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.
Swagger Jackson's Revenge
Jay Electronica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Edward Bradley - "How has it impacted you? You know touring, record sales..."
Michael Jackson - "My album is number one all over the world.....all over the world....America's the only one because...I don't wanna say too much."
Edward Bradley - "But it's not number one in the United States."
Michael Jackson - "It's a conspiracy, yeah. I will never stop helping and loving people, the way Jesus said to. He said continue to love, always love, bring on the children, imitate the children, not childish but child-like."
Jay Electronica -
It's the return of the black Moors with no fez
Pentagrams pyramids conspiracies with goat heads
Knock down the levees, knock down the projects,
Start another project, build another object
A drive-thru touch screen doctrine for me to digest,
Just horses with our blinders on
Driving by the obvious
Riding by the obvious
Flying by the obvious
Uh huh, regardless who you vote for, if the mind don't grow and the poverty line don't go
But the dope keep coming and the t-v keep flashing images of a sports car,
Then you bound for a coke war
The meek get clowned by the cope law
The sheep get drowned in the folklore
Then lulled to sleep by Tom Brokaw, hm
What a pity, the hope on a politician's tongue never ever trickles down to the city
Yeah, so if a nigga put a president's mask on and run up in the bank with a mac saying "gimme gimme"
I ain't glad at em, but I ain't mad at em... ("Ambush! Ambush!" "Drop it motherfucker!")
I ain't mad at 'em
Look, if anybody ask you who I be
Say a painter with a felt pen who Drew Ali
I'm like Cassius when I blast molasses
Out the ass of the masses
From Fulton street mall to Gratiot I'm handing out free at last kits
Yo Jay, where yo' staff at?
Green said you threw it,
Yeah, I outgrew it
Some blog said you blew it
Nigga fuck yo' blog
Jigga man said you can't knock the hustle dog
I'm on the same launching pad that shot Russell off
That's why I Stay Dougie....you can ask Tumbling Dice...
That's why I Stay Dougie....ask Tumbling Dice...
The opening lines of the song, "It's the return of the black Moors with no fez, It's eerie like that documentary on Lisa Lopez" set the tone for the rest of the song. Jay Electronica is using his music to reflect on the issues affecting the black community and calling for action. The reference to Lisa Lopez, a member of the popular R&B group TLC, who died tragically in 2002, highlights the short life expectancy of black artists and the difficulties they face.
Jay Electronica goes on to rap about the impact of poverty and how it hinders the growth of the mind. He details how the media perpetuates this cycle by flashing images of luxury and wealth, and how this fuels the drug trade. The line, "Then you bound for a coke war, The meek get clowned by the cope law, The sheep get drowned in the folklore, Then lulled to sleep by Tom Brokaw," is a commentary on the media's role in shaping public opinion.
He also calls out the political system for not doing enough for the black community. He sees a lack of progress, despite the hope politicians often speak about. The lines, "What a pity, the hope on a politician's tongue never ever trickles down to the city, Yeah, so if a nigga put a president's mask on and run up in the bank with a mac saying 'gimme gimme', I ain't glad at em, but I ain't mad at em," suggest that he doesn't condone violence but understands why some individuals feel the need to take matters into their own hands.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the return of the black Moors with no fez
The black Moors are back and they're not hiding behind any symbols of submission.
It's eerie like that documentary on Lisa Lopez
The situation is unnerving, much like the feeling one gets when watching a documentary about a tragic figure like Lisa Lopez.
Pentagrams pyramids conspiracies with goat heads
There are hidden symbols and secrets at play, like pentagrams, pyramids, conspiracies, and goat heads.
Knock down the levees, knock down the projects,
Ruin the community-serving structures, such as the levees that protect neighborhoods from flooding and the projects where low-income families reside.
Start another project, build another object
Instead of helping the people affected by ruined structures, start a new project or build something else.
A drive-thru touch screen doctrine for me to digest,
We're bombarded with information, and it's easy to simply accept it, like going through a drive-thru or scrolling through a touch screen.
Just horses with our blinders on
We're like horses with blinders on, only seeing a narrow view of the world.
Driving by the obvious
We're not paying attention to the most obvious issues.
Riding by the obvious
We're letting the most obvious issues pass us by.
Flying by the obvious
We're letting the most obvious issues fly past us.
Uh huh, regardless who you vote for, if the mind don't grow and the poverty line don't go
No matter who you vote for, nothing will change if we're not mentally growing as a society and breaking the cycle of poverty.
But the dope keep coming and the t-v keep flashing images of a sports car,
People are constantly being distracted by drugs and material possessions courtesy of television.
Then you bound for a coke war
The cycle of drugs, money, and violence continues.
The meek get clowned by the cope law
The vulnerable and innocent are laughed at and taken advantage of by those in power.
The sheep get drowned in the folklore
The uninformed and easily manipulated are overwhelmed by lies and myths.
Then lulled to sleep by Tom Brokaw, hm
The media, represented here by Tom Brokaw, puts people to sleep with their coverage.
What a pity, the hope on a politician's tongue never ever trickles down to the city
Politicians make promises they never keep, and they don't fulfill the needs of the people who actually live in cities.
Yeah, so if a nigga put a president's mask on and run up in the bank with a mac saying 'gimme gimme'
If someone broke into a bank while wearing a president's mask and demanded money with a gun, would you really blame them?
I ain't glad at em, but I ain't mad at em...
I don't necessarily condone their actions, but I don't necessarily condemn them either.
Look, if anybody ask you who I be
In case anyone asks, this is who I am.
Say a painter with a felt pen who Drew Ali
Say that I'm a creative artist who was influenced by Drew Ali.
I'm like Cassius when I blast molasses
I'm powerful, like Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay), and I mix things up.
Out the ass of the masses
I speak for the forgotten and downtrodden.
From Fulton street mall to Gratiot I'm handing out free at last kits
I'm reaching out to struggling communities and offering them hope.
Yo Jay, where yo' staff at?
Someone is asking Jay where his entourage is.
Green said you threw it,
Someone named Green told the singer that Jay Electronica got rid of his entourage.
Yeah, I outgrew it
Jay is saying he moved on and is no longer interested in having an entourage.
Some blog said you blew it
A blog criticized Jay's choices and he's acknowledging the criticism.
Nigga fuck yo' blog
Jay doesn't care about the blog or its opinion.
Jigga man said you can't knock the hustle dog
Jay-Z advised Jay Electronica that you can't stop others from doing what they need to do to survive.
I'm on the same launching pad that shot Russell off
I'm on the same path as Russell Simmons, who became extremely successful and wealthy.
That's why I Stay Dougie....you can ask Tumbling Dice...
That's why I remain confident, and you can ask anyone who knows me.
Contributed by Natalie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ramy Daoud
I don’t care about sales, age, drip, nothing. This man is untouchable.
Ervin Ellis
Just hearing that clip of Michael Jackson on this--speaking about hate & love--was transcendent in itself. Then to have Jay Elec go levels deep with bars on such a beautiful track...perfect to me. Absolutely one of my favorite tracks he has ever done, if not my favorite 💯
Andre Padilla
did you hear what they found recently lol
Ervin Ellis
+Andre Padilla I don't believe so. What was it?
Solio
More conspiracy.
TitanG545
Ervin Ellis just gives a chill down your spine because whatever we see in print people believe.
Tariq Muhammad
Ervin Ellis I swear from beginning to end dropping jewels
Joseph Moore
Play this when you on the way to work. Stay on point. God bless
SwagQuest
Jay is puttin' the soul and conceptual intellect back in Hip Hop.
joshua rosas
I love how Jay found this amazing qoute "I will never stop loving people....." what a great qoute from an amazing artist, only made better by Jay elect spittin fire afterwards.