A true artist must be willing to experiement with strange sounds and be different. Our recent discovery Jasz is very different and puts it all into his own unique sound. We had a chance to sit down with ham and attempt to find out what makes him tick. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, where did the name Jasz come from?
Jasz derives from my actual name; my first name starts with an “A,” my middle name starts with a “J,” and my last name starts with an “S” and ends with a “Z.” If I replace the order of the “J” from my middle name and the “A” from my first name but keep the “S” and “Z” from my last name you get “Jasz”
Your sound is quite unique. How would you describe it?
I don’t think I have a specific sound. I pride myself on being versatile and experimenting with different ideas. If I had to describe it, I’d describe it as me, you hear me vent my flaws and match it perfectly with the instrumental, from there on it’s a matter of preference.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
I can’t say that certain artists have had more influence over my music than others. I just love music man I’ll listen to any and every genre, so that’s tough to say. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Sting and the Beatles though.
Massachusetts is well known for being a hub for underground music, particularly punk. What is the local hip-hop scene like right now?
The love for the music is there, the Hip-Hop scene out here isn’t where it could be though. Everyone starving to get the music out, there are a lot of talented people out here that get overlooked unfortunately. It’s more about who you know, or are related to, and less about showcasing your talent. I’m not saying that the people that are getting put on are non- talented, and all the ones that are not getting put on are the talented; I’m saying that the person that could put us on the map next to Atlanta, LA, Chicago, NY etc is out here, just gotta find them, let him cook, and watch them make it happen….
Rumor is that you are quite the perfectionist. Take us through your songwriting process?
Yeah I am, as cliché as it sounds want to be one of the greats. I’ll put the time in the gym so hopefully one day my jersey can be the rafters too. As far as my writing process, it varies. If I get the instrumental first I listen to it for a feeling, a familiar feeling. That’s actually how I pick out my subject matter. Whenever I hear a beat that I like it brings me back to a certain time in my life where I have felt that way before; as the picture starts to form in my head I start to create the song. It could be a situation from years ago, yesterday or even something I foreshowed, but it’s that familiar feeling that I choose to follow and write about.
I might conjure up the words before I get the instrumentals or the other way around. Sometimes I’ll go in the booth and freestyle throughout the whole song, then take out what I don’t like and replace it with content that I do. Other times I’ll sit there and write the entire track or freestyle some of it and write the rest of it and vice versa so it really does vary depending on the song.
What do you hope that listeners get from a Jasz track?
Honesty, bars, and phenomenal production haha.
What advice would you have for other rising artists?
Keep being you and keep grinding and remember; you only fail if it doesn’t sound right to you. You could pull up from half court and they’ll ridicule you………..until the hear the swish.
What is next for Jasz?
Great music, more awards shows, more performances, more interviews, more radio stations, and spreading peace and love.
Find more Jasz at http://www.slumdoggmusic.com/
