J-Live should not be selling on Bandcamp. He should be booming out of stereos around the world. He should be forced to stay fresh in old shit, he should be rocking the latest gear and flyest shoes. But then, if he did, we wouldn’t get a song like “Old Shit,” in which he brags about being able to look nice in 5-year old clothes and how he can live within his income: “It ain’t how much you make, it’s how much you keep.” You have to wonder if more rappers shared his philosophy, wouldn’t the world be better off?
Isn’t art about being an example and making a statement, not preening and making money?
I think so.
And J-Live is a true artist. Buy his latest and support a truly progressive voice in hip hop who is able to be smart, real, humble, powerful, and hilarious. All at the same time.
