J The S is one of hip hop’s new rising stars. With two albums under his belt (2006’s Strategy of The Crown and the recently released When In Rome) and a third on the way, this Boston-bred emcee is destined to put his mark on the map. He has worked with artists such as Rass Kass, Trife Da God, Devin The Dude, Skyzoo, and Joel Ortiz and has landed bills on shows for Dead Prez, Brand Nubian, and KRS-One.

I had the opportunity recently to sit down and talk with J The S (aka Jake The Snake). Here’s what went down…

Kevin: How you doin’ J? Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Congrats on the release of When In Rome? What’s the reception been like for the album so far?

J The S: Thank you, thank you, reception has been lovely, heads feel it’s my best work so far, and so do I. I think alotta fans are seeing my progression as an artist and a man on this record, startin to branch out while still perfecting my craft to the utmost. But the Last Days album will be monumental, When In Rome is just the prequel.

Kevin: Why don’t you give us a little background on yourself? Where are you from and how did you get started in this game?

J The S: Ahh…the typical interview question, everybody likes askin this safe one. But for Mr. Nottingham…I grew up briefly on the island of Monsteratt, West Indies before moving to Nevis, West Indies where I lived for some years before me and my folks moved back to the States, into my grandparents house in Springfield, MA. Lived there, around parts of Mass, Springfield, Holyoke, Greenfield, Brattleboro, VT and moved to Boston as a teenager. My moms family was originally from Boston and my father’s fam from Springfield. I lived with both my parents before they left each other (they both argue who left the other one) and proceeded to live with my moms in a humble environment which forced me to be the man of the house at a young age, dealin with my mother’s drunk friends and slimeball ass boyfriends. Growing up was good and bad, I definitely saw alotta shit at a early age that most kids never see, exposed to some crazy shit that had an effect on the way I am now, and that goes from great shit to awful shit, you know. I used to break and write graffiti when I was mad young then started freestylin at like 16, just cause my friends was or was djing. Didn’t start takin this game seriously til like 19 or 20.

Kevin: So tell us more about When In Rome. How long did it take to put together? Who do you have on the production side of the house?

J The S: Well, I had the idea for the big album, my magnum opus, The Last Days, first, but I wanted to make a project that would be a segue into it, so When In Rome came about. For The Last Days, I’ma be doin some different thing with my music, not just topic wise, but the musicality will be something new, fresh, and a lil experimental. When In Rome was a way for me to release a project that showed me doing that more traditional hip hop (commercial or true school) but leaving from that realm for the next joint. We livin in Roman times now, these are the last days of the roman empire, or the U.S. government. The phrase “When In Rome…” means do as the Romans, and since this is a country of sheep owned by pigs, run by wolves, many do as the romans, as the pigs, as wolves, and are living blindly, savage like, not thinking about the future. Sometimes I’ve felt I was even livin like that. When I have a vibe, or concept, it don’t take long for me to bang out the material. Did this joint it like 4 months. I used mad different producers from all over the world, MGI, Raf Moses, Stu Bangas, Special Blend, Conquest, and more.

Kevin: Dope concept… some of the stories in your rhymes are pretty deep, too. Are these based off of personal experiences? For instance, the track “Don’t Hear Me”, what’s the story behind that?

J The S: Almost every single story, if not all, are based off personal experience. That’s the way it gotta be, J the S ain’t gon front with some bullshit ass stories like 95% of these fake ass busters we dealin with now. The authenticity shines through in my details and interesting stories. “Don’t Hear Me” is based off real shit In my life. The first verse about the girl slippin into drug addiction, is based off a combination of relationships I had with a few different girls that were dealing with that problem. The verse about the dude with the gambling problem is based off real shit. I got a few close friends that have issues with gambling, and that’s an ill addiction in itself. And that’s an issue no one ever spoke on in a song. At times I feel like I be tryin to reach out and drop jewels and build with heads about shit but they don’t hear me, they got deaf ears to my silent prayers.

Kevin: Have you studied other great storytellers in hip hop, such as Slick Rick or Ghostface Killah? Who are your musical influences and what inspires you to do what you do?

J The S: Storytelling and picture painting has always been my favorite part of songwriting. Slick Rick is like one of my biggest influences and favorite MCs of all time. Ghostface, Tupac, Nas, Biggie, all incredible storytellers that helped inspire the Snakeman. Other than them, I’m inspired by Rakim, Wu-Tang, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Gangstarr, Mobb Deep, Harold Melvin. And just walkin the streets, livin the life I lead, doing what I do, that is my biggest inspiration.

Kevin: How would you describe your flow to someone who may have never heard you before?

J The S: Hmm.. I always hate having to summarize my shit like that, but I’d say that ‘94 style with millennium skills. Smooth, fly, picture painting, science dropping, passionate, real music.

Kevin: You’ve got some pretty tight collabos on your album… Joell Ortiz, Ras Kass, and Skyzoo. How did these come about? Through personal relationships or was it just something management worked out? Did you record with them in the studio or did they send in a tape? How much pressure was there getting on the mic with a legend like Ras Kass who is known as one of the top lyricist the game has seen?

J The S: They come about through both. Some joints you in there with the artists and some you ain’t, just cause we all got crazy schedules. Like, me and Ras did that joint on Super Bowl Sunday in Boston. We was putting it in the air, and I showed him the hook I had in mind, he wrote his shit and laced it, I did the same. I never feel any pressure working with other cats, no matter how big or small, cause we bleed the same blood, breathe the same air, so why should I let that superficial shit throw me off my square? Jake The Snake always give 120% even if it’s a solo track. I ain’t competing with a guest to have a better verse, I’m more concerned about making the best record possible when it’s done. My only competition is with myself, and I don’t mean that in a cocky way, I mean it in a focused way, like why let what the next man do affect you so much, you feel me?

Kevin: I hear you man; that’s real talk right there. So what projects do you have coming up next?

J The S: My crew, The Greater Good, has our debut disc droppin soon, shootin for September. Then my big album, my magnum opus, The Last Days. For that we doin big records, big guests, big moves I can’t reveal yet. So, we ain’t gon rush it, making sure everything perfect. I’m striving to make something that’s timeless, a piece of music that you can listen to mad years down the line, not just another rap album. I’ma probably drop another street album before The Last Days as promo, joints that ain’t make the cut, unreleased jams, whatever. My street albums are like albums, and my album be like monumental events. I don’t play that low quality, rocking over industry beats, mixtape approach. That shit is tired.

Kevin: Sounds like you got your plate full. Can’t wait to hear the new stuff! Thanks again for stopping by a talking with us. Anything else you wanna throw in that we didn’t get to bring up?

J The S: Good look on you showing love to J The S and supporting that real music. One love to my moms, my peoples The Greater Good, Vietdom, my manager Jonathan Master, Peter Parker, Boston, and all my dogs behind the walls, Touch hold your head, Maze hold your head.

Download When In Rome

• J The S on MySpace

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