By JEANETTE LENOIR
Sounding like one of the greatest in the game, Kendrick Lamar, the DMV artist known as jA.AM is still able to maintain a sense of self and originality in his music. Represented by a label he created in 2014, Forever Apex Entertainment, this headlining DC artist is stepping onto the hip-hop scene with righteous blunt rhymes and a strong disposition that screams: I’m not here to play. I’m here to deliver. And he does, beautifully.
His rhymes are infectious, thought provoking and deep. And yet, jA.AM can keep your head bobbing and body jiggling to the awesome groove of his music. He’s a bona fide talent.
Take a listen:
jA.AM, aka Joe Lyric, sounds like he’s been spitting rhymes since birth. The man is clearly a natural and easy on the ears and eyes while touching your heart, even poking at your mind. Together with his team of collaborators, jA.AM is steadily creating his generation’s music that pays homage to the forefathers of hip-hop with songs like Gotta Get It. And, keeping in line with the evolution of being unapologetically sexual in modern day society he delivers a song that can make a THOT blush. BiG Cap is not only raw and explicit, it’s creatively sexy.
NO NO is another juicy and unequivocal song that’s easy to dance to while connecting to the rhymes. We all know someone who oversteps every boundary you set, never pays you back and is a shameless leech. His song 2AM delivers another one-two punch to your endorphins while paying homage to U Street, a once culturally significant neighborhood for African Americans that is steadily being reshaped to fit perfectly into the hands of gentrification. A stark reality in a city that was once affectionately known as Chocolate City. These days, black people are barely able to maintain a piece of the DMV that’s not overrun by poverty, crime and urban decay. And, it’s all by design and systematic, making jA.AM’s place and success in his hometown a significant achievement.
Get You Some explodes like fireworks in your ears with jA.AM spitting fast rhymes that’s beautifully yoked to an equally impressive beat. This artist is definitely one to watch on his come up. Wanna get you some? Here’s how: Forever Apex. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and subscribe to his YouTube Channel to stay updated with new music releases and to listen to the full track of all their published songs. Enjoy and always support your local artists. They keep the culture alive and us moving to the ever changing beat of life.
The Last Poets Block Party in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC on May 19, 2019 was a stark reminder of the journey African Americans have walked for human rights, dignity and the freedom the Constitution highlights as a birth right for every American, despite its unequal distribution among her citizens. Hip-Hop, in many ways, is the avenue taken by those who needed a different way to protest discrimination, racism while emphasizing the value and beauty of black culture and infusing it with the power that has been systematically stripped from black people. The birth of the hip-hop movement is credited to The Last Poets: 
