Jay Electronica | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Timothy Elpadaro Thedford [1] |
Also known as | Je'Ri |
Born | [2] New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | September 19, 1976
Genres | Hip Hop, R&B |
Occupations |
|
Works | |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels |
|
Children | 1 |
Website | awrittentestimony |
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah [3] [4] (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A YE L E C T R O N I C A), is an American singer and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first saw recognition with release of his debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) (2007). Its success, along with his standalone single "Exhibit C", led American rapper Jay-Z to sign Electronica to the latter's record label, Roc Nation—following a multi-label bidding war—in 2010. His debut studio album, A Written Testimony (2020), was met with critical acclaim and entered the Billboard 200 at number 12; it was followed by his second album, Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) (2020) in October of that same year. His guest performance on Kanye West's 2021 song, "Jesus Lord", marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. [5]
In 2007, Jay Electronica released his first mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) , via Myspace. It was downloaded over 50,000 times. [6] That success and his catalog led to Electronica joining the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008. [7]
Later that year, producer Just Blaze and Jay Electronica selected songs for Guitar Center's GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named "Exhibit A (Transformations)." [8]
Just Blaze would later (October 27, 2009) debut "Exhibit C" on Tony Touch's Sirius Radio program, [9] where it quickly caught on, making its way to terrestrial radio stations like New York's Hot 97 and spawning artist remixes from MCs AZ, N.O.R.E, Saigon, Joell Ortiz and others.
A bidding war ensued with Jay finally signing (November 12, 2010) with Roc Nation. Though fans and critics anticipated a full-length debut, Electronica's output in the subsequent decade consisted of several collaborations and non-album solo songs. [10]
On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter [11] the completion of his album, A Written Testimony , which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020. [12]
On October 5, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter [13] that his previously unreleased album, Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) , was available for streaming on Tidal after the album had surfaced online two days prior.
In August 2021, Jay Electronica guest featured on the song "Jesus Lord" released on Kanye West's album Donda . [14]
Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu were in a relationship for five years and have a daughter together, Mars Merkaba Thedford, who was born in 2009. [15]
Jay Electronica had an affair with Kate Emma Rothschild, the wife of Benjamin Goldsmith, resulting in the breakdown of Goldsmith's marriage. [16]
Jay Electronica is a registered member of the Nation of Islam and follower of Louis Farrakhan. [17]
On March 13, 2020, Electronica caused controversy by posting a series of bizarre Tweets, in which he claimed to have had a meeting with the Illuminati (the legendary secret society that supposedly controls all world events with the aim of creating a New World Order). The controversy arose from the fact that his tweets accused certain groups in society of being part of the Illuminati, such as the Dominicans, the Visigoths and the Jehovah's Witnesses, leading him to be accused of committing racism, religious discrimination and being a conspiracy theorist. [18]
Since March 2020, Electronica is involved in an ongoing feud with broadcaster, media personality and former rapper Joe Budden due to Budden's negative review of Electronica's debut album, A Written Testimony (in which Budden openly says that he hated Electronica's debut album [19] and that he called Electronica's debut album "A Jay-Z Mixtape"), which led to him and Budden to get involved in a heated argument that went viral on Twitter, with the two exchanging accusations against each other. [20]
The track "Ghost of Soulja Slim" from the album A Written Testimony includes a reference to the "Synagogue of Satan", a phrase pulled from Revelation 2:9 often considered as an antisemitic slur. The album also contains samples of sermons by Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader whose rhetoric has often been denounced as antisemitic. As a result, Electronica has been accused of antisemitism. [21] His verse on Noname's song "Balloons" also features numerous antisemitic dog whistles, including the Rothschild conspiracy theory, which led to controversy and criticism. [22]
Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grammy Awards [23] | 2021 | Best Rap Album | A Written Testimony | Nominated |
Cam'ron Giles, known mononymously as Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the early-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed with Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment, an imprint of Epic Records to release his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire (1998) and S.D.E. (2000); the former received gold certification by the RIAA. After leaving Epic, Giles signed with Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 to release his third studio album, Come Home with Me, the following year. It received platinum certification by the RIAA and spawned the singles "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at numbers four and three on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. His fourth studio album, Purple Haze (2004) was met with similar success and likewise received gold certification by the RIAA.
Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he first gained recognition after appearing on Jay-Z's fifth album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. The following year, he became a member of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. After releasing their debut album, Pridgen signed to Roc-A-Fella as a solo artist and began work on his debut album, Philadelphia Freeway (2003). Upon release, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical response. He released a follow-up, Free at Last (2007) to moderate reception before him and fellow State Property cohorts were dropped from the label.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' 2003 debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", reached the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Christopher Francis Ries, known professionally as Young Chris, is an American rapper. He rose to fame as one-half of the Philadelphia-based hip hop duo Young Gunz, which he formed with rapper Neef Buck in 2001. That same year, the duo joined the larger Philadelphia-based hip hop group State Property; both acts were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records by the same time.
"Roc Boys ..." is the second single from Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster. The song is produced by Skyz Muzik, Diddy and two of his producers known as LV and Sean C from his production team, The Hitmen. It features additional vocals by Beyoncé, Kanye West and Cassie. The song samples "Make the Road by Walking" by The Menahan Street Band. On December 11, 2007, Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2007.
Slaughterhouse was an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce da 5'9". They released their eponymous debut studio album independently in 2009, and signed to Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release it's follow up, Welcome to: Our House in 2012. The group disbanded in 2018.
Decon is a New York–based advertising agency and record label. Decon is known for their "Green Week" initiative for NBC Universal, which involved an installation at the 30 Rockefeller Center. Additionally, Decon has produced documentary-style profiles featuring Nissan Leaf. They were also involved in launch of the Fiat 500 in New York in the year 2011.
This is the discography of rapper Freeway.
Robert Rihmeek Williams, known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, The Bloodhoundz. He signed with T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records as a solo act in 2008, although he departed by 2011 and released no albums with the label. He then signed with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group (MMG) that same year, and rose to mainstream recognition following his performances on the label's Self Made Vol. 1 (2011) compilation album; his song "Tupac Back" served as the album's lead single, while its follow-up, "Ima Boss" entered the Billboard Hot 100.
My Name Is My Name is the debut studio album by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on October 7, 2013, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. While leading up to the album's announcement, Pusha T released the mixtape Fear of God and the EP Fear of God II: Let Us Pray during 2011, along with collaborating on the GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer. In 2013, he also released another mixtape Wrath of Caine. The album's production was handled primarily by Kanye West, along with several producers, including Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, Hudson Mohawke, Sebastian Sartor, Don Cannon, Swizz Beatz, Rico Beats, Mano and Nottz. It also features guest appearances from Rick Ross, Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Future, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown and Kendrick Lamar, among others.
Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain is an American rapper. His mainstream breakthrough followed after his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip hop collective The House, which he formed with rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.
Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.
Khaled Mohammed Khaled, known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record producer, and record executive. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry artists to perform on singles and albums, for which he often serves as hype man. His distinctions are his booming voice presence, "motivational" abstractions, and numerous catchphrases. While his musical contribution is often questioned, Khaled's role has been described as "organization, direction, [and] promotion".
The discography of American rapper Jay Electronica consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), three mixtapes, six singles and eighteen guest appearances. His breakout project, Act I: Eternal Sunshine , was released on July 2, 2007, while his first song to appear on a chart was 2009's "Exhibit C". Electronica made his first appearance on the Hot 100 with the song "Jesus Lord" from Kanye West's album Donda in 2021.
Act I: Eternal Sunshine is the debut mixtape by American singer Jay Electronica, self-published onto MySpace on July 2, 2007. The mixtape plays as one 15-minute track, sampling five different tracks of American record producer Jon Brion's 2004 film score, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The mixtape covers a range of themes and subjects, including hip hop, Islam, and unidentified flying objects. It is notable for its lack of drums.
A Written Testimony is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It was released on March 13, 2020 through Roc Nation. The album follows the release of Jay Electronica's debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine , almost 13 years earlier. A Written Testimony was primarily recorded in 40 days, from December 2019 to February 2020. It was supported by "Shiny Suit Theory", featuring vocals from Jay-Z and The-Dream, released in November 2010 and rereleased as a single on Tidal in September 2018.
Act II: The Patents of Nobility is the second studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It released on October 5, 2020, after leaking in full the day prior, and seven months after the release of his debut album, A Written Testimony. It features guest appearances from Jay-Z, The-Dream, Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Bullitts, and LaTonya Givens.
"Shiny Suit Theory" is a song by American rapper Jay Electronica. The song features guest appearances from American rapper Jay-Z and American singer The-Dream. The song was produced by Jay Electronica, who raps about advice given to him by Sean Combs. The song is Jay Electronica's first collaboration with Jay-Z, who sent in his verse by email as an effort to sign Jay Electronica to a record deal.