[INTERVIEW] J.Lately says, “Make sure that you remain authentic to yourself”

J.Lately sat down to answer some questions for HypnoticAsia! Also, the Bay Area emcee recently released his single, “Take My Time” featuring Jamla Records’ Ian Kelly! Be sure to check that out and read his exclusive interview below.

HYPNOTICASIA: Introduce yourself to the readers of HypnoticAsia!

Hey what’s up this is J.Lately. I’m a half Korean hip hop artist from Northern California, currently based in Oakland, CA.

HYPNOTICASIA: Tell us how you got into music!

I’ve always loved music ever since I was a little kid. I even had a fake little band with my friend in middle school where I was the singer and guitar player, even though I didn’t know how to play the guitar at all. When I got into high school I was mainly listening to rap music, and would just memorize lyrics really easy. Then I started playing around with writing my own lyrics to other peoples’ songs, and that eventually turned into creating my own songs. For a long time there I never really believed I could do anything with my music, it was just something I loved doing. When I realized that other people enjoyed it also, it was an easy decision to attempt to do this for the rest of my life.

HYPNOTICASIA: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Musically, I’ve drawn my inspiration from all over. I’ve always loved a bunch of random stuff that wasn’t hip hop, and even within hip hop I’ve loved all the different sub genres. I think the piece that I really draw my inspiration from musically is the human aspect of songs. Like, how could this song make two people from completely different walks of life experience the same feeling? What are the unifying aspects of music? Sure, we’re all going to be sorted into different genres of music, but if you played my song for someone who liked a different genre of music, would they still at least experience the feeling that I’m feeling right now?

HYPNOTICASIA: Is there an artist you have always wanted to collaborate with?

Devin the Dude. I always loved how gently and respectfully he could talk about some of the most explicit things. And aside from just loving his music, he’s someone who I don’t think I necessarily connect with on a lifestyle or even fully on a musical level, but I think I connect with on a human level. Like I’ve always really felt the place he was coming from on his songs, even if he was talking about some situations I would never find myself in.

HYPNOTICASIA: Tell us a little about the process in making one of your tracks!

It almost always starts with the beat. Sometimes I’ll have a concept for something I want to talk about, but I’ll almost never start talking about it until I find the right beat to put it down to. I’ve got to feel the music pull a certain emotion from me before I know what I want to talk about. Once I’ve found that feeling, then I start playing around with rhyme schemes and melodies, trying to find one that catches my ear. This basically looks like me just mumbling and humming for awhile. Once I find a cadence or melody that clicks, then I start to let the words flow and build on that. It isn’t always the same process, sometimes I have a word or a phrase that I already know I’m going to base the song around. But, I try to let it be as natural of a process as possible, where I just let the song pull itself out of me as much as I can.

HYPNOTICASIA: How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?

I’d say it’s honest, reflective, and fun. Something that’s easy to listen to, and easy to relate to. I definitely take a lot of inspiration and influence from boom bap hip hop, but at the same time I try to weave in influences from all the other types of music that  I listen to and that make me who I am.

HYPNOTICASIA: If you had to choose just one track to represent your music or to introduce your music, which would you choose and why?

I think I’d choose my song called “Clean”, which features The Grouch from the Living Legends. The reason is because I think it succeeds in making you feel the hell out of something, without having to do anything too impressive or over the top. It kind of encompasses my music in general.

HYPNOTICASIA: How did you come up with your stage name, J.Lately?

It was through a process of playing with a bunch of names and words. I wanted a name that would represent me, but wouldn’t define me. I see a lot of artists, rappers in particular, who start out with a certain name, and then go through changes where 5 years later that name doesn’t really fit them anymore. I didn’t want a name to hold me back from being able to grow and change as an artist and person. So, I chose the name J.Lately. My first name is Jeremy, so it literally means that this is Jeremy, lately. I may not be the same as I was before, and that’s ok. In fact, that’s actually the goal. Because, if I’m the same as I was the last time you saw me, then what have I really been doing with myself between then and now?

HYPNOTICASIA: What would you tell an aspiring rapper who asked you for advice?

Two things. One, are you ready to work harder for something than you’ve ever worked for anything else in your entire life? If not, then this probably isn’t for you. If yes, then I would tell you that in the process of working your ass of, make sure that you remain authentic to yourself. Take some time to really figure out what makes you you. What’s special about you, what’s unique about you, what is your perspective, what are your values, and why does that matter to people. If you can figure out how to make people fall in love with your authentic self, you just gave yourself freedom to both be who you want and be successful. If you have to make people fall in love with something that is not authentically you, then you’ve just trapped yourself into having to keep up that act for as long as you want to remain successful.

HYPNOTICASIA: Lastly, can we expect any new music being released in the 2^nd half of this year?

Yes! I’m currently in the process of releasing my new project, The Campfire EP, which is produced entirely by Trey C. We’ve already released a few singles, and the full project will be released in August. After that, there definitely be some more new music before the end of the year, I just can’t fully speak on what that will look like yet. But, it’s coming!