We may never get Jay Electronica's "Act II: Patents of Nobility", though last month, we came one leak closer with "Road to Perdition". It's rare to even get a sound-bite out of the mysterious New Orleans emcee, who, in the past few years, has relocated to London, and spent serious time undergoing religious healing practices across Asia, which we will get to see in an upcoming documentary on Mass Appeal.
It's not surprising the latest Electronica interview comes from Nigerian radio station The Beat 99. Jay is currently in Nigeria because: "Like any black man in America I was disconnected from myself and my family." After talking about how Nigerian music, like Fela Kuti, has inspired him, he moves on to the current state of hip-hop, beginning with Kanye West.
"Kanye is a Black God and we love him," says Jay, "You know the white man, the media, they say nasty things about Nigeria but we just throw that in the trash can just like we throw the Kanye big head stuff in the trash." Jay's then asked about newer stars in the game, who, Jay admits, have "dumbed down" the genre. But, he concedes, "I would be a bold-faced liar if I said I didn't listen to some Fetty Wap and Drake. I know the lyrics to 'I'm in love with the CoCo,' and all that. Of course the Young Thugs and so forth."
Growing up on Nas and Rakim, Jay can't help but be critical of today's trending artists, though, on the other hand, he's grateful that young black people are "using what they have to come out of an environment to better their lives for their loved ones. All praises due to Allah for that."
As for his album: "anybody who knows Jay Electronica knows that that's the wrong question to be asking." The endless road continues.
Listen to the full interview here.
