Jelani

1- Tell us a little about yourself.

What's up y'all? I go by the name of Jelani, fly guy and MC extraordinaire. I'm the son of the legendary Dapper Dan and I was born and raised in Harlem, USA. Right now I'm 22, still in college, and I've got an album done and coming out soon called "Wait, You Can Rap?!?!", which features my lead single "The Proposal" that was produced by my man 6^th Sense (Notherground Music/Rawkus 50). Some of you might have already heard of me through the buzz that the single is generating online, but if you haven't, you soon will. Google me. Shout to Teyana Taylor (laughs).

2- How do you feel about the state of hip hop right now?

I mean, I love the fact that Hip Hop is making the registers ring, albeit mostly ringtones, but I'm disappointed in the lack of exposure for the many varieties of Hip Hop artists that exist. The market is so fickle now that people who used to get a shot circa '96 don't really get that chance in 2008. But on the flipside, thanks to the internet there's been a lot growth and some would say, preservation of the culture. Also, I really wish that we could bring emphasis back to the live show; I think it'd be a great thing for Hip Hop both financially and culturally. Mainly due to the fact that it would really show that the art form is still alive and can still generate an excitement amongst the people. Especially the ones who love searching for that new artist on the verge. Who knows, one day maybe we could even see something like a Warped Tour but for Hip Hop.

3- How would you classify your music?

As having lots of integrity: I mean what I say and I never waste words in rhymes. Every conjunction, breath, or pause in my cadence is a well calculated event. The way I see it, recordings are intended to last forever, so I want to be able to stand by my recordings with pride on any given day, whether I'm 22 or I'm 62. And I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but I feel strongly that you're hard pressed to find a Jelani song or guest verse that you don't like, or at least respect; be it my approach or my cadence. I think the difference with me is that I take my craft very very seriously and I've also put lots of time into studying the art of songwriting. From growing up on the Hip Hop legends around my Father, to going to Prep School and being exposed to rock favorites like Bob Dylan, and Lenon & McCartney as a tandem, then hitting College and getting my hands on everything under the sun in a quest to master different styles of expression and approaches to songs. So to answer your question, I blend all those influences of how to write a great song with my personality to produce music that feels natural to the soundscape at hand. I sound comfortable on any beat and can address any topic; it's the art of conversational rapping but flowing like water. RIP B.I.G.

4- Have you worked with any major producers?

In terms of "major" producers, no I haven't. The bulk of my work has been done with 6^th Sense, Frequency, & Ryan Durkin who are all certified animals in their own right. But I do have a dream list of producers that I'd like to work with, so hopefully I'll see that come fruition in the near future.

5- How much money would it take to push a Jelani album? Give us
some numbers like 20,000 marketing, 10,000 radio promotion, 30,000 video etc.?

I think digital is the way to go in 2008. That said, marketing, radio promo, video, and touring budgets would be my top priorities. I'd obviously take whatever I can get to "work" a record in the right way, but in order to make it do what it do I could make waves with $25,000 to market, $20,000 to sneak onto the Radio scene, somewhere around $15, 000 for videos, and the tour budget would depend entirely on sponsorship opportunities, which I'm still looking for by the way, so if you're reading this and want to have a sit down: let's do some business!

6- What would you change about hip hop right now?

Well for one I would like to see more programs on TV catered to the tastemaker demographic. I feel like there are places that exist for that niche online, but if it were widespread on well publicized TV then we could really see the birth of an interesting change in Hip Hop. Another thing I'd like to see is the death of this whole beef thing. It's 2008: let's make music, better our situations, and set an example for those who'll follow us. You gotta think like.. we had good Hip Hop growing up, but you got kids in elementary school now who are growing up on some real bullshit quite frankly. And that bothers me because if they never get exposed to good music they'll just perpetuate what they were force-fed to believe was "hot". It makes you think about what things will be like when guys my age are well into their 30s.

7- Who do you have in your mp3 player?

Funny you should ask that because I don't own an mp3 player (laughs). I guess it's one of those weird artist things but I like to be in tune with my environment when I'm on the go. I always feel like I might miss something if I'm caught up in Track 8 on so & so's album. However, when I travel back and forth to school and to shows etc I use the mp3 player on my BlackBerry, either that or a CD player. And usually what I'm playing is a new mix of a track we're working on but for listening pleasure I'd say Common, The Roots, Yeezy, Talib, Slum Village, and Little Brother. Then I keep the legends in Jay, Nas, & BIG on constant repeat. Constant repeat (laughs). I'm also in tune with the younger wave of lyricists on the scene too though, such as Lupe and others. Basically I do my best to keep my finger on the pulse of what's hot on the blogs. Not only am I a huge fan of the music and want to hear what's new, but for me it's also like being a CEO and reading the Wall Street Journal everyday: I wanna know what's going on.

8- If you could change hip hop, how would you change it or would you?

I could go on and on about this but I think the younger generation needs to step up to bat. People who are around my age who feel the way I feel and also make music should step to the plate and do what they want to see done. Plain and simple. I hate when people say "blahzay blah should've made an album like this" or "he should do songs like that". If you make music, achieve your expectations! 9 times out of 10 the artist that people are commenting on is 30+ years old so it's time we carry the torch, change starts with the youth. We need new leaders.

9- Do you mix your music with any other genre?

In terms of crossing over into other genres, that's something I'm capable of and have done before, both in College and in High School. But as of right now I'm sticking to Hip Hop. Be clear though: I'll sample anything from any genre, chop it up and bring it into Hip Hop. And even though I love all types of music, and I mean that, you probably won't find me doing the Steven Tyler thing (laughs).

10- How can your fans contact you?

Fans can reach me at MySpace.com/JelaniMusic and they can also reach out to the Notherground Music Blog at Notherground.Blogspot.Com. If you hit me up, I'll hit you back. No egos here, life's too short to be sour. Oh, and before I go, be sure to check me out in the College Nationals Music Championship too: Contest.CMJ.com/Votes. Peace.