Hailing from a musical family was only going to make J French the music artist he was to become, especially with a father none other than two-time Grammy-winning Rastafarian percussionist Brother Num. J French was proverbially born with a Djembe drum in his hands and is now a multi-instrumentalist, a lyricist and a producer, traits that fuel him when he creates, performs and teaches, as he explains:
1inmusic: Hey! So glad you could join us. We want to talk about you and especially we want to know what you think has made your music so unique?
JF: I’m a lyricist and lyricism is becoming a lost art form: that is what sets me apart from other artists in my genre. Plus I play multiple instruments, produce and write all of my records.
1inMusic: What shaped your music?
JF: 80s and 90s Hip-Hop, Jazz and Soul.
1inmusic: When did you realise you were going to make music professionally?
JF: When I was 15. When I got in the battle rap scene and I could lose, I realized how good I actually was.
1inmusic: What type of music do you listen to?
JF: Man.. Thats a big book to open lol. Hendrix, d’Angelo, Queen, Jay-Z, Big Daddy Cane… All the greats. I don’t prefer any genre.
1inmusic: Wow. What exactly gets you writing?
JF: Experiences. Getting through tough situations.
1inmusic: I am curious to know how do you prepare for your performances?
JF: I don’t. I want my audience to grow with me when I’m on stage. So I just bring out what feel like my best songs and stay in tune the crowd. I rock the crowd.
1inmusic: You area already quite the creative. Do you have any other passions?
JF: I teach and paint. I love to educate the youth and make them more excited about learning.
1inmusic: Please finish this sentence for us… Success to you is…
JF: … When my family is happy.
1inmusic: What do you wish you have been told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
JF: Learn how to own yourself.
1inmusic: Many thanks for this little tête-à-tête. Please let us and your audience know more about any upcoming projects and where to find you?
JF: I have an EP dropping in the spring called “Too A.M.” and a mixtape dropping January 1 2016 called “Massacre the Mixtape”*. You can find the Mixtape on Soundcloud, Datpiff, Hnhh, Youtube*. Its free and it’s dope.
* Please note that the music content is explicit.
