Jai Blizz
Hi Jai Blizz and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology.
After having some early setbacks in your career, did this pause in time provide you with extra vigour and added incentive to focus hard on establishing yourself as an artist and making it the single direction of your life?
I had time to write while I was in prison then I went back I evaluated on how much money I had and didn’t invest in my career so I was dedicated to focus on my career. Once I was released I began to record more music and travel the country with my CD’s.
Like many dedicated musicians, you started from the ground up and after distributing your music at concerts by hand through to starting your own record label, it has been a slow but upward trajectory. What key lessons did you learn that helped you in creating your own label and successfully running it?
I had participated in showcases, contests, BET events, even the Apollo and failed. I even tried to give major artists my CD in which was rejected. I decided to learn the business and start my own label because no one can help you better than yourself.
For aspiring musicians what advice would you give him to put them on a path to success whilst remaining true to the ideals of creating and releasing independent music and dodging some of the industry pitfalls?
Don’t focus on getting a record deal but stay motivated and build your fan base. Learn the business is a must.
2016 saw the release of your debut record The Induction and as with any artist, it is often the culmination of a life’s events up until that date. What directions did Minneapolis and Blackout take you and the relatively new experiences that you drew upon in releasing these albums?
Minneapolis and Blackout defined my evolution as an artist. The Induction was older unreleased songs and after being in Atlanta 7 years, it perfected my craft. I dealt with different life situations there as to living in Minneapolis my hustle was easy. My whole being was recreated.
In the ever evolving hip hop genre and stark differences between East and West scenes, what artists are you hearing who are really pushing the boundaries at the moment?
Being that I’ve been a lot of places I know a lot of artists, in NYC you have Lambo Show and his MLB brand including Tee Roy, Quay Billz etc. When I was living in LA I heard of an artist named Compton AV who’s really hot. We also have B-Walk from Miami who’s consistent and doing his thing.
Having set and participated in open mics, showcases, and battles, how vital do you see these opportunities in not only providing a platform for upcoming artists but also in honing your own skills (musically and from a managerial perspective)?
They’re all basically a learning platform. Yes they help build fan base but you learn how to perfect your craft. See what you’re competing against, and makes you learn the business. Once you realize deals aren’t just handed out it makes you hungry to learn the business.
What does the rest of 2017 and into 2018 have install for Jai Blizz?
In 2018 I’ll be releasing Beast of Tha Lakez 3 as well as several mixtape projects and possibly another album. B-Walk will also be releasing another album. My inbox is filled with demos worldwide including EDM, techno, pop artists that I’m considering releasing as well. We have plenty of releases in store. It will be a great year.
