Jay Electronica is a wildly inventive Master MC who bends and shapes language to his will. His rhymes dazzle; metaphors stacked upon similes, narratives sprout spontaneously from abstraction. His flow swarms a beat, rendering hooks optional. Were he simply a rhyme stylist, an mc committed to mere aesthetics, he'd be a mammoth talent, the "finally" true hip-hop fans have been rain-dancing for the better part of the 21st century. As it is, he's way more than a rhyme stylist; he's an exceedingly brilliant thinker, an organic intellectual student from the hood whose appetite for knowledge is matched by his ability to transmit knowledge. He's the child of an American Third World ghetto who's concerned with community, an mc who gives a fuck. He's a throwback whose life was changed by hip-hop and believes still in its magical transformative power. He's on some serious shit, mysterious shit, an mc whose conscience mandates he be conscious.

 

But as he likes to say---the facts, jack. Born in New Orleans and raised with his sister by his mother and grandmother, shuttled between the Magnolia Projects and the 17th ward (Carrolton), Jay Electronica was a pre-teen comic book geek who was mesmerized by mythic superheroes. He'd spend whole summers with his collection, memorizing supernatural attributes as he wrote his own parallel stories in his head, complete with his own illustrations. His mother had an eclectic collection of vinyl and would spin Steely Dan, Prince, Al Jarreau, and the raven-haired country star Crystal Gayle. His grandmother had her eyes on the sparrow and hummed along to her gospel favorites, Mighty Clouds of Joy and Shirley Ceaser, as she performed babysitting duty.

Premier's work with Gangstarr and RZA's with the Wu would later influence his work as a producer. Too Short, NWA, especially Ren and Cube, The Geto Boys, particularly Scarface and Dallas's D.O.C. were his rhyme education.  Jay's a roamer, having spent time in major metropolises across North America, currently he resides in NY.

 

In any great story there are supporting characters who arise like angels to push a hero along on his journey. For Jay Electronica these supporters were made manifest in Rashad Smith, "Tumbling Dice" who introduced his passed his music onto Just Blaze, the super-producer who'd served Jay-Z some of his hottest beats. Just was inspired by Electronica's willingness to take risks, to "go all the way left with it."  Then there was Supanova Slim, who after Dave Chapelle's Brooklyn taping of "Block Party" introduced Jay to the maverick singer Erykah Badu, who was so inspired by Jay Electronica's talent she decided to launch her label Control Freaq in 2005.

 

Currently, Jay's tour de force singles "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit C" are satiating fans as they await the release of Act II: Patents of Nobility, the second of a putative trilogy.