Bro Jay Honest!!! I would personally like to thank you for rocking with our website and most importantly pushing dope independent Hip Hop! Let me ask you how long have you been a Hip Hop artist?
I started making music at a very young age, you know…poems for the girls, but taking it seriously, i’d have to say 16 years old, once I left home.
Im from the Cold Capital of Canada , What we call O town, the 613. As for the local scene, I’ve tried my fair share, you know, doing shows, encores, but I tend to stay away from my city’s drama. Focusing on the US and UK crowd should be any rising artists goal.
Also, how did you get you emcee name?
Jay Honest is a fusion of 2 things, Jay being my first step father, the thing that caused me such pain and abuse, and Honest, as Honesty is the only thing that got me this far, yeah it may get me in trouble sometimes, but being Honest always wins.
Let’s get right into it, your latest single “True Love Never Dies”, has to be on of the dopest singles in 2020, in my humble opinion. Please breakdown the creative process behind it?
First off, thank you as that was the very first song I recorded as Jay Honest, I recently decided to re-release it by fan demand. That song was created with my brother/best friend of 20 years, who is no longer with us, back when I had trouble expressing my deeper emotions thru music, he was teaching me how to let go, and this was the first song of its type. Its successors would be Different Human, If I Die Tonight & Closure amongst others.
We notice your style is super original and very creative. Let us know how your style is different than all the rap artists out there!
well fashion has always been something i highly admired since i was a young kid. Growing up with a sick mother and a non existent father, i could only dream of having really nice things, id go to school 3 times a week with the same outfit in elementary… I find once you get the means to make nicer purchases, you start caring more about your appearance in the public eye. I guess i find myself different as i stay true to my own fashion sense, I wear what I like, when I don’t like it anymore, I simply give it away to someone who would appreciate it more.
How do you go about writing and producing your material? What type of mood are you usually in when making music?
My music is very on the spot, but as you can see from Furnace – True Love Never Dies, there are 2 different sides to me, Jordan and Jay, Jordan is more emotional and takes his time, his writing process takes hours and only comes alive when he is in pain or grieving. Jay on the other hand can take control at any moment and deliver a top notch experience in under 20 minutes. It really depends on what you are looking for.
Any upcoming shows to look forward to? Are you planning on touring any time soon?
Touring has been the big talk between the members of HONESTGANG & I as we now have 3 members in the USA, and 5 in Canada it would be ideal to do a USA/CANADA tour and hit every major city. It is in the works!! We’ve never spoken about this to the press yet so i guess thats your exclusive !!
How does social media playing a role in your success? How are fans/supporters helping your movement?
Without social media, artists don’t have much potential for growth in 2020, live shows are essentially useless unless you are in a major city, taking your actions online and finding clever ways to stand out are a necessity, as such, instagram and linkedIn are my most powerful weapons.
With this being IndieHipHop.com, we always ask this important question. What is your definition of true “independent hip hop”?
The idea of me being able to (from home) , find a beat, purchase a lease, contact the producer. record the song, mix master it, make an artwork, distribute it & promote it, all myself, that is true independent hiphop, the freedom of self expression without anyone being able to take it from you (so long as you follow copyrights LOL)
Where can people find you on the Internet? Drop all the vital links.
@iAmJayHonest anywhere a search bar is available!
Any shout outs?
Shoutouts: shoutout to every member of HONESTGANG y’all should check em out at www.honestgang.us , big shoutout to Thi , couldn’t have done it without you brother, and shoutout to IndieHipHop for this amazing article!
