Rapper Jay Electronica speaks on raising the bar for hip-hop in a new published piece by Interview Magazine.
Within the feature, Elect explains how freely traveling through different countries has given him an advantage over most rappers.
“People are afraid to go into an environment they are completely unfamiliar with,” he explains. “For me, my life is a journey. Nothing against Drake, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, but they’re in a certain kind of machine that doesn’t afford them the freedom to do that.” He adds: “The greats have always been the people who gave you of themselves, as opposed to just giving you a product.” (Interview Magazine)
Recently, Jay Elect made headlines after publicly announcing a deal with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation record label.
Another “Jay” has been added to the Roc Nation roster. It was announced yesterday (Nov. 12) that New Orleans rapper Jay Electronica signed with Jay-Z’s personal imprint, joining acts J. Cole and Willow Smith at the recently formed label. And to celebrate, Jay-Z threw a lavish party at New York club The Box that neither Jay E, nor anyone else in attendance, would soon forget. The event — which kicked off at about 10:15 pm and drew head-turning guests like Beyonce and Omarion — was a three-ring circus that included sexy burlesque dancers, an aerial gymnast, a Russian hula-hoop master and a girl whose “talent” was having men shoot arrows at balloons that were strategically positioned over her privates. (Billboard)
Following the announcement, Jay-Z stepped forward to explain what attracted him to Electronica.
“It’s obvious that he really genuinely loves it and is a student of rap and the game,” Jay-Z admitted in an interview. “You can’t write those sort of songs or come to that sort of conclusion without having a deep love for what you’re doing and a deep understanding and a deep drive.” (MTV)
The deal sparked a positive fuse in Roc Nation’s J. Cole who shared his reaction to gaining a new labelmate.
“Jay Electronica is such a monster. He’s one of the few dudes that I hear rap in the game that makes me want to step my bars up.” Coles adds. The two MCs appeared together on the lyrical “Just Begun,” off Reflection Eternal‘s Revolutions Per Minute LP. “There is no back seat. Everybody has their own lane. He has the freedom to do what he does. We’re not on each other’s toes. If anything we only help each other.” (VIBE)
Check out a recent Jay Electronica interview below: