Tatiana is back with her latest 'Culture Shock' column from across the pond. This time she caught up with a rapper that goes by the name of J. Ferb from Memphis, who is currently making up some major noise...
The south has been holding the rap game down for a while, so why stop now. What was supposed to be an interview with rapper, J. Ferb, turned out to be a soulful meeting of the music minds. Straight out of north Memphis, Tennessee, the home of some of the best barbecue meat, music greats like Isaac Hayes and the setting of Oscar winning film Hustle and Flow, J. Ferb new to the rap scene says: “Get ready for the Memphis Movement...”
The Wrap Up: You’re a little new to the rap scene but from your music I know that you’ll be here for quite some time but who exactly is J. Ferb?
J. Ferb: J. Ferb is an anomaly. A kid from Memphis, whose struggle with purpose once defined my ambition. Not knowing what you want to do with your life can take you down many paths, especially when you just want to be great at something. It's just that now through creating inspirational music I've found my something and currently I'm enjoying the purpose that it provides.
TWU: When did you start taking your skills seriously?
JF: Since I was about 13 or 14 I had been doing spoken word and poetry, but I started recording in 2009. I had to make the transition from radio personality to artist, which wasn’t hard because I listen to music all the time, I’m always around it but there was something missing that I knew I could provide.
TWU: Listening to your music, some people might say that it doesn't have a "typical" Memphis sound. How would you describe your music?
JF: Compositions. My music is simply a composition of my life experiences created for interpretation over timeless production. It's edgy and sometimes raw. But one thing it's not void of is its authenticity and its classicalness.
TWU: How do you describe the rap scene in Memphis? It’s very different from a lot of areas…
JF: Memphis rap can be so wide and varying at times that it's hard to define it. With guys like my cousin, Yo Gotti, touring the country and receiving the attention he's been receiving here lately, the city has an undeniably viable rep. With guys such as myself and SKEWBY [New Memphis Founder and Source Mag's UNsigned Hype] displaying a new facet of our culture. The scene is not only burgeoning, it's diverse.
TWU: Who are some of your influences in and out of music?
JF: Lyrically, in no particular order, I am inspired the most by the words of Lauryn Hill, Nas, Mos Def, Common, Amy Winehouse and Kanye. The revolutionary Lauryn Hill displayed throughout her MTV Unplugged material really put a lot of morals in perspective for me as a young one. Other than that, I can’t forget Yo Gotti and Jay-Z. I studied their deliveries more closely than anything coming up. Rene Magritte, Jack Kerouac, Rebels, Martyrs, Gordon Gecko [of the film: Wall Street] and Meridith Grey [of Grey's Anatomy] all had a strong influence over me at some time or another that impacted my writings and personal outlooks. Oh and that woman Mary Jane, her beauty reveals something new to me every day.
TWU: ‘Run To The Sun’ and ‘Chase The Dream Not the Competition’, what’s the difference between the two projects?
JF: ‘Run To The Sun’ was more like a prelude to ‘Chase The Dream Not the Competition’ which is due out April 20, that’s my main project. ‘Run To The Sun’ has about nine tracks on it and I wanted to give everybody just a preview because ‘Chase the Dream Not the Competition’ is a full project.
TWU: Any collaborations on ‘Chase The Dream Not the Competition’ to look out for?
JF: As far as collaborations go, I worked closely with a few select producers who crafted my sound. The main contributor being the homie Tobi, with T.A.S.K. Productions out of Maryland, noted for his close work with Naledge of Kidz In the Hall. As far as features are concerned there won't be many. This being my first widespread project, we wanted to convey my story without random features interrupting the story line. It's a puzzle and every piece fits for a reason.
TWU: What does the artwork for ‘Chase The Dreams Not the Competition’ look like? Because I noticed you're not on the cover of ‘Run To The Sun’.
JF: Following with the same inspiration behind ‘Run To The Sun’, the cover is an allusion to what I feel the slogan, ‘Chase The Dreams, Not the Competition’ should convey. In these early projects we preferred strong imagery in artwork, as opposed to putting me on the cover. I want you to get to know my music. Learn about me through my music before dissecting my image.
TWU: With all the social networks how do you feel about them as far as personal wise? Do you put a lot of your thoughts on them, or is it more for music promotion?
JF: I don't know, see it's tricky. I've gotten in trouble on Twitter with some people before, because I just talk. I just say what I feel, you know? My Facebook and Twitter accounts were personal to me when I first got them and I would like to keep them that way for as long as possible. There are those times when I feel like I have something I want them to hear or show, I'd want my friends to come out to, but I still say my thoughts. We have pages specifically for “promotional purposes” but I enjoy the personal convenience of networking and keeping up with old friends on these sites.
TWU: Anything else you want the viewers to know?
JF: We’re not coming, we’ve left already and it's the people like you who assist in making sure that we arrive. April 20 is the date, ‘Chase The Dream Not the Competition’. Thanks MTV UK and Tatiana!
Stay up to date with J. Ferb on Twitter – www.twitter.com/J_Ferb
Words: Tatiana R. Johnson
Online editing: Joseph 'JP' Patterson
