed man
everywhere i rest, i get treated like a king, im the sire here,
you can see it in the stars the messiahs here
you can read it in them cards, the fires here
now, whats your name,
so i can tell you who you are and why you came
that feel good dont it
i can do ya real good put the hood on it
now take that home and blow a bag a good on it
google my name then e me in the morning
im jay electronica the black adam
settin shit on fire like a cracked atom
get at em (feel me)
inventory lets see hmmmm *
pretty skin pretty eyes
itty bitty waist pretty face pretty thighs
i can take you to space and its ok if you heart rate start racin the stakes is pretty high
i normally dont chase but hey, its really nice
to come out of the castle every once or twice, yeah
to have a shake and a roll of the dice gyeah
deuce fever (uh), still got it
i control the dance floor slow is just logic
you fuckin with a pro-fession-al its obvious
tell me what you do for your skin its gorgeous
pretty mannequin in the gucci dress moblin
im a soveirgn with lamp hattins in manhattan
lookin for a queen to get involved with
if it aint broke then dont bother it
call it what you wanna call it just dont stall it
feel me
The lyrics to Jay Electronica's song "Hard To Get" express the singer's interest in pursuing a woman who catches his eye. The singer makes it clear that he wants to take her home and make her feel good, and he wonders why she is sitting alone when she looks so good. However, the woman seems to be playing hard to get, and the singer acknowledges that they will have to play some games before they can be together.
In the second verse, the singer identifies himself as uptown slim and expresses confidence in his ability to treat a woman well. He acknowledges that he is highly regarded in his community and refers to himself as the "sire" and "the messiah." He invites the woman to tell him her name so that he can understand who she is and why she is there. He also hints at his sexual prowess, suggesting that he can do the woman "real good" and encouraging her to "blow a bag."
The lyrics convey a sense of confidence and sexual desire, but they also suggest that the pursuit of women involves playing games and putting up a front. The song offers a glimpse into the dynamics of dating and the challenges of getting to know someone new.
Line by Line Meaning
I really wanna take ya home*
Expressing the desire to take the person home.
and make ya feel sooo good
Wanting to make the person feel good.
so why you sittin therrrr-re allll alone
Asking the person why they are sitting there alone.
when ya look sooo good
Complimenting the person's appearance.
dont you play hard to get with me (no no no no)
Asking the person not to play hard to get.
and throw yo games baby soon youll see
Warning the person that playing games will have consequences.
hey we gotta play some hard to get
Suggesting that both parties should play hard to get.
hey miss lady its uptown slim
Addressing the person.
him, who be hangin on the corner with them
Referring to himself and his friends hanging out.
nevertheless
Regardless.
you lookin good in the anthropology dress
Complimenting the person's outfit.
i might say yes but, you gotta realize you fuckin with the best
Implying that he is the best option for the person.
boo im never ever stressed man
Asserting his confidence.
everywhere i rest, i get treated like a king, im the sire here,
Describing how he is treated.
you can see it in the stars the messiahs here
Suggesting that he is a messiah-like figure.
you can read it in them cards, the fires here
Imagery warning about his power.
now, whats your name,
Asking the person for their name.
so i can tell you who you are and why you came
Implying that he knows more than what's on the surface.
that feel good dont it
Acknowledging the good feeling in the air.
i can do ya real good put the hood on it
Suggesting he can satisfy the person.
now take that home and blow a bag a good on it
Encouraging the person to spend money on themselves.
google my name then e me in the morning
Providing contact information for more information about himself.
im jay electronica the black adam
Introducing himself and referencing a comic book character.
settin shit on fire like a cracked atom
Metaphorically describing his energy.
get at em (feel me)
Encouraging the person to feel him out.
inventory lets see hmmmm *
Beginning a rundown of the person's features.
pretty skin pretty eyes
Complimenting the person's features.
itty bitty waist pretty face pretty thighs
Complimenting more of the person's features.
i can take you to space and its ok if you heart rate start racin the stakes is pretty high
Expressing the excitement of being with the person.
i normally dont chase but hey, its really nice
Admitting that he usually doesn't chase after people.
to come out of the castle every once or twice, yeah
Suggests that he doesn't usually leave his comfort zone.
to have a shake and a roll of the dice gyeah
Suggesting that taking a chance with the person would be exciting.
deuce fever (uh), still got it
Referencing his past while acknowledging that he's still got it.
i control the dance floor slow is just logic
Imagery showing his dominance on the dance floor.
you fuckin with a pro-fession-al its obvious
Asserting his professionalism.
tell me what you do for your skin its gorgeous
Complimenting the person's skin and seeking advice.
pretty mannequin in the gucci dress moblin
Complimenting the person's outfit again.
im a soveirgn with lamp hattins in manhattan
Continuing to assert his dominance and style.
lookin for a queen to get involved with
Suggesting that he wants to be involved with someone special.
if it aint broke then dont bother it
Suggesting that if something is going well, don't change it.
call it what you wanna call it just dont stall it
Encouraging the relationship to progress.
feel me
Asking the person to understand where he's coming from.
Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.