Jayden Yen Dumont (born February 24, 2006), known professionally as Jaydes (stylized in all lowercase), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and songwriter. He gained popularity in the underground hip-hop scene in the early 2020s from social media and streaming platforms such as TikTok and SoundCloud.
Dumont began writing music after he switched to online learning in high school, starting his music career on SoundCloud under the name Evvls soon after. He is credited with the support of the popularization of the PluggnB genre in 2021. Dumont released his breakthrough EP Romanticism in 2022 and his debut studio album Ghetto Cupid in 2023.
Early life
Jayden Yen Dumont was born on February 24, 2006, in Pompano Beach, Florida. His father is of Haitian descent, while his mother is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Dumont's father was an R&B artist. As a child, Jaydes' parents often played Jodeci and Erykah Badu around the house.[1] He grew up with a passion for music, and started playing and writing music. He took piano lessons in elementary school and in his early teenage years. Jaydes started releasing music and gained popularity on SoundCloud.[2] At 16, he stopped attending high school and switched to online learning to focus on his music career due to controversies at school.[1]
2019–2021: Career beginnings, "Evvls," Virality & !?
While in an interview with underground rap blog Masked Gorilla, Jaydes stated that he began recording music in 2019, claiming he recorded his music in Audacity,[3] and has since then recorded mixed and produced his music in FL Studio.[3] In 2020, Jaydes began releasing music to SoundCloud under the name Evvls.[4][5] His singles "HighSchool," "Trust Issues," "South," and "Clueless," would later gain traction online.[5][6] He is best known for his soft vocals, which popularized the PluggnB genre in 2021.[1] Jaydes would release his debut extended play (EP) !? (2021), which rose to prominence when its track "Scam Likely" went viral.[7]
On April 30, 2022, Jaydes released his 4-track studio EP Romanticism.[8][9] Jaydes would make a guest appearance on the title track of Amiri's second extended play (EP), For The Better (2022).[2][10] In August 2022,[6] Jaydes released his self-produced extended play (EP), Heartpacing,[11][12] which received significant attention and was considered a turning point in his career.[12] While working on the EP, he explained that he was making music based on how he felt. The 9-track EP features American rappers Riovaz and Rich Amiri.[12]
On August 16, 2023, Jaydes released his debut studio album, Ghetto Cupid,[13][14] with the introductory track "Rose" gaining traction,[14] which was met with mixed reviews. A critic from Pitchfork stated that the album blends plugg with "shoegaze" and "emo balladry", claiming it to be messy but working that way.[15] In December 2023, his single BeLikeMe? (released under his Evvls moniker) was listed by The New York Times as one of the best songs of 2023.[16] He started releasing music consistently in 2024, focusing on mostly raw guitar playing, releasing and teasing such music on SoundCloud under the moniker Mandy.[15] By summer 2024, his production drastically changed to be primarily punk-focused.[17] On July 19, 2024, he released his second studio album, Count Up Dracula,[18][8] which debuted his new punk rock sound. On October 31, 2024, he released a follow-up EP, Panic,[18] which he claimed in an interview was recorded live in-studio.[3]
His songs explore a wide variety of genres, including electronic, emo, trap, lo-fi, indie rock, punk rock, nu metal, and hip-hop. However, his genre is often classified as plugg music.[5][20] Multiple critics have felt Jaydes' music is a refreshing counterpoint to the "saturated" characteristic of trending internet rap.[6][21] He later switched from his original Plugg sound to a shoegaze-oriented sound.[17]Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre had declared that Jaydes' music focuses more on vocal layering than Auto-Tune.[20] Pierre had commented on Jaydes' third EP, Heartpacing, saying it "rejoined" plugg by pairing emo quavers with the luxurious production classical of [the style].[15] He also found Ghetto Cupid to be similar to the musical style of Lucki and felt that the album "pulls together disparate strands, from plugg to shoegaze and emo balladry. It's messy, but [it] works more often than not".[15]
Legal issues
In the opening track of Count Up Dracula titled "Junkie", Jaydes says, "Killed my girlfriend and it felt so good,"[8] followed by the line, "I opened up her body and I ate her guts." These lyrics, which seemed like shock value initially, were questioned by fans and critics online after Jaydes' arrest in 2024.[18][22][8] On November 3, 2024, a warrant for Dumont's arrest was issued by the Broward County Sheriff's Office after a report allegedly stating that Dumont had stabbed his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend in the neck and arms with scissors and a box cutter when she denied sexual intercourse.[22][23] The victim was brought to a pediatric emergency room to get stitches.[18] A week later, on November 10, 2024, 9-1-1 was called on Dumont at a Denny's in Oakland Park, Florida, when he was observed having a mental episode, wielding a knife.[22] He was arrested and charged with attempted murder.[18][22] His attorney filed a written plea declaring the defendant not guilty on November 14.[18]
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