Beginning of a New Era- by "JJ" from 3Sidez

In the last couple of years, the eyes and ears of American music fans have turned in awe toward New Orleans, Louisiana, to witness the transformation of the previously unspectacular rapper Dwayne Carter. We watched as he released thousands of songs and hundreds of mixtapes, appeared on everyone’s songs and videos, and sold millions of records.

They say every person has their opposite, the yin to one’s yang…Je’Ri Allah, known more commonly as Jay Electronica, also hails from New Orleans, and has built a buzz by NOT releasing material, by NOT appearing in public, and by being an enigma in general, in contrast to Wayne.

For a solid year, there was one real profile on him on the whole internet, and about 15 songs. The most prominent of the songs was unquestionably the 15 minute epic “song” Eternal Sunshine, recorded over Jon Brion’s soundtrack to the movie of the same name, separated into 3 verses with 2 interludes in the form of monologues by Erykah Badu (who he now shares a newborn baby girl with) and Just Blaze. He raps with a strange pacing, slow but controlled, pausing for effect often. His rhymes are filled with references to various literature, religions, art, history, and sciences. He covers philosophical ground and existential dilemma without the forced nature of a Canibus or the deliberate reasoning of a Lupe Fiasco…when he does it, it’s almost casual. Conspiracy theories, stories of betrayal, religious miracles, and moral quandaries are all fair game on any given track.

While in 2007 he was known mostly by other underground heads in Detroit, he is now a player to watch in the rap game, known by everyone from the Detroit battle rappers to Nas, who commissioned him to produce the intro on his last CD, to P. Diddy. He is signed to Erykah Badu’s record label, as a flagship artist. He has toured with Nas and Talib Kweli, but has yet to hint at any official releases. His hype has reached a fever pitch recently, with the release of the random single Exhibit A, produced by Just Blaze, which was in my opinion the best rap song in 2008. Will he ever be mainstream? I don’t care. I just want more songs, and an album. The ridiculous skills he possesses on the mic need to be displayed more, and it will be tragic if no projects ever come to fruition. Either way, just keep a (third) eye out for him in 2009. P.S. He’s the nicest rapper out of New Orleans.

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VERY DOPE