Music has always been a major part of my life. Since I can remember music was always being played at my house. Whether it was Michael Jackson or Earth, Wind, and Fire it was always great vibes when the speakers were booming at my address. I wrote my first few songs when I was about 12. They weren't even rap songs, they were these really cheesy, boy-band like get ups but even then I could see my rhyming and song writing potential. A few years later when Facebook was popular I would have rap battles with other kids in my city and have our friends vote for the winner. I think I won everyone that I ever did. A close friend of mine, James (@MFSKUM), and I would sit on the phone laughing hysterically at how bad we were ripping niggas. I recorded my first song in October of 2012 (reindition of Azealia Banks' 1995) and that's where it all began. I was sixteen at the time, and known most for my photos and personality, so me rapping took a lot of people by surprise (which I looked at as a good thing). i knew it may take a while for some people to actually look at me as a hip hop artist but I was willing to face that challenge. Sixteen was a age where I didn't really know who I wanted to be around but I did know I wanted to progress with my music, and luckily I ended up around all the right people and things. I met my right hand man, Versace (@SacheeSB), a few months after recording my first track and he had to be about the chillest dude I'd ever met. We were like minded and had a common goal, making it. I live in a pretty small city so I wasn't too surprised to find that me and Sachee had mutual friends, James being one of them. Fast forward a few months into 2013, and wala the Nickel Bag Boyz were on full attack. Sachee already had developed NBB before I met him, but with our closest friends combined in a clique it only made the collective more dope. Everyone was bringing something to the table, whether it be an artistic or athletic skill (and by athletic I mean skating lol). I was motivated daily by my team to keep making and pushing my music, and that's what I did. After recording a few more singles to original beats, I met another local artist who I also had mutual friends with, K' Lee. K' Lee already had a buzz around the city for his music, so when he let me know he fucked with my music and he wanted to work together I felt beyond honored. He was not only a rapper, but also a producer and engineer. I knew he was someone that could help me take my music to the next level. We recorded Wish U Had in August of 2013, and at that point anyone who wasn't taking me seriously as a rapper was thinking twice. We continually worked together on collabs, his project, and my project. Our vibe and energy was always on the same page, so making music together seemed effortless almost. In December of 2013 I released my first project entitled Upstation. I named it Upstation because I'm from Rochester, NY which is upstate of NY. You never really hear music from anyone upstate on the radio, so this project was kind of just my way of saying "Hey, there's talent up here too". Also, every track was produced by producers in my city. So it was a completely "homemade" project. And now we're in 2014! In May Nickel Bag Boyz had their first show in Rochester and the turn out was better than expected. It was obvious we could rock a stage. Throughout this year we've done multiple other shows in our city, even getting the chance to headline some. I am currently working on a mixtape, which I plan on releasing early 2015. I am also working multiple visuals, so I'm really excited to show my fans what I've been working on and finally give them a video. My main goal as an artist is to inspire others. To be the reason other people want to make their dreams a reality would be more rewarding than anything else. I know what it's like to feel like nothing good is going to happen and I want to help kids overcome that. I don't know if I'll be like the Hollywood A-List type but I'm definitely going to be a name to know if you're talking about hip hop.
You can checkout my new music, as well as my project Upstation below
https://soundcloud.com/jah-x