ALBUM REVIEW: JASON804 'MIND of a CHAMPION' (Pt 1)

  

The album title and the cover paints the most vivid picture, you’re viewing his vision. This multifaceted entity of a machine recently released his 12-track album, ‘THE MIND OF A CHAMPION’. Not the type to conform to standard protocol, there are no rules as JASON804 is strategically mapping out his plays. ‘Trophy’ starts the album and set the tone, as this interlude gives the sense of his ‘failure-is-not-an-option’ unspoken rule while keeping his eye on the prize.

For catchy hooks, head-bobbin’ and upbeat tracks, you’ll cater to ‘Feeling So Alive’ and the energetic ‘B.A.M’ (Bust A Move), can easily be a crowd/club favorite. JASON804 lyrical story-telling coupled with Producer, Big Boyz Music on ‘Soundtrack’ and ‘Made It Out’ took me back a bit. One can only relate to the messages along with the awesome beat. I was drawn to the spoken intro on ‘Fallen Out of Favor’ and quite satisfied as he led us deeper and opens up to voice his fears, feelings and thoughts. It's a heavy song, full of meaning....nice, it was bomb! ‘Work Major King’ were among the few that packed more heavier bass lines on the album. You can hear the drive and passion that JASON804 carries on many tracks leading up to the inspiring, “I Don’t Know How to Quit’, ‘Up All Night’ and ‘Defiance’. Defiance had substance as well. These motivating tracks give a vibe like OutKasts' 'Get up Get out and Get Somethin', laced with a dash of Diddy's 'Lets go, Lets get it' work ethic-anthem. The whole album carried that dope vibe. He says he’s humble off the mic but not to block the blessings. JASON804 shared how this was the first time he worked with only one set of producers on the whole album...S/O Big Boyz Music! Check out this interview JASON804 graced us with.

“Lights On’ is a totally different way, I never wrote a rhyme structure like that before. It’s 8 bars hook, 8 bars hook, 8 bars hook, and 4-5 verses. Most songs are 16 bars and a hook, 24 bars and a hook or another verse or structured another way. I kept throwing rhymes in there. No one ever thought to do that.” I caught up with JASON804 to discuss the album among other things in this part 1 interview.

UC: What was the premise behind Forbidden Love.

JASON804 Carey:  There’s a challenge, where the guy is trying to create one woman with two. You set yourself up for failure by just focusing on a big booty, at some point there has to be a foundation. It’s always going to be a big booty and a pretty face out there, it’s when they open there mouth is what separates them. I had the dealings where I felt I might have to cut them both and get one replacement. . I liked certain things about one (a great person) but wasn’t as physically attracted to her.

UC: Also, ‘Forbidden Love’ is the only track with a feature, Missin’ Link. How did that come about?

JC: Shout out to Missin’ Link, (from Cleveland). After I wrote the song, I finished the hook and wanted a male vocalist on it. Big Boyz Music called a friend, they bought him through. He had a dope voice, cool dude to work with, went in added his flavor and knocked it out, and came out dope. I think more people need to hear him.

UC: How many albums do you have under your belt?

JC: 7, including my street albums, this is my 4^th retail album but really my sophomore solo. I don’t believe in mix tapes. I think mix tapes are wasted music, just rapping over everybody’s beats. I approach everything like an album, so my “mix tapes” that I give away are street albums.

 

UC: Were there any challenges on the album and how long did it take to complete?

JC:  Huge challenges from the business side getting it out and schedules. You’re an independent artist but everybody have things going on in their life, you have to overcome those things and deal with them along the way. It took 6 months to record the album but a little over a year to get it out. The album came out in August but suppose to have come out back in January. Everything happens for a reason so I feel it came out when it was suppose to.

 

 

UC: I really love the title of the album. Was that a no brainer?
JC: Mind of a Champion stuck out for awhile. I had to come up with a title that sum up the album. People don’t believe in that process anymore. The color scheme, arranging the songs, and title is on purpose, everything I do is not by chance. There’s a reason and not “just because”.

UC: Anyone in the future you’d like to collab with?

JC:  Would love to collab with Redman. Do a couple songs with Kanye, on both sides. Spittin’, and the artistic view of it…doing videos, that’s the homie. I think we have some similar though processes (genius intertwine) and I think Eminem is the best ‘skilled’ rapper. I’m talking, coming in embodying a song cadence and word play. And before he got hot, when his dreads were short, Titi boy, aka 2 Chainz. Go back and listen to some DTP, he always use to rock. I got a partner who says “Before anybody said he was hot, J-boy said, ‘that’s the dude’. 

UC: Favorite tracks on the album, if you had to pick, why?

JC:  ‘Made It Out’ and ‘Fallen Out of Favor’. Those are really personal and really emotional. On Made It Out, I sing the hook in 3 parts. On ‘Work Major King’ there’s like a King lead chant- in the background, in the hook- to symbolize horns playing, that’s me.

UC: Do you use that same mental process when recording or writing?

JC:  To a point, yes. The songs and emotions are real. I always say it’s like alphabet soup in my head, I’m just waiting for the beat to come to pull it all out. It’s in my head to write but the methodology to it, I write and record a lot like an editor. I hear the adlibs and also record like a performer. I put it down, catchy things that people would repeat back as I’m performing it. Or think ‘this will sound dope when we mix it and drop the beat out’.

I may say and chose certain words on purpose because I know how it’s gonna sound to the listener. I’m thinking a few steps ahead when writing. It’s several ways to say things, it’s just the art of an MC. Hat, cat, bat… that’s easy. I don’t want to be too difficult but Wu Tang days… lol, sound like they read the dictionary for some wordplay, they my boys. A lot of rappers back in the day seem like they threw in some words in there. I’m like, those words you threw in there and put together meant nothing together, so you were going nowhere.

My homeboy says you’re the first rapper use Bunsen burner in a rap, like the nerd in you. Talk about the blue flame is the hottest part of the flame coming out of the Bunsen burner. I was talking about my heart being the blue part of Bunsen burner. On ‘Mind of a Champion’ sometimes I rap like in a structured sentence and sometimes I don’t, I’m from Richmond.

UC: What message do you want people to walk away with after hearing MOAC?       

JC:  In my song ‘Soundtrack’ I say “I hope you can see you and me can do this”. There is a set of tools that they can get everything they need to succeed and excel. It’s really a mentality that can change whether you just exist to be ordinary or excel to be extraordinary. I want them to grasp that and inspire them to be better. I guess that’s the engineer in me as well. It’s always going to be something to do, that’s my drive. I don’t believe in idol time even if sitting in front of the tv, I’m still on a computer, tablet etc. In my upbringing my mama use to say “you always got something to do.”

UC: Any advice for someone talented, very hungry but new in the rap game?
JC:  First of all know where they want to go. Define your brand. JASON804 is a brand; you may hear me say that all the time. When you see or hear it you know what you’re going to get. It’s a brand you can stand behind just like Kleenex or Xerox. People need to define that for themselves. They ask me ‘what do you do?’…I do everything. They ask ‘who do you sound like?’…I sound like me. That’s stupid. I do music; who would they put you on the shelf next to? Next to Nelly, Kanye, Big Sean, Lupe Fiasco. Anybody that listens to these guys will probably listen to me.
 

UC: Where can they find you?

JC: JASON804live.com

       JASON804 (Instagram)

       JASON804 (Twitter)

       JASON804 (Pinterest)

       JASON804 (Myspace)

       JASON804 (KiK)

       Reverbnation.com/JASON804

       Facebook.com/JASON804BRAND

Basically everything JASON804 (laughter)

UC: Any last words?

JC: JASON… CAP CITY! Remember that, that’s my phrase.

 

Make sure to pick up the album, available on every digital music site/store (Amazon, ITunes, and Rhapsody etc.) or go to www.JASON804live.com. There's many levels to this artist so be sure to look out for my part 2 Exclusive, on the man behind the JASON804 Brand.

 

(L) JayHova EightNine Chambers,  Sonya (Urban Crush), JASON804, and Gary DjGenius Brooks        

                 

 

A few pics from JASON804 Album Release Party Event. Shout out to:

JayHova EightNine Chambers, IBNX Radio,T-Mo Goodie (Goodie Mobb), Sunde' Marie, John J, Gary DjGenius Brooks and everyone who I've talked to who came out to support JASON804, The Mind of a Champion.

Did you buy or hear the album yet? What do you think?

*****Pics: JASON804 (FB), Album release party pics: Urban Crush*****

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