Open Letter To Jay Electronica

[Philaflava]

Dear Jay Electronica:

As someone who survived several rap decades, I’m going to give you some advice. You need to seriously address the concerns and questionable decisions on your career. You have worked hard to become a big name in hip-hop. You’ve paid your dues and you’ve grown lyrically since the release of Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) in 2007. You’ve arrived, buddy.

But all this delaying and cryptic nonsense is jeopardizing your career. No hipster or trendy revisionist is going to wait on you. Just ask Saigon. You can forget about all music spots on HBO’s Girls or those new Mountain Dew commercials. Those Jewish chicks at UPennn won’t be waiting much longer either. And if you can’t make them wait any longer, watch how fast literally the entire hip-hop culture forgets you. Did I mention Saigon yet? I know from experience how people and the music industry would like to turn their backs on you.

You have the fans, critics, supporters, record execs, lily white girls and Erykah Badu breathing down your neck because you’ve been lollygagging about this debut album forever now. Even Dr. Dre is shaking his head right about now.
Unlike the record industries, these people don’t understand the concept of public domain. They see you getting content forever by not rapping and they don’t like it. That’s why they’re on YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Pinterest, Instagram and probably Yelp throwing salt your way.

It’s a shame you can’t enjoy life without spending part of your Roc Nation/Pepsi Co earnings on heavy PR or fancying it up on the Rothschilds’ dime. Remember Saigon. you don’t want that to happen to you. Hip-hop has a rich history of fickle fans. Either put out that album or become that guy best known as what could-have-been or simply the male version of L-Boogie.

Trust me, you don’t want to go out like Saigon. It’s time you get serious, give the people what they want and stop being so lackadaisical about your music and the window left for you have for this career.
At Blue Ivy’s next birthday party you pull Jay aside and tell him to shit or get off the throne. Suit & tie my ass. There is only so many times we can go around saying Jay Electronica, Jay ElecHannukah or Jay ElecYarmulke with a smile on our damn faces. Let’s do this man!

Sincerely,

An antsy fan

[PopeyeJones]

Without the Suit & Tie reference I would have assumed this was written a year or two ago.

People still have expectations for Jay Electronica?

He's a vague memory at this point, like that Saved By The Bell knockoff that wasn't California Dreams, whatever it was called.

[peanut butter]

So stupid



PEACE

[DLG]

I bumped the fuck out of everything this dude put out a couple years ago, like a almost have 1,000 listens on my last.fm account, and at this point I honestly don't give a shit about him and whether he releases another song.

[Philaflava]

I guarantee everyone, whether you like him now or not will check out the album when it drops.

[DLG]

I guarantee everyone, whether you like him now or not will check out the album when it drops.

definitely, but at the same time, if he never puts it out, no one will lose any sleep over it.

[Escobar305]

jay just cooking the bird up slow for yall.

how many jay electronica threads does philaflava hold now with out any music in them?

[Philaflava]

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/ ... re_you.php

[The Rapping Coffin]

Without the Suit & Tie reference I would have assumed this was written a year or two ago.

People still have expectations for Jay Electronica?

He's a vague memory at this point, like that Saved By The Bell knockoff that wasn't California Dreams, whatever it was called.

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

or City Guys which taught valuable life lessons about city youth

[ardamus]

As long as he stays away from royal families and twitter, maybe we will see that album someday.

Yeah Saigon lost steam on the commercial level. At least his album did come out. Some people can ever say their album got released at all.

[step one]

people need to get over it. Im sure he's got a good album in him but there seems to be this underlying feeling that some people expect him to change the game completely.

If he starts putting out music regularly his career will follow the trajectory of alot of rappers- great/good stuff, alternating with middling/average before he eventually falls off completely only to return with an amazing comeback or a low budget snoozefest.

[Balzac]

i still listen to his limited catalog a LOT.

he's too good

i can wait

[Employee]

Saigonica.

[Piff Tannen]

yeah, his career is hitting detox levels. when did we even get a song from him last?

[Mindbender Futurama]

Even Dr. Dre is shaking his head right about now.

When I saw Jay Electronica two years ago at ManifesTO, I believe I discovered the reason Jay Elec hasn't come out yet.

Dude is EXTREMELY INSECURE.

I mean this in no disrespectful way. But I totally saw someone who is NOT READY for the industry madness. I've seen Jay perform a few times, and every single time, he comes out with a plastic cup of alcohol, vodka or cognac or something, and he openly declares "I'm mad nervous, y'all. Do you mind if I take a drink, just to relax first?" And everyone's like "yeah of course, go for it, bro!" cause most other people in the spot were drunk as fuck too. But it wasn't just that dude has very low self-esteem... it was also that, during an interview I saw him do for some cats in Toronto, Jay Electronica was almost unable to complete a sentence without STUTTERING HARD. The amount of "ums, ahs, b-b-b-b's, ttt's, and i'm sayin's" were REALLY DISTRACTING, and utterly unavoidable to notice. I saw the interview and was like "damn, homie. I don't think he's ready for the media circuit, if this is how he communicates."

I do not know if he still stutters a lot, or if he still has such low self esteem, but I know that the Jay Electronica I saw with my very own two eyes, and spoke to directly for five minutes, was absolutely NOT READY for the viciousness of the rap game as we all know it. And I would NOT be surprised if Jay-Z and Roc Nation decided to put the whole shit on hold just to build dude's confidence, cause if he got thrown to the public wolves the in the fragile mindstate that I saw, he would honestly end up Charles Hamilton'ning himself, and we would have a new Canibus-like one-album-wonder on our hands.

This is what I saw with my own two eyes, not any rumors or hate. I hope Jay Electronica is able to find the solid self-esteem that he needs to deal with the music industry of today, and give us the music that the culture needs SO VERY badly now.

that being said: I'm getting fucking fed up waiting for this shit too

[step one]

^^ in a similar thread to this one about 2 years ago, Im pretty sure someone (forget who, couldve been Magneto) said something about him having a bit of a drink problem.

[Mindbender Futurama]

for the record: Saigon is still pretty much the realest voice speaking rap truth in New York City and that "Bread and Circuses" album is very fucking solid.

It's not only Saigon's fault that Atlantic Records, Jay-Z, and Roc-a-Fella all fucked up in various ways.

PAPOOSE would be a way better example to use here as a warning to Jay Electronica... but I still chuckle when I even say the brother's name. I know only Kay Slay and Remy Ma still takes him seriously, poor homie.

Jay Elec don't wanna "almost happen, but not", like Knoc'turnal or Last Emperor or Nature or Lord Have Mercy or Smoothe the Hustler or... the great Ras Kass (who I love, but it just never happened for, the way we all dreamed...)

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

razzy has soul on ice. nobody can take that from his legacy.

jay elec is a prophet. you can hear it immediately in his music. jigga mayne signed him so he can mute him. sold the deal on some 'dont sign to puffy hes about his grammys' but now look.

[Mindbender Futurama]

razzy has soul on ice. nobody can take that from his legacy.

jay elec is a prophet. you can hear it immediately in his music. jigga mayne signed him so he can mute him. sold the deal on some 'dont sign to puffy hes about his grammys' but now look.

yes sir. and I LOVE THE BEATS TOO, ON 'Soul On Ice'. That came out in 1996, though. Ras Kass deserved more appreciation.

damn yo! the Illuminati Hogtie Kibosh is in full effect? this is even worse than what Interscope did to Slaughterhouse

i thought it was Jay Electron's fault, but you accuse the Jiggamayne. Intriguing theory

thing is: RIGHT NOW would be the PERFECT TIME to drop that supposed first single of Jay Elec featuring Chris Brown

forget Dr. Dre... these dudes making Nas's output look like Lil Wayne's right now

rap game needs a prophet MORE THAN EVER BEFORE

[mike eagle]

great/good stuff, alternating with middling/average before he eventually falls off completely

thread follows similar arc

[Sylissez]

Guys, let's not throw shade on City Guys. L-Train's character progression was far more fluid and rewarding than Jay Elec's career to this point.

[Pizon]

Good letter, but I'd at least mention that if he's not careful he could end up like Saigon.

[AWAE]

jigga mayne signed him so he can mute him.

[The Afronaut]

jigga mayne signed him so he can mute him.

How does doing so benefit Jay?

[DLG]

probably signed him as a ghostwriter most

[Escobar305]

Anybody else think he needs a boss like puff to get him some focus? Also, im sure diddy writes some nice ghostwriting checks. Win win situation, lol

[Philaflava]

Roc Nation is becoming the new Koch.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

jay elec is a prophet.

[step one]

Anybody else think he needs a boss like puff to get him some focus? Also, im sure diddy writes some nice ghostwriting checks. Win win situation, lol

if he's looking to end up dead, in jail or wants to find religion having had his best songs stolen for Puffy's solo albums I'm sure Bad Boy will be his first port of call.

[step one]

jay elec is a prophet.

c'mon man. Dude did that bit in his song where he said 'they call me jayelectramadolmohammedmansalmonica'.
That shit was the 2009 'Dead in the middle of Little Italy...'

PROPHECY.