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| image_size =
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| caption = Jay Electronica in 2014 at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
| caption = Jay Electronica in 2014 at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
| birth_name = Timothy Elpadaro Thedford
|
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|9|19}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFPs3aTnEk |title=Jay Electronica Co-Signs Soulja Boy 'It's Not About Lyrics, It's About Energy - HIPHOPNEWS24-7.COM |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=February 20, 2011}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|9|19}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFPs3aTnEk |title=Jay Electronica Co-Signs Soulja Boy 'It's Not About Lyrics, It's About Energy - HIPHOPNEWS24-7.COM |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=February 20, 2011}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], United States
| birth_place = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], United States

Revision as of 06:30, 14 March 2020

Jay Electronica
Jay Electronica in 2014 at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
Jay Electronica in 2014 at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
Background information
Birth nameTimothy Elpadaro Thedford
Born (1976-09-19) September 19, 1976 (age 47)[1]
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • record producer
  • songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active1995–present
Labels

Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah[2] (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica, is an American rapper, record producer, and songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Early life

Inspired by LL Cool J, Jay Electronica began rapping at the age of 10. He grew up in the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans and attended St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), a parochial high school for boys. He played football and played multiple instruments in the school's marching band.[3]

Electronica left New Orleans on January 1, 1996 with the intention of moving to New York City. Early in his travels, while riding a bus through Atlanta, Electronica was struck by "all the now hiring signs because of the Olympics". He spontaneously exited the bus and began his infamous period of travels between major cities throughout the U.S.; Electronica is thought to have spent time, and honed his skills as an artist, in Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, and other cities with active hip-hop scenes.

Throughout his travels, Electronica studied the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan, Malcolm X, and other thought leaders affiliated with the Nation of Islam. He has become a prominent member of the Nation of Islam and has made public appearances with other prominent members such as Wesley Muhammad and Wakeel Allah.[4]

Career

Jay Electronica released Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) via MySpace which became wildly popular (the fifteen-minute piece was downloaded over 30,000 times) propelling Jay into the national spotlight. That success and the catalog (consisting of songs like Dimethyltriptamine, Victory is in My Clutches, etc.) he built to that point lead to Electronica joining the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008. [5]

Later that year, Producer Just Blaze and Jay Electronica hand-picked songs for Guitar Center’s GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named “Exhibit A (Transformations).” [6]

Just Blaze would later (Oct. 27 2009) debut Exhibit C on Tony Touch’s Sirius Radio program [7] and it quickly caught on making its way to terrestrial radio stations like New York’s Hot 97 and spawning artist remixes from MCs AZ, N.O.R.E, Saigon, & Joell Ortiz (to name a few).

A bidding war ensued with Jay Elec finally signing (November 12, 2010) with Roc Nation. Over the next decade, Electronica released several collaborations and solo songs.

On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter[8] the completion of his album, A Written Testimony, which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020.[9]

Personal life

Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu were in a relationship for 5 years and have a daughter together, Mars Mekeba.

Discography

Main article: Jay Electronica discography

References

  1. ^ "Jay Electronica Co-Signs Soulja Boy 'It's Not About Lyrics, It's About Energy - HIPHOPNEWS24-7.COM". YouTube. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  2. ^ "Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  3. ^ https://www.spin.com/2010/06/jay-electronica-man-or-myth/
  4. ^ https://djbooth.net/features/2019-04-05-jay-electronica-act-ii-found-in-plain-sight
  5. ^ "A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Pharcyde Lead Rock the Bells 2008". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Guitar Center Helps Employees Release Their Music with Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 Compilation CD". Guitar Player. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Just Blaze debuts Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C" and more on Toca Tuesday (Updated w/ lyrics)". Miss Info. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  8. ^ "Album Done ". Twitter. J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A @JayElectronica. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (March 13, 2020). "Jay Electronica's Debut Album Is Real, and It's Finally Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Minsker, Evan (February 7, 2020). "Jay Electronica Says His New Album Is Out in 40 Days". pitchfork.com.
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