Jargon was featured in the June 2014 issue of Amped Asia.
When did you start rapping and how did you start?
I started rapping around 15. I was a break dancer. I battled and performed all over the place. I was actually pretty damn good. (I can still break too btw)…. but I suffered a few injuries during football and a pretty bad fight, so I had to lay off of the dancing. That’s when I made the move to rap. I started rapping outside after school. We would have these massive circles of rappers come from all of the high schools around the area, and the whole entire parking lot would be full of kids listening in on our cyphers. After that, I joined rap battles. In my first battle I took 2nd place and won some money… I was hooked!
Because I was a dancer before that so I was always around music so, it wasn’t hard for me to make that transition.
How did you improve yourself? Your skills?
I wrote and I wrote. I have boxes and tubs full of notebooks. It got to the point, I created my own coding for writing like, for pauses, breaths, double timing… like when you record a record, and you’re reading what you wrote (which could be like weeks ago). You forget where the breaths, adlibs, stacks, and highlights go. So I devised coding for my writtens to be able to duplicate what I wrote on paper, in the studio now, I dont even write I just go into the studio and tell the engineer to let the beat play. I create records without writing now which, is a talent in its own, but it’s a lot more expensive. Studio time is no joke.
So how does that work exactly? Basically you’re just freestyling the whole song?
Freestyling with a PAUSE button, so like I could start a track out and just vibe with it and spit like 4 bars and then be like, yo go back… I wanna do that 4th over then hear what I just said, and rap along with it, change the 4th and go into the 5th. It’s a process.
No one just freestyles a full 16 or 12 it’s pieced together. Honestly though, I wish I had the time to write, I LOVE writing. its what makes me different than the rest. I take pride in my bars. Like if I do a feature on someone’s record, my goal is to never be outshined. I go in with the mentality that I have to have the hottest verse on the song. But time is limited with all that I do in my busy life. So I make do with not writing, and creating records on the fly.
Obviously rapping as a career is very difficult. Especially financially. Are you working another job to continue rapping or are you able to rap full time?
Well, I tell EVERYONE… music money is not enough, and this is coming from a guy who just received a substantial check from Cash Money records. So yes I to work. I have an IT job that I work every weekday 7 to 3pm in Downtown Chicago. And it’s a great job. My boss and coworkers support me and they come to all of my events (in Chicago) and if its out of state, they always give me the time off.
I also have a clients that hire me outside of work. Like doctors, lawyers, NFL players, and regular home computer users.
Haha hard to imagine you as an IT guy.
Yeah its nothing but jokes and pranks at my job. Its a lot of fun. If you’ve ever been in an IT environment, its a lot of immaturity which I have quite a bit of.
Why did you get a check from Cash Money?
Cash Money wrote me a check because when Tha Carter 4 mixtape was coming out (by Lill Wayne) and it was leaked.
It was the whole mixtape, all Lil Wayne, except one track. A record called “talk 2 me” which was in fact, 100% me. But after 40,000,000 views on YouTube, people still didn’t understand that it was me on the track. I had sent out the song to a couple singers for them to sing a hook and then somehow someone leaked it, and everyone thought it was Lil’ Wayne, even Universal.
I tried to fight it by putting an official video out. My team shot the vid overnight. We worked fast, we knew this could be my big break, and at this time there were a few videos out on YouTube with a picture of Lil Wayne and my song playing. So we shot the vid, had it edited, created a campaign and launched it. But 4 minutes later fans were hitting me up saying they couldn’t hear the audio.
I checked my account and it said UMG has put a claim against your video. Long story short, I had my lawyer contact Universal – and we disputed for a year or so. Finally on new years day this year I received a check from Cash Money Records which to date, is the biggest check I’ve ever received.
So I’m guessing Universal didn’t have much interest in signing you after the lawsuit.
That was kinda what took so long. Like the person I met with today is Derrel McDavid, he initially headed this operation if you will. The situation put me in good position to barter a deal, not come off like assholes trying to sue, but in the end of it all, my team thought it was best to get the money rightfully deserved for the song and proceed. A record deal wasn’t quite what I wanted anyways.
How does that make you feel to be mistaken for Lil Wayne?
That one record sounded like wayne, but the rest don’t – to me anyways. talk 2 me, was the very first time I sang, like, not just in studio but EVER. So, for my first time singing, getting compared to an artist as colossal as wayne, isn’t an insult. That record is almost 3 years old now.
Where does the inspiration come from?
The inspiration comes from WANTING TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL. Once you become good at a hobby, you then have a talent and once your talent gets attention, you then have a product. This is a business. I’m just trying to make my business more successful and more marketable than the next man and the next.. and so on. I also have a son who is my absolute best friend in the world, and he wants nothing more than to see daddy succeed. Then again, he also wants nothing less than a castle for a house and the authentic Daft Punk helmets for halloween this year. He asked if a lambo could be his first car… haha. His name is Jaden and he raps too.
What kind of message are you trying to spread with your music?
Well I’m just trying to get my foot in the damn door right now so my song messages — are like fortune cookies. They’re all gonna be different.
But the message I want to convey to my fans is every one of us makes a difference. Parents especially. We can either tell our kids “the world is an ugly place, here’s how to deal with it,” OR “the world is an ugly place, here’s how you change it” kids our the future. On a side note, I fuckin’ hate bad parents.
Who are the people in the industry you look up to?
Kanye West, Eminem, Fabolous. I like 2 chainz too… he’s entertaining
What else is in store for you?
More SINGLES and more videos, and thats all I can promise as of now. Bandz is my new single featuring Josh K. I want you guys to check that out! It’s produced by the same guy who produced Film for Nas, Little Did They Know for King Louie, and We Get High for Fabolous.
He goes by the name C-Sick the video stars RIMA from Bad Girls Club (season 9) and my dance crew TFK!
What kind of tips would you give newbie rappers or artists to get better at their craft?
Not everyone becomes great because people quit. I haven’t taken a day off since I was 15. Compare me bar to bar with another artist in my lane and you will see which vehicle has the means to reach the finish line.
Any final messages?
Yeah I just want to say thank you to you and Amped Asia for taking the time to come investigate the life of the hardest working man in Chicago! I appreciate what you guys are doing. I think Asian Americans are very reluctant to support one another here in the US, and that needs to change. We have a lot of talented people amongst us and to get that recognition from others, were gonna have to start from within.
Want more Jargon?
facebook.com/jargondyonisis
twitter.com/JargonDyonisis
youtube.com/user/grind2five
Written by kevinhype