Its been a long time since hip-hop has seen a female lyricist with raw talent and a true love for the game. Face it, femcees such as MC Lyte and Queen Latifa, who helped give life to hip-hop through revolutionary lyrics, don't exist anymore. Instead we're forced to listen to artists like Nicki Minaj, who are slowly stealing the life out of the art with elementary lyrics and sexploitation. However, just when I started to lose faith in any female artist taking over the game, this young female emcee came out from the shadows and it couldn't have come at a better time.
She was born Kelli Mallory to Kenneth and Cassandra Mallory, on December 4, 1983. Majority of her childhood was spent in Washington, D.C. and her teenage years, up until now, have been spent in Prince George's County Maryland. She is currently a student at the Art Institute of Washington, working on her Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Engineering.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jai Blazin....
Her name is street given; Jai, pronounced "jy," is a slang term known in the DMV (DC, MD, and VA) to mean "kind of," and Blazin, meaning hot. "My fellow artists and peers would compliment my music or presence on stage stating that I was 'jy blazing'." She felt that it sounded much better than Young Trice, a name that she was previously using, so she altered the spelling of it and made moves to turn it into a household name.
She first learned that she had a way with words at the age of 13. "I was always a writer, from poems to high school English papers. Vocabulary can show growth and to me, it was profound, and through it I believed in making music fortifying," she said. In high school, she realized she could flow off the top of her head, when her teammates would make beats on the bleachers and freestyle to them before basketball games. By the age of 15, she was writing songs for personal pleasure. She performed in front of a crowd for the first time at the School Without Walls SHS in Washington, D.C. When asked what it felt like to be performing for the first time she replied, "it felt like being kissed for the first time by someone you REALLY like! It almost felt like I was high without the substance to do so with!" Since then, she has performed at a list of events, but says that Bowie State University Homecoming Yardfest has been her favorite place thus far; this year made it her 2nd appearance for that event.
THE MIXTAPE
Today, October 31, 2010, Jai Blazin is releasing her much anticipated mixtape, "The Best To Never Do It." She chose to release her mixtape on Halloween because she says she's "a monster when it comes to this music thing," and this project is so powerful that its scary. She says that she got the inspiration for the title from a couple of things; birth being one and because if she were to stop making music right now, she would be the best to never do it; meaning the best to never sign with a record label, the best to never become internationally known and still be the best despite never being able to make a difference in the world. "At birth, you haven't done anything yet to set a historical mark or anything important for that matter besides entering the world. When I was born, I was at my best already without ever doing anything."
The mixtape consists of 19 tracks and while majority of the instrumentals are industry, she does have some original and distinct sounds that come from a couple of producers; Bravo-Danga, who is featured on 2 of the tracks, and Kayo The God, a rap extraordinaire from D.C. who has a project of his own entitled "And It Begins," coming out on 12/15/10. "I didn't work with many people on this particular project because by being my first compilation, I wanted the listeners to get to know me without it being drowned in features." Some of the other artists that she did have the pleasure of working with besides Bravo-Danga and Kayo The God were Dagga, B-Ez and McGhee.
According to Jai Blazin, the mixtape has a 90's twist with a lot of lyrical content. "I wanted it to have a REAL hip hop feel, something that'll take years to comprehend but you love it right away." She says that she was able to let her personality shine; she is the same person on the mixtape as she is off of it. "I had NO dictators. My team & others who participated in the project were very supportive and were just playing as the audience." Networking and promoting helped her gain new friends and fans.
The question remains, is Jai Blazin what hip hop has been missing? "I do feel as though I am the missing piece to the music industry. I have self respect, a genuine love for music and I have an attitude of someone who wants to change the world." She feels like hip hop is missing balance due to the lack of females in the industry, past and present, and it's missing substance. "Artists don't even make albums anymore. All you need is a hot single to make a few bucks and you're good. They talk about anything now, they've lost originality."
There are several things that she hopes her audience will take away from this project. "I'm hoping that the audience gets life from it. Whether you're down on your luck or everything is perfect, I pray that this compilation of music sends you higher than that." More importantly, she wants the youth to understand that if they have a dream, don't be afraid to live it. "Never let anyone tell you that your dreams are beyond your imagination or too far to be reached. Don't be afraid to be yourself."
You can request a hard copy of the mixtape through email or login to Facebook, Twitter, datpiff.com, livemixtapes.com, and reverbnation.com for the link. The download link will support all PC's, laptops, ipods, and cell phones.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "THE BEST TO NEVER DO IT"
Contact Info for Jai Blazin
Email: jaiblazin143@yahoo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jaiblazin
Twitter: twitter.com/jaiblazin
Youtube: youtube.com/jaiblazin
Datpiff: datpiff.com/jaiblazin
Want to view the whole interview? Check writersinkorporated.tumblr.com for the entire Q & A session.
*~Writers Ink~*
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