Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Jestoneart is without a doubt an immense talent and a superb artiste of the highest caliber. Amongst serious underground heads, Jest is mostly known for his exceptional (yet rather silent) offerings to the Atoms Family Collective. He has also appeared in the fascinating Def Jux Documentary! This interview provides a captivating plunge into his indistinct realm.
Hello Jest, how have you been? What's good?
Just Chillin' man. Tryin' to hold my head and keep it movin'.
Please introduce yourself to our readers. Give us some background information.
I am the Jestoneart. One of the 8 remaining members of the crew known as Atoms Family. If you don't know, Atoms in the mothership for different artists like Cannibal Ox, Hangar Eighteen, The Crytic one, DJ Cipone, and my project, The ParadoxicalState. The ParadoxicalState's first full length album, Darkcity is dropping this fall on CP Records / DaybyDay Entertainment.
Why have you chosen the moniker 'JESTONEART'?
Damn, that's a long boring story. In short, I was given the name jester by my coach in junior high school because back then, I found everything funny. I was a clown, you know? I used to write back then (Graffiti), so I used the name jester or jestone. When I realized that there were like 50 cats using the name jest/jestone, I changed my name full name to Jestoneart. I adopted the ESQ in my name because ESQ is what I do by day.
How did you get into music? How old were you at the time? How would your life (very likely) take shape, if you haven't got into music?
I have always been into music. Growing up in Flatbush Brooklyn, you had no choice but to be up on Hip-Hop. I grew up listening to Dub and Hip-Hop. I was basically listening to Hip-Hop for as long as I can remember. But I wasn't an Emcee, just a listener. Due to some shit that I was involved in when I was young, my folks moved me to Long Island to - I guess - save my life from the streets. I met Crytic in Long Island (around 1991). He was already rappin' and making tracks. I started writing raps after I met him. He showed me how to put beats together. But basically, I've been Emceen' ever since I met Cryptic.
What did you get into initially - producing or emceeing? Can you distinguish what you enjoy the most? Which one of these channels of communication allows you to reach a greater level of self expression?
I started rhyming first. I never really touched beat making until a few years after I started rhyming. Basically, there was a point in time when I hated Hip-Hop. I hated everything from the raps to the tracks that were commin' out at that time. So, I started makin' my own shit. I started conceptualizing what I would like Hip-Hop to sound like, and then I started making it the way I wished it would sound. That's when I started producing my own tracks. The crazy shit is that I started making albums only so that I could listen to them by myself in my car. So, I have tons of unreleased music that I'll probably never put out.
I'm an emcee first, a producer second. Rappin' allows me to reach a higher level of expression definitely. There was a time that I only wanted to make tracks, but then I started writing for my album, Darkcity. That's when I realized that I have a lot of shit to say and it ain't gonna be said through production.
Do you collect music? How many Vinyl/CDs do you own? What genres of music do you listen to? What's your musical preference?
Man, I collect a lot of different stuff. I own a lot of CDs, collect vinyl every now and then. When I go diggin', I usually look only for old-old school dub reggae albums. Most of my music is inspired by old dub shit. My number one choice of music right now, and for the past few years, is Drum n Bass. Dub-influenced Drum n bass rollers. I spin Drum n Bass too. So, Most of the wax I buy is Drum n Bass. Hip-Hop would be my second love. But, Hip-Hop is getting played. Too much raps about rims and dumb shit that the ghetto is outta touch with. Plus, every rapper has beef with some other rapper, but even battle raps between these emcees gotta have some mention of materialistic shit that's off the subject. Hip-Hop is over-saturated whole lot of puffin', talk shit, Ice cream truck tracks with over-synthesized sounds, and weak raps. I'm just watchin' Hip-Hop fall from the outskirts.
What is your perspective on sampling? Do you base the lion's share of your music on sampling?
In my opinion, Hip-Hop ain't shit without samples. Most of my music has samples, but mostly just sample sounds. I don't do too much looping. It's funny though, a good loop always makes the best tracks.
I use one sound module (Mo Phatt) for bass lines. I use a synthesizer only for the keyboard, so that I can play the sounds that I sample... Other than that, I tend to stay away from synth cuz it makes my music sound too clean. If the track ain't muddy I won't feel it.
Do you use synthesizers? What do you work with, equipment/software wise?
I use the EPS 16, Mo phatt sound mod, and Adobe Audition program (formally known as Cool Edit) for sequencing/recording. I'm scared to start venturing into high-tech equipment. I try to keep it simple. In my opinion, the more equipment one gets - the wackier his beats become. It's a trend I've been noticing lately. I guess the equipment makes men lazy.
How would you describe your high school years? Were you a good student?
My school years were crazy. I used to bug-out and not take the shit seriously. I preferred drawing in class rather than doing work, that is, whenever I would show up for class. All I wanted to do was bone and draw. So my grades fell off. After a couple of ass-whoopins from my pops, I realized that all I had to do was get good grades and look like I'm a good student on paper and he'd leave me alone. So I started getting good grades to keep my pops off my back and my knucklehead shit got worse. I was getting A's. At the same time, my name would be tagged on walls and desks everywhere. I would still be doing burners and gettin' into anything and everything that would get a niggah into trouble, but I mastered that art of not getting caught and my grades stayed good. In fact I realized that if I kept getting good grades, I would no longer "fit the description," which would allow me to get away with even more shit. So I became a "good student" (on paper).
I know that you studied Law in College, tell us about that as well... What made you choose Law as your main area of expertise?
Yeah, I studied Law, graduated from law school and the whole shit. I chose to get into law when I was trying to start a Hip-Hop magazine back in the day. The magazine was dope. But, our lawyers screwed us and we ended up losing everything because of them. If I knew the law back then, I could have protected myself. But, I relied on my lawyers, who were doing dumb shit behind my back. So many people have stories about how they were screwed by some attorney. So, I decided that I was gonna be my own lawyer, or at least educate myself on the law to prevent MF's from taking advantage of me when I decided to make moves. Went to Law School, Graduated, passed two Bar Exams. Now you can't tell me sheeeeeeeeeit...
Please give us some insights regarding your beatmaking process. Can you share some tips/tricks with our readers?
Yeah, start sampling again!!! Stop buying and using mutha fuggin synthesizer drums and start chopping up breakbeats, for christ sake. This ain't disco!!! I can't say much for tips and tricks. Everyone makes tracks their own way, but be more creative. Leave the Fruity Loop presets alone, please!!!! I can't stand Fruity Loop tracks. By the way, we can tell when you use Fruity Loops, so stop it! You niggas should be ashamed of yourselves.
What's your individual approach to emceeing?
My individual approach to emceeing? I grab the mic and rhyme about what I'm feeling at the time. I never rhyme according to a concept. I just write according to my mood. When my mood is dark, I rhyme at my best. When I'm happy, I don't go near the mic.
What do you look for in a beat?
Darkness; I look for the right drum track. I love a snare that hits the track right. I like dubby basslines. What I look for, is a feeling I get in my stomach when I hear a phat track. It's almost like a depressed fight or flight feeling. I want it to hurt when I write rhymes.
I hate corny samples. I hate tracks designed to "make it clap." I hate tracks that don't make statements on their own. I hate synth drums. I hate it when dudes send me a demo filled with beats that have overly-weirdo shit going on in them and in the background. I hate ice-cream truck sounding beats... You know, the type of beat where the snares sound like soda cans bangin', with a card board box kick, and some wack synth horn repeating itself in the background. Most of all, I hate it when niggas use hand claps instead of snares.
Will Hip-Hop stand the test of time?
Yeah. That's the beauty of it all. After the bling shit is gone from Hip-Hop, and the next best thing comes along and leaves Hip-Hop fending for itself again, there will always be an underground. The underground emcees will keep it movin'. Hip-Hop is a culture and cultures outlive time. I once heard a dude say the break dancing and graf is played out. That's how you can spot a "fadist." How the "F" does a culture get played out?
Tell us about Paradoxical States...
P.States started off as me and Dekoy, just making instrumentals. We just did tracks for Atoms fam and some other underground groups. That's all we wanted to do at first.
After September 11th, Dekoy's job and my school and job were "under the rubble" of the World Trade Center. So for about a month and a half, while we were waiting to be relocated, we had nothing to do. I started writing to relieve my stress. Dekoy stopped making trip hop and started making more aggressive beats to relieve his stress, I guess. So we started recording Darkcity, Pstate's first solo album. The album is all about pain.
The ParadoxicalState is more of a lifestyle and the way I live, rather than the name of a group. I live a totally different lifestyle by night than I do by day. Shit is bizarre actually. By day I'm a "professional." After hours, I could give a fuck about my job. All I wanna do is write, make beats, spin Drum n Bass, break (on occasion), get toasty, and get into mischief. In fact, at night, I don't even acknowledge what I do during the day. When cats ask me what I do, I tell 'em that I'm an artist... A painter... Shit's bugged out.
Give us some details on your upcoming release: "Dark City"!
Darkcity is the ParadoxicalState's first full length project. The album has 20+ tracks. The project started on September 11th 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade. I was there that day and I saw a lot of things that affected me mentally. So DarkCity was the product of those visions. After the attack, I found myself walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to get back to Bed Stuy. When I looked across the water into the City, the shit was covered with a black cloud. The City was dark. At night, it looked like a black hole. That black hole eventually became my mental prison for a while. I was mad as fuck back then, but I didn't know who to be mad at. I was depressed. I spent a month at home because we couldn't return to the area. I had nothing to do. So I began to write. This is where the name "DarkCity" came from. But, DarkCity refers to my mood; it doesn't mean New York or anything like that. When I'm below mind state I say that "I'm in Darkcity".
What does the future hold for you?
Will rap for food.
What's your biggest dream?
My dreams don't extend past getting this damn album released. Seriously, I ain't got dreams. I just struggle to exist on a daily basis.
What's your opinion of Hip-Hop's present phase?
A Cot-Dammed Shame.
If the world was going to be annihilated in 12 hours, how would you spend your last minutes on this planet?
Do I have 12 Hrs or just a few last minutes? The difference is major. Anyways, back in the day when they used to ask this question, I used to say dumb shit like "I'd spend my last day up inside some chicks." Now that I'm a bit older and wiser, I can't really fathom being horny during Armageddon. So, I'd probably spend the last few minutes baked and praying.
5 records to listen to when you: wake up, travel by train, make love, daydream, fall asleep.
- Madvillany
- Anything off of BassBin Records (Drum n Bass)
- DarkCity (the get-baked album of the year)
- Lenzmen (The Scientific Community Album)
- Cryptic's upcoming album (the shit's good')
Shit, I read so many law books that I don't want to see any other books when I get done. I haven't read for fun in years. The last book I read was art of war, and pedagogy of the oppressed (good pre- revolution reading).
Please express your opinion (freestyle writing):
- UFOs: I have one in my yard in Bed Stuy. I use it to trap rats.
- The Bible: God is my most bestest friend in the whole wide world.
- The State Of Black Women Today: (things to say if you wanna piss a black girl off) Get those issues cleaned up before you diss me for dating that white chick. I love my black sistas, I'm just with her for the pussy. It's your fault that we be datin' white chicks anyways. Why can't I just date whoever makes me happy? No, it's not because she gives head.
- Formal Education: Get one.
- MTV: Fuck em.
- Africa: Black Hawk Down. No amount of technology can stop a frustrated black population from whoppin that imperial ass.
- Life On The Streets: Will swallow you whole.
- Atoms Family: When are y'all gonna put out that album y'all been talkin' about for the last 10 years?
- Higher State Of Being: Can be acquired for 10 dollars or less on many street corners in Brooklyn.
- Sex: Want it right now.
- Jazz: Pharaoh Sanders.
- Demons: I walk amongst them during the day. So, at night I flirt with vice.
- Poetry: There's a thin line between poetic and pathetic. Too many poets, not enough poetic.
