Interview: J Styles on religion, race, and the universal power of music

GroundSounds recently caught up with the Bay Area’s J Styles, a young up and coming MC with a message about religion, race, and the universal power of music.
Where did you get the name J Styles?

It’s actually a long story, I used to produce a show for a public access station in San Francisco called AZN Style Video Network (ASVN) and my original MC name was Jimmy C, then it evolved to Jimmy Styles, then it went to J Styles. I like J Styles. 

What inspired you to pursue music?

At the end of the day, I know GOD made me an artist. My art was writing when I was growing up, I kept to myself and I would express myself through writing and I would write a lot of poems. I can’t draw for sh*t but I can write.                                                   

I always had a thing for music and I was always able to sing so I joined my church’s worship band doing back-up vocals 2 years ago and it was serving on the band I was able to learn how to properly write and compose songs.

I love hip-hop music, because a hip-hop track is like a poem with a beat to it. I always wanted to produce an album, so 2 years ago I did just that. The album was titled “Who I Am” it had 7 tracks, and ever since then I kept on writing and performing and fine tuning my sound. There’s not a day I don’t think about writing something.

What was your experience like on the DOI Tour/IES?

It was an experience I’ll never forget! Big shout out to Timothy Rhyme and 60 East for putting it all together. It was the win I was able to get some more media exposure and gave me the added confidence to keep on pushing as an emcee. I was able to go to IES in So. Cal, the Independent Entertainment Summit where I met a lot of talented musicians that gave me the added motivation to grinding. It was also an eye opener to the business side of the music industry. 

Are there certain challenges or issues you face as an Asian rapper in Hip-hop?

Actually no, I never experienced any challenges being an Asian rapper. If anything, I see it as an advantage since you hardly see any Asian rappers out there, so they pay a lot more attention to me. I like the attention.

I’m also bilingual, so I can rap in Chinese/Cantonese and wrote a few tracks that are doing pretty well. I look at it, I can potentially make it as an emcee in US and in Asia. Asian people love hip-hop man!

I’m always the only Asian rapper at these events, so I definitely stand out. They haven’t seen an Asian emceee like me before. After every performance, I get a lot of props and I always appreciate the compliments, plus I also sound different from everyone else. 

Music is universal, so it don’t matter the color of your skin. 

What is the Bay Area music scene like now? 

The Bay is a very diverse place, you have rock, folk, electronic, and hip-hop. The bay definitely have a lot of talented emcees, we’re more spread out though from the east, south, and north bay. It’s also a smaller community compared to So. Cal. You can listen to a lot of Bay Area hip-hop and r&b artist on KCSF radio Da Maddhouze show online on the tunein radio app.

How would you describe your music?

Electronic, hip-hop, club, and up beat.

Who are some of your influences?

 Musically, it’s Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Kendrick Lamar, and Hillsong, but overall it’s Jesus. 

What’s coming up next for you (albums, videos, tour ect.) ?

I just released 2 new singles called “Do You Really Know Me” and “Obama-Nation.” 

I’m working on a mixtape and looking to compete and perform at more shows.  I’m also looking into auditioning for Team Back Pack in 2015. Hopefully, I can tour with the DOI tour also. If anything, my fans can always expect more music and shows in the future.

Who would you most like to collaborate with? 

 It’s tough to say, they’re so many talented musicians out there. If I were to choose, I would choose people that’s not known for hip-hop, such as Taylor Swift, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii and see what kind of music we can produce.