Underground sensation J-Live comes to WOW Hall
After years of struggling
with music labels, J-Live
started his own label and
released ‘All of the Above'
by Carl Sundberg
Pulse Columnist
Making music in America is a
tough business. Especially if no one
knows who you are. The keys to suc
cess are vigilant work, dedication,
honesty and raw passion.
J-Live is one example of an artist
who embodies all of these qualities.
Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, J-Live
emerged onto the hip-hop scene in
1995, bringing his impeccable lyri
cism and tumtablism across the globe
with dedication, passion and honesty.
Since then, J-Live has been listed in
the "Unsigned Hype" section of "The
Source" magazine His first single “Brag
gin' Writes," sold 13,000 copies on
vinyl. The follow-up track, "Can I Get
It" doubled the sales of his first single
Following his rapid early success, J
Live was signed to a major label in
1997. Payday Records, a label which
signed popular artists including Jay-Z
and Mos Def s group Urban Thermo
Dynamics, added J-Live to its roster.
During this time, J-Live recorded
his first album, "The Best Part," but it
was not released. In 1999, it was re
recorded, but again it was officially
unreleased. It quickly became an un
derground sensation and spread by
way of bootleg recordings. Within a
year, J-Live's relationship with Payday
Records collapsed and he signed a
new contract with Universal Records.
This contract ended shortly as well.
At this point J-Uve decided he would
abandon his search for a new label and
started his own, 'Triple Threat Produc
tions." In late 2001, after serious trials
and tribulations with label shuffling, J
Uve finally released The Best Part."
His second album, "All of the
Above," was released in April 2002. He
is currently on tour to support the al
bum. He will make his way to Eugene
and play WOW Hall tonight, along
with special guests People Under the
Stairs and Eugene's Strange Folks.
J-Live is a one-man show. He mixes
on the turntables and rhymes, some
times at the same time. J-Live said his
shows are full-energy party scenes.
"It's just good hip-hop," he said.
"There's a lot of energy, you know,
precise lyrics, good deejaying. It's a
good party vibe. I'm trying to put
things in the context of a good party."
For every show, I-Live said he sees a
larger audience than the last one.
"There's a lot of positive feedback,"
he said. "Some of the biggest shows
recently were in Boulder, San Francis
co. (These places) had good turnouts.
And people in San Diego, they were
so loud. I have to give them props."
J-Live's lyrics are part of what makes
him so respected.
"He has a certain way of putting his
rhyme patterns together that you hear
something new every time you listen
to him," KWVA Music Director Aaron
Hall said. "By the 10th time you hear
one of his songs, you realize, man,
there's a totally different subtext going
on. It's layered hip-hop, it's not just
surface level."
J-Live said he records what he feels
compelled to write.
"I do what I feel in my heart," he
said. "I have a certain responsibility to
uphold."
I-Live holds a degree in English from
the State University of New York in Al
bany, NY. He said this background gave
him more of a repertoire and style.
"The more artists you are exposed
to, the more you are influenced by
Courtesy
J-Live will perform at WOW Hall tonight with special guests People Under the Stairs and
Strange Folks. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the shows starts at 8:30 p.m.
them, he said. "I was really big on
Asian philosophy. I really liked The
Art of War' by Sun Tzu."
KWVA will hold a live interview
with J-Live at 8 p.m. tonight before his
WOW Hall performance.
"He's a one-man show and he kills
it," said Tom OToole, who will inter
view J-Live.
J-Live credits college radio for help
ing him build his name up.
"There's a lotta politics in gettin'
into radio," he said. "You gotta have a
lotta resources and tools to do this,
and until I get that opportunity, col
lege radio is (there for me)."
Tickets for the WOW Hall show are
$12 in advance, and $14 at the door.
Doors open at 8 p.m. and showtime
is 8:30 p.m.
Contact the Pulse columnist
at carlsundberg@dailyemerald.com.
BUS
continued from page 1
with "broken politics." A year or so
earlier John Wykoff, director of the
Oregon Student Association and
one of Smith's best friends, had
pitched Smith an idea about restart
ing the Democratic Forum, a confer
ence that had existed in the 1970s to
bring together young, up-and-com
ing leaders.
Smith and Wykoff revived the dis
cussion when he returned to Port
land, and Wykoff suggested they add
a completely different dimension to
the project.
"He suggested ... we actually have
action to advocate for candidates we
support," Smith said.
Thus, the Oregon Bus Project was
bom "after a lot of hard work by a lot
of people."
"The inspiration was coming back to
Oregon and realizing the politics are
broken," Smith said. "What drove me
crazy was that the people of my genera
tion weren't doing much about it."
In developing the project's plat
form, Smith said they looked at the is
sues they cared about, which hap
pened to be "hauntingly similar" to
those of the Progressive campaigns of
the early 1900s.
"It's not left, it's not right, but it's
forward," Smith said of the project's
label as a progressive group.
The project's platform can be
summed up in the "sue E's: Environ
ment, economy, equal rights, election
reform and 'ealth care."
Partially inspired by the Freedom
Riders of the Civil Rights Movement,
the project purchased a 1978 charter
bus and carted around 4,000 volun
teers, mostly young people, to sup
port progressive candidates around
the state. Experts told them they were
crazy, and one even said "volun
teerism is dead."
But defying the critics, six of the sev
en candidates for whom the OBP dedi
cated their full support were elected.
"It demonstrated ... grassroots cam
paigning can be very effective," he said.
The OBP continues its grassroots
campaign support and is planning
to sponsor a "Trick-or-Vote" door
to-door voter registration drive on
Halloween. Smith quipped that
while many are too old to trick-or
treat, "you're never too old to trick
or-vote."
Another element of the organiza
tion is its grassroots media effort to
communicate progressive values. The
OBP currently puts out a 'zine titled
"Zephyr" and also will release a CD
later this year featuring music by Ore
gon musicians and Everclear lead
singer Art Alexakis, who is involved
with OBP.
Freshman pre-psychology major
Heather Bade is the co-chairwoman of
the recently started Lane County
chapter of the OPB. She said she was at
tracted to the project because it pro
motes values that appeal to everybody.
Co-chairman James Mattiace called
the project "a fun and exciting way to
get involved with politics." He also
stressed the importance of young peo
ple getting their voices heard.
"The power structure is not going to
pay attention until you pay attention
to the power structure," he said.
For more information on the Lane
County chapter, e-mail the OBP at
lane@busproject.org.
Contact the people/cufture/
faith reporter
at moriahbalingit@dailyemerald.com.
Wednesday, April 28
in the EMU River Rooms
3:30pm-4:20pm and 4:30pm-5:30pm
Career Center
220 Hendricks Hall»(541) 346-3235
http://uocareer. uoregon.edu
0
Cdte&r
How to make the Career fair work for you
Monday April 20,12:00pm - 1:00pm
Tuesday, April 27,4:00pm - 5:00pm
Room 12, Hendricks Hall