TRACK BY TRACK: JAYWOP - SUEDE

Long Beach-based rapper, Jaywop shines on his latest EP, Suede. Intertwining elements of funk, jazz, and R&B, he creates a nostalgic and psychedelic soundscape within the project. 

With Jaywop delivering such a fresh, unique sound into the hip-hop scene, the rising super-star took the time to break down each track on the EP with elaborative details and insight for the listeners.

Ice Cold

“Ice Cold” serves as the album intro and was loosely inspired by “Hey Ya” from OutKast. To be completely honest this was not written or planned to be the intro; I just knew the feeling/experience I wanted to create. Me and my best friends just got drunk as hell and had fun; the next day when we listened back it was like this was the feeling I was going for to begin with. That moment was so real and so raw I just thought about the things artists used to do to make me feel closer to them and become a bigger fan.

Diamonds

Diamonds was inspired by songs and vibes I’ve always loved from artists like The Internet, phases of Goldlink, and the biggest inspiration was KAYTRANADA. This was one of the lanes I felt like it was acceptable for black artists to be weird and express themselves. That alone was something I always admired but didn’t feel I had the talent to take part in. So with growth came new sounds and inspirations, I hope to make more of this type of music in the future; the amount of fun I had was unmatched.

Gold

This one came to me in the least amount of time. I feel like because, as weird as it sounds to say, I legit FELT an energy and type of vibrancy you can just float on. It ended up coming out so smoothly and so effortlessly I knew I had to include somebody with a similar step, Deante’ Hitchcock was just the perfect feature for the song in my opinion, and things lined up for it to go down.

Suede

Suede is the interlude to the project, Suede. I wrote this and Gold the same night piggybacking off the energy and confidence I got stepping to the mic earlier that night. I wrote “Suede” in 40 minutes and my boy Drew who was there just simply told me, “You gotta lay that down TONIGHT before you lose it.” I feel like every artist knows what that means and how those nights in the studio go. Seamless.

I Been

It was just a kickback almost sensual vibe, it very much matched the space in life I was in the year prior. I was fresh out of a relationship and thought I was Bill Bellamy. A lot of liquor, a lot of lust, and a lot of weed created that one. Not in the same space these days but I love the song for its depiction of who I was at the time.

Screen Door

Vince Staples and SABA were the direct influences first and foremost. The song itself to me just represents the mind of a youngin who finally feels seasoned and no longer naive to the vultures in the community and no longer feels the need to let everyone in to fit in. Never be afraid, take what the defense gives you and ball out.

Big Bad

Before I moved to Long Beach I was in Phoenix at a gas station one-night fresh off work. In the process of hating my life, I came across a beat that created the feeling I spoke on earlier. It was like me and the beat felt the same. When it came on I just freestyled, “Baby I just wanna catch a flight, to another place. I don't wanna sleep another night or work another day.” I KNEW what time it was, so I went home and finished it. The next day I recorded it and my engineer Lucci told me “this is the one!” and here we are almost a year later and it’s my biggest release to date. Without “Big Bad” I wouldn't have had the confidence to express myself the way I’ve always wanted or the way I did on Suede.