Q). Hows things with you? 

Things couldn't be better!! In life I'm in a great space and in music I'm in a great spot. I've been working on music for the past year after a long hiatus and the response I've been getting is absolutely overwhelming! I feel amazing!

 

Q). Where did the whole Jus Daze journey all begin?

Well it all started the night my mom and my dad.....ohhhh you meant like the music journey right? LOL (I know, I know!) The whole Jus Daze journey really started when I was a young lad (as y'all say) and I just loved freestyling. I never had instrumentals so I'd rhyme over everyone else's beats WHILE they were rapping on it lol. That eventually led to me becoming good enough to spit among people in the parks, school, etc. and I ended up battling. Battling was different then, you had to be able to freestyle and it was a part of being an MC. To me, in order to consider yourself an MC you HAD to battle. I think that's the mentality of most NYers but anyway, it started there and I started to battle widely around Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx where people would put up money that I'd win and off of that, I made a name for myself. Oh, I should mention, I used to weigh 500 lbs and walk with crutches so when I battled I wasn't at any advantage, especially back then we didn't live in a "I need to accept everything" type of world. Battling was secondary to me, it was always just a skill under the billfold of abilities needed to have in order to be respected as an MC. So eventually I ended up competing in competitions around the city, the Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest, Warp Tour, RhymeCal, EOW, among others and ended up winning the MC Challenges, competitions, and tourneys. Fast forward even further and I ended up battling in a league called GrindTime Now, currently called "GTX" and blazed through competition making a name for myself there. I ended up battling on KOTD and other platforms as well, all in pursuit of pushing my music further and it worked! While I was actively battling and putting out music independently, I also learned a lot about the business behind the scenes and helped put together some of the largest Hip Hop/Battle Rap events, leagues, and platforms the city has seen but that's another story for another day.

 

Q). Your E.P ‘Runtz & Rants’ is available now. Tell us more about that? 

Runtz & Rants is the follow up to "Raps & Rants" which I released earlier in the year. "Raps & Rants" is the culmination of what I've been doing for the past few years just ranting about certain topics, rapping about current issues, and finally materializing into an album. Runtz & Rants came about through a sponsorship with Supersonic and ended up being a typical Jus Daze album in a sense that yes, it's full of conscious, lyrical rap BUT infused with a twist of vibe-driven, smoked out beats. (Side Note: I quit smoking for over 12 years so the past two albums I put out have been under the influence of smoking weed, which I MISSED GREATLY!!! I quit as a personal choice, no reason behind it.) So back to R&R lol, I tap into the trap rap and commercial flows I possess, which earlier was something I didn't do. I guess I was too afraid of what people thought and didn't care enough about how I felt about the music. These days I just make music that feels "right" if you know what I mean. I appreciate everyone who's given a spin to both projects and I'm really happy with how far it's spread out to the masses.

 

Q). Whats it like being in the studio with Jus Daze?

There's lots and lots of smoke lol. Whether it be inside the booth, outside the booth, in the waiting area, WHATEVER lol but if you're in the studio with me, you're getting high! And it's funny because I was the only one in all the previous sessions I was in that DIDN'T smoke, so it's quite a switch but other than that, I'm really work driven. I like to go into the studio knowing what I'm doing first but sometimes the best sessions come from ideas on the spot. Typically  I get real serious and meticulous when it comes to the music. I literally listen to the playback squinting to hear if there's any imperfections and over the years, I totally respect the whole process of making music more. I've taken everything I know and learned to become a better artist. When and IF you're around the right individuals, it's like being in a tag-team match with the right partner, when you're spent or ready to tap out, they're going to tag in and carry the match until you catch your second wind. Luckily this past year I've been blessed to be around that type of energy and as a result, my creativity feels endless!

 

Q). How would you describe your sound?

This is a really tough question to answer because I'm not sure if I have a sound per se but I think I embody New York. My sound is New York, which in 2022 means I hit a bunch of different elements but ultimately I feel as though I capture the essence of Hip Hop in my songs.  If you've ever been to New York you know it's more like its own country with its own subculture within the boroughs, as opposed to just a state in the US. Most people would call me a battle-rap mc but in the same breath, there's a stigma attached to battle rappers in a sense that they can't make music, so I don't quite fit in there. I don't fit in with the "street" rap because even though I keep it street in my rhymes, I also keep it conscious, which means you can't label me a conscious rapper either but I'm also not a backpacker so let's just go with that New York sound!

 

Q). Is there anybody who you would love to do a track with? 

No one in particular that I can think of. I'm currently loving the people and producers I'm working with and the music is happening organically. I think this is why I'm making the best music of my career. Like I mentioned earlier, not really thinking too much and just going with the flow captures a moment, which is what music is intended to do so whatever opportunities continue to come up I'll happily embrace but as of right now, there's no one on my radar.

 

Q). Who is your biggest influence? 

This is a very broad question because right away I wonder whether you mean musically or just in life in general but keeping with the theme of music, I have a few....by far the BIGGEST influence/MC to inspire me was Biggie, hands down. I even had a wall in my room dedicated to him with magazine clippings, graffiti, posters, album inserts, etc. I felt like he embodied NY and he also knew how to make songs, melodically, lyrically, and with a message and substance. To me, all those things mattered and they STILL DO. 

 

Q). Why did you choose to get into the music industry? 

For the music. Literally just for the music.  You can keep everything else about the industry, I'm not a fan of it to be honest and in these instances less is more so I'll just keep it at that.

 

Q). What would you say is your biggest achievement in music so far? 

There's LOTS from commercial/movie credits, to TV/Radio appearances, etc. but to ME the biggest achievement is being able to stand out (literally) among 8.4 million people in my city. Everyone in NY knows someone who raps or who raps themselves, so to be recognized worldwide for it? That's a HUGE achievement. What's the saying? If you can make it here you can make it.....yeah, you know how it goes!

 

Q). What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

I still have a ton of unreleased new music and I'm working on a few projects with different people, both stateside and worldwide right now so as for release dates, I'm not sure but I know there's plenty more in the chamber to be released! I'll probably release another single around my birthday in November and drop a teaser to some of the new projects coming in 2023.

 

Q). Do you have any social media for new fans to follow you?

Yes, the primary social media I use is IG. I have Twitter and FB as well but I really don't use them frequently so if anyone wants to follow and support hit me up on IG @JusDaze !!!