New Orleans, Louisiana is a city known for its unique music and culture. There’s just no place like it on the face of this earth.
Now I might be a little biased, but I feel I can state, without a doubt, that our music Down South is simply the best – and that is attributable to the grind and drive possessed by those in our entertainment industry. To add to that, we have such a unique and deeply rooted culture, that it reflects through our music, as well as everything we say and do.
Historically, Down South – and in particular, New Orleans artists, producers and entertainers – have had to work much harder for less recognition. Since they are natural hustlers at heart, that’s changing, thanks to blood, sweat and tears shed by some of New Orleans’ finest legends.
Meet Jay Jones, son of Black Menace’s J-Dawg. Black Menace and Partners N Crime are two of the most important entities that have contributed to New Orleans’ unique sound over the past decades – along with many others who have worked with the groups throughout the years. Despite his legacy, Jay Jones is a unique artist in his own right and though he has some big shoes to fill, The Heat believes he will handle that task with ease.
Jay recently released his first mixtape and it is garnering a large number of downloads. Make sure to check out his project, “Only If You Kool Enough”. The title says it all.
We had to know more, so The Heat tracked Jay down for this interview – and we were even fortunate enough to be able to speak with Mr. Meana, one half of the legendary Partners N Crime, to get his take on the artist Jay Jones.
Mr. Meana, along with his partners, runs HITZ International, a multi-faceted entertainment conglomerate designed to give its artists exposure on multiple levels. Here’s what Mr. Meana had to say about Jay Jones, the talented young artist who comes from an entertainment dynasty, as well as HITZ International:
“I think Jay Jones is the future of what Hip Hop will be. Jay Jones raps a lifestyle. He has his own movement called Chill Society. That alone lets you know he spits his lifestyle. He’s hungry. Jay’s the son of a legend and I think he’s naturally a gifted kid.
HITZ International is not a rap label – it’s a network. We have an online store for music that can be found at www.hitzint.com and we have an online radio station, www.hitzintradio.com. The artists we choose to work with personally, are artists who have something that stands out and deserves attention and every artist has their own company. So look out for these artists – JAYJONES, SMASH BROTHERS, T MONEY, PARTNERS N CRIME, BLOCK BURNAZ, AND BLACK MENACE – and coming soon, a new artist by the name of MALLY DIAMOND.”
Getting back to the feature at hand, we asked Jay a plethora of questions and here’s his interview:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Who is Jay Jones?
JAY JONES: I’m prolly da koolest, most laid back rap dude you can meet. That’s why the name of my debut mixtape is “Only If You Kool Enough”. It’s also the motto of my movement “Chill Society”. I’m not really one of those over confident dudes wit the music, but I see myself as one of da best new artists coming out of New Orleans, hands down! Don’t get me wrong – sum artists are nice, but not too many seeing me. It’s just facts. Mr.Meana said I’m “Da Future of New Orleans Music” and my music can back up everything that we say, so if anybody beg to differ, just holla at me.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Your father is a legend in Down South rap music. How does it feel to know that you came from such a prolific legend?
JAY JONES: I mean it’s a great feeling knowing that my pops has done so much wit music and has so much respect wit music also. And now that the spotlight is kinda shining on me, I have no choice but to make good music. But the only thing I don’t want to do is get compared to my pops with the music. I just wanna make my own name for myself, not just because I’m the son of J-Dawg from the legendary group Black Menace. But other than that, I love the fact that my pops a legend. He makes sure that I’m on track, never losing sight of my main goal, and keep everything moving, but y’all just stayed tuned to my music and I’ll carry the torch from here.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell us about your mixtape project, which we hear has been quite successful.
JAY JONES: Aww man, the mixtape is called “Only If You Kool Enough”. It was released on November 1, 2011. By that being my first mixtape, I wasn’t expecting all the luv and success I got from it. I’ve been getting good feedback from people in my hometown of New Orleans, of course, but also Atlanta, Florida, and Texas. Shoutout to all the GoDjs out there and to especially Dj Dip. They really fuck*n wit me out there heavy. I have a couple features on the mixtape from a lot of local artists that’s doing major things such as EGMG Show, Dangafield, Smashbros, S80, Sty, Partners N Crime, & also Black Menace. Everything that’s happening from this mixtape is like a dream come true and also a blessing. I’m just thankful for everything.You can download the mixtape on DatPiff.com. Just type “Only If You Kool Enough” in the search box. It’s a sponsored mixtape, so no account is needed. Also me and the Smashbrothers are having another Mixtape Release Party At Club Viola on December 10th, 2011! Everybody come out and rock with us.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How is working with such legends as Mista Meana and Kango Slimm been?
JAY JONES: I’m really honored because if you look at all of their track records, it’s major. They have done so much in and out of New Orleans. I’m lucky to even be in the presence of such great artists like them. That’s what motivates me to make good music because that’s all I’m surrounded by. Even though music is our job, working wit them is always a fun time because that’s something we all love to do and I love the fact that if something don’t sound right and you should change it, they would tell you and not just let you put music out any kind of way. I never trip when they criticize my music because I know they only want the best for me and I like to know what everybody think about my music. Working with them is really a honor.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where do you see New Orleans rap heading in the next few years?
JAY JONES: If everybody can get on the right page and stop being out for self, New Orleans rap can make some moves. Cause if you think about it, not one local rapper down here is getting money with their music – not even myself – but a lot of that is about to change. The year 2012 is my year with the music. I’m a real artist that’s not just boxed in one category. I can touch on all types of subjects and different types of music. They have a couple good artists down here such as myself, SmashBrothers, The Rap Pack, Dangafield, and a couple more people, but in all honesty, in the next few years, I see New Orleans Rap shooting to the top!.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: I have two singles I’m releasing – one featuring Kango Slimm called “One Hundred” and another one for New Orleans featuring S-80 called “Got It Goin On”. I’m actually shooting a video for “One Hundred” in a couple weeks that will be placed on Worldstar and a lot of other sites. But just be on the lookout for me everywhere. I’m featured on a lot of people upcoming projects and I’m constantly working and releasing songs on Twitter. You can follow me @JayJ0nes on twitter (the “O” is an Zero) but like I said, 2012 is my year so you can expect to see and hear me everywhere.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What other local artists do you look forward to working with?
JAY JONES: The only local artist I really wanna work wit right now is Na’tee. I dnt even know if I can still consider her as a local artist (Laughs), but she the coldest female I ever heard spit, so hopefully we can link up on my next project and knock something out. That would be a nice collab for me. But at da same time, I’m willing to work with anybody that creates quality music and want to collab, so if you wanna work, jus holla and we can make it happen.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: If you could work with any artists from anywhere else in the country, who would that be?
JAY JONES: First it would be Rick Ross and the whole MMG crew. To me, nobody eating like those dudes right now. Everybody dropping projects, doing shows and getting money, so that’s always good. Then the other artist would be Drake. To say dude only been in the game for about three years, he doing things sum artists that been in the game probably would neva accomplish!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Be on the lookout for features on more of the HITZ International artists and make sure to check out Jay Jones’ mixtape. Here’s a post The Heat previously put up following the release of “Only If You Kool Enough”: https://theheatmag.com/jay-jones-highly-anticipated-mixtape-only-if-you-kool-enough-just-released/
