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"I’m a classic rock kid that fell in love with Hip-Hop."
There was a time that
Jared Evan was considered a high priority artist by
Jimmy Iovine, signed to
Interscope Records via
Polow Da Don’s
Zone 4 imprint in 2009. After a mountain of money was poured into his development, some moderate success, a mixtape, a couple of singles and a few high profile tours later, label restrictions on his creativity choked the the singer, songwriter, rapper and producer and Evan departed the majors for a dose of fresh air and the chance to do things independently.
Finding himself during this time, he seems to have now unlocked his true musical potential. Moving more away from the rap pretty boy image Interscope tried to market him with, Evan’s recent material boasts copious amounts of heart, soul and a dash of rock - with love for bands such as the
Beatles and
Led Zeppelin - plus a generous helping of Hip-Hop.
Sitting down with
SoulCulture, Jared Evan talks industry politics, musical growth and the creative process behind his recent collaborative effort with
Statik Selektah,
Boom Bap & Blues [
read our review here]. The indie grind isn’t an easy one but, with hard work and determination, resetting the career clock isn’t always a bad move - or so Jared tells us...
Every artist, at some point in their career, has to step from out of the shadows to announce themselves to the world. There are those who have a talent so obvious that one line on one song can say it all. With that said, the reintroduction of Jared Evan couldn’t have come soon enough. Releasing his first official album in the form of Boom Bap & Blues, the New York singer, songwriter, producer and rapper is without question the truth.
New York has recently been on an uprise with A$AP Rocky, French Montana and more bringing back the patented, gritty aura which had been lost for some years. But one rapper who has captured the carefree, Central Park skater feel of 90s New York is Brooklyn young gun Joey Bada$$. At only 17 years old, the rapper has already been touted as something of a phenomenon with performances displaying a surprising maturity, hunger and a passion for the culture rarely seen in newcomers. With a fondness for rhyming over the boom bap, Bada$$ and his team of relatively unknown compatriots have started to create the buzz which many legendary acts first gained on their rise. Naming his new mixtape after the final year of the 90's, 1999 gives many the opportunity to finally get familiar with one of the names slowly becoming prominent in varied musical discussions.
With the subcategory of 'teen rap' now bursting with numerous young talents, the question now remains as to which of the 21-and-under prodigies has the potential to go beyond their adolescent fanbase and appeal to the grown folk. Already making huge movements for a youngster who only graduated from High school not too long ago Pittsburgh's Mac Miller has already shown promise, in that his current musical teen fodder still carries enough weight for older heads to dig.