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Posted: 08/31/2004
Photography: Courtesy of Biz3 Publicity and Jean Grae
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Jean Grae will release her fully loaded sophomore album, entitled This Week, on September 21st (Amazon release date) and this album is definitely in the running for JIVE Magazine's album of the year. JIVE Magazine had a chance to chat with the lyrical genius herself for a candid discussion about the new album. “I don't want little girls to grow up thinking they don't have a choice of what they can speak about. We have the right to reflect our versatility, even if you aren't seeing all of it in the media.” …
Jean Grae Bio :
Although she was born in South Africa, Jean Grae (real name Tsidi Ibrahim) will always be a New Yorker by heart. The daughter of two jazz musicians, Jean learned an appreciation for all genres of music at an early age. She attended the High School of Performing Arts as a vocal major and was later accepted to New York University as a Music Business major. Disenchanted by the classroom settings, Jean decided early on that she was more of a hands-on learner. During high school she learned to read and arrange music as well as learn classical and choral arrangements, giving her such the solid foundation to become one of the most talented and exciting Hip-Hop writers and producers around.
Jean Grae, formally going by the artist name "What? What?”, was recruited by a rapper named Ocean, who formed a group called Natural Resource in the mid-90s. In 1997, Natural Resource founded their own record label, Makin' Records, and released the 12" single, “Negro League Baseball", which became an underground Hip-Hop classic. They followed with several other 12"s including “I Love This World", “They Lied" and “Bum Deal". In addition to writing and producing with Natural Resource, Jean Grae also produced singles for Makin' Records artists Pumpkin Head, Don Scavone and The Bad Seed.
Natural Resource broke up in 1998 due to creative differences, but the exposure with the group worked towards Jean's benefit. Changing her name from "What? What?" to Jean Grae, she was asked to appear on a number of songs with artists such as Herbaliser, High & Mighty, the Mumia 911 Project, the Hip-Hop For Respect project, Mr. Len, Da Beatminerz and Masta Ace.
In the summer of 2002, Jean Grae released her debut album, Attack of the Attacking Things. The album featured the assistance of Da Beatminerz, Mr. Len, and Masta Ace. This articulate, clever, and brutally honest MC dropped her follow-up release Bootleg of the Bootleg EP (Babygrande/Orchestral Entertainment) last October.
Jean releases This Week in September and it is already receiving enormous critical acclaim.
The Interview
JIVE: How long did your family actually live in South Africa and how much of it do you remember? How did living there impact your life?
JEAN: I was only 3 months old when my family moved, so I don't think I should even say I was living there at that age. My family, minus my immediate family does reside there. It's not an impact of living there, but the impact of NOT living there, I think has changed my life in a way I'm sure I couldn't even possibly fathom.
JIVE: Coming from parents who are both really into their music, how influential have they been on your career?
JEAN: Obviously very influential. Constantly being around music, just raised to be a creative person first, about everything. Getting the support from them and the understanding of doing what I do, that I'm a crazy artist, isn't something I take for granted. I know how difficult it is to try and explain to your family that you want to pursue a career involving some type of art form. I also think it's been difficult at times for them to look back at me and see me repeating the same patterns. Disturbing at times, beautiful at times.
JIVE: How did you feel when you realized you had "made it" into the underground hip hop community?
JEAN: We were making music, we were putting records out, we were doing shows. There wasn't too much to really break through. 1996-97 and 2004 are VERY different times for making a name for yourself. There was a bunch of us; you knew who we were. Today there's 800 new rap groups a day! There wasn't a lot of competition then, the internet wasn't as prevalent. It was completely another era for underground music. It was one that paved the way for what's going on now though. I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing [laughing]. I mean, it wasn't unheard of for an underground artist to get video play on Rap City, or on Hot 97, but today? Good luck with that one.
JIVE: Critics and fans alike have been very impressed with your past two albums, how is This Week different? Do you think you have evolved somehow with this album? Learned anything special from making the other two that helped you with this one?
JEAN: Well, for starters, it's another album. Second, it's two years later. I don't know how people couldn't reflect a growth or change in music. Well no... That's not true. Some people don't change. But, yes this new album is a culmination of learning from the past two, business-wise, and just life in general.
I'm getting to know myself as an MC and a writer better. I'm learning how to tell a story in a more broad range. It's a concept album that you can listen to either in it's entirety or separately and get two different stories from it.
I was worried about the original idea I had, how it was going to work, but it came together in the end. It's a week in the life of Jean. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a relatable week in the life of anyone. I tried to really give it a full range of music, of feelings, or environments because, well, that's what happens in a week. You go through ups, downs, highs and lows. I didn't want to make a dark album, but there are dark songs. I didn't want to make a party album, but there are party songs. I definitely don't party like I used to, don't drink like I used to, but sometimes I do, sometimes I stay home and just write. I wanted to put everything on there.
JIVE: You have a great working relationship with the Roots, I've heard. Tell me how this came about.
JEAN: Well, I met Ahmir and Tariq in around, 98 or 97 I think, through Ocean (Natural Resource). I always pretty much stayed in touch and was really honored when they asked me to attend the jam session for the album this year. Doubly so when asked to appear on the album and triple that with the Okayplayer tour and compilation.
I think they're all incredible, unapologetic creative masters. By the way, if you don't have the The Tipping Point, you're missing something. I'm not being bias because I'm on it; it's just a masterpiece album. It's been in rotation since we bought it and it's not getting tiresome. Tariq is a beast, the most underrated emcee I've ever known. You go listen to "Boom" and tell me who's fucking with him. Go back and listen to something like "Super Lyrical" (Big Pun and Riq) come on. That's undeniable. Ahmir is a genius. People involved in hip hop don't look at things the way he does. Right down to sequencing or show planning, even though we clashed on tour [laughing], to just wanting to make classics. Genius. Silly little genius.
JIVE: What was it like to work with Midi Mafia and 9th Wonder on "This Week."
JEAN: They were great. Bruce and Swift (Midi) actually hooked up during the mixing of Kweli's album. Kwe and I were supposed to work together on the Reflection Eternal album, but only did our fist song together when he was starting this project. Known each other for years, but never collaborated directly. Midi and I have a connection from way back, but I had never met Swift. They blessed me though, blessed the project. It's dope to see talented people getting the shine they deserve, shoot it's even fresher for me to be able to work with people who are doing huge projects and still willing to work with an independent artist. No one does that. 9th and I met on the Okayplayer Winter Break tour.
After the first song we did together, you just know when something is right It turned into an album, Jeanius, with myself 9th, Khrysis and Fatin. 9th is another one who hears music differently. I never had to ask for a drop I wanted or and ad lib, or effect or beat. It was just something where we were thinking the same way. Putting an album together isn't something people think about anymore. What song should go where, what drop should happen. He does.
JIVE: There are a couple of tracks that we want to know what they're really about like "P.S." and “A-Alikes”.
JEAN: “P.S.” is a letter to people that I feel like I have wronged in some way in my past and I really want everything to be okay with them. Sometimes you only realize how dumb some actions were in retrospect, especially in your youth.
“A-Alikes” is about writing; just getting the words out. It’s about what it's like to be blocked creatively and what it's like when it comes back to you.
JIVE: As a woman in an industry dominated by men, do you feel that you are or could be a role model for other female rappers?
JEAN: It's hard to call yourself a role model. Do I think anyone should try and model there life or career based on mine? Hell no. I do think that I would like to be known as someone who broke the rules and didn't follow a formula to lead to being successful.
As far as speaking your mind about anything you want to, then yes. No one can tell you what to do, or how you should look, or what you should sound like or what you should talk about. We all have a mind, free will the ability to be individuals. Use it.
It's difficult, yes. It's difficult going against the grain, for anyone. Quadruple that for a female in this game. I've given up a lot, but I'm still here. I don't want little girls to grow up thinking they don't have a choice of what they can speak about. We have the right to reflect our versatility, even if you aren't seeing all of it in the media.
It can be different. I'm not a feminist by any means, I just want people to enjoy the music and I believe that everyone has the right to be as creative as they want and not get shut out because they don't conform. That's ridiculous. You have a right to be heard. Just do it well.
Related Links:
www.babygrande.com
This Week
JIVE Magazine would like to thank Jean Grae for her time and charming charisma and Biz 3 Publicity for the interview coordination.
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