Jay Electronica
{{short description|American rapper and record producer (born 1976)}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Jay Electronica
| image = Jay Electronica (41260354874).jpg
| caption = Jay Electronica performing in 2014
| alias = Je'Ri
| birth_name = Timothy Elpadaro Thedford{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-prestige-the-five-percenters-and-why-jay-electronica-hasnt-released-his-debut-album/|title=The Prestige, The Five Percenters, and Why Jay Electronica Hasn't Released His Debut Album|last=Bassil|first=Ryan|date=October 23, 2013|website=Vice|access-date=April 3, 2020}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|9|19}}{{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 |access-date=February 20, 2011}}
| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
| genre = Hip Hop
| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer|songwriter|record producer}}
{{Infobox person
| child = yes
| works = {{hlist|Discography|production}}}}
| years_active = 2000–present
| label = {{hlist|The Dogon Society|Roc Nation}}
{{Infobox person
| child = yes
| children = 1
| website = {{URL|awrittentestimony.com}}
{{Infobox
| child=yes
| header = Logo
| headerstyle = background:#b0c4de
| data1 = }}
}}
| past_member_of =
}}
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah{{cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/134189334/credits|title=Credits / A Written Testimony / J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A|publisher=Tidal|access-date=May 6, 2020}}{{cite AV media notes |title=A Written Testimony |publisher=Roc Nation|year=2020|author=Anon.|others=Jay Electronica|type=CD booklet|id=51602}} (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as {{nowrap|J A Y}} {{nowrap|E L E C T R O N I C A}}), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first saw recognition with release of his debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) (2007). Its success, along with his standalone single "Exhibit C", led American rapper Jay-Z to sign Electronica to the latter's record label, Roc Nation—following a multi-label bidding war—in 2010. His debut studio album, A Written Testimony (2020), was met with critical acclaim and entered the Billboard 200 at number 12; it was followed by his second album, Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) (2020) in October of that same year. His guest performance on Kanye West's 2021 song, "Jesus Lord", marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.{{Cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/markelibert/jay-electronica-kanye-west-bound-2|title=Jay Electronica Alleges He Inspired Kanye West's "Bound 2" Production|website=Complex Networks }}
Career
In 2007, Jay Electronica released his first mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), via Myspace. It was downloaded over 50,000 times.{{Cite web|url=https://theboombox.com/revisiting-jay-electronica-act-one-the-pledge/|title=REVISITING… JAY ELECTRONICA'S 'ACT I: THE PLEDGE'|author=Sweeney Kovar|date=October 10, 2013|access-date=March 22, 2020|website=The Boombox}} That success and his catalog led to Electronica joining the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008.{{cite web |title=A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Pharcyde Lead Rock the Bells 2008 |date=April 22, 2008 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/a-tribe-called-quest-nas-pharcyde-lead-rock-the-bells-2008-89516/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=March 12, 2020}}
Later that year, producer Just Blaze and Jay Electronica selected songs for Guitar Center's GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named "Exhibit A (Transformations)."{{cite web |title=Guitar Center Helps Employees Release Their Music with Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 Compilation CD |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/.amp/miscellaneous/guitar-center-helps-employees-release-their-music-with-fresh-cuts-vol-3-compilation-cd |website=Guitar Player |access-date=March 12, 2020 }}{{dead link|date=March 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Just Blaze would later (October 27, 2009) debut "Exhibit C" on Tony Touch's Sirius Radio program,{{cite web |title=Just Blaze debuts Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C" and more on Toca Tuesday (Updated w/ lyrics) |url=http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/just-blaze-debuts-jay-electronicas-exhibit-c-and-more-on-toca-tuesday/ |publisher=Miss Info |access-date=March 12, 2020 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203143842/http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/just-blaze-debuts-jay-electronicas-exhibit-c-and-more-on-toca-tuesday/ |url-status=dead }} where 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 and others.
A bidding war ensued with Jay finally signing (November 12, 2010) with Roc Nation. Though fans and critics anticipated a full-length debut, Electronica's output in the subsequent decade consisted of several collaborations and non-album solo songs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/your-guide-to-the-mythology-of-jay-electronica.html|title=Your Guide to the Extended Mythology of Jay Electronica, Rap's Great Mystery|last=Thompson|first=Paul|date=March 13, 2020|website=Vulture|language=en-us|access-date=March 27, 2020}}
On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter{{cite web |title=Album Done . |url=https://twitter.com/jayelectronica/status/1225645387681107968 |website=Twitter |publisher=J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A @JayElectronica |access-date=March 12, 2020}} the completion of his album, A Written Testimony, which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jay-electronica-a-written-testimony-966721/|title=Jay Electronica's Debut Album Is Real, and It's Finally Here|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Klinkenberg|first=Brendan|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=March 13, 2020}}
On October 5, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter{{Cite tweet|user=jayelectronica|number=1313157800734973953|title=tidal.com/album/157489152|date=October 5, 2020|access-date=October 9, 2020}} that his previously unreleased album, Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn), was available for streaming on Tidal after the album had surfaced online two days prior.
In August 2021, Jay Electronica guest featured on the song "Jesus Lord" released on Kanye West's album Donda.{{Cite web|url=https://hypebeast.com/2021/8/kanye-west-donda-album-producers-guest-artists-features-full-list|title=Full List of Producers and Guest Artists on Kanye West's 'DONDA'|last=Caraan|first=Sophie|date=August 29, 2021|website=HypeBeast|language=en-us|access-date=August 30, 2021}}
Personal life
Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu were in a relationship for five years and have a daughter together, Mars Merkaba Thedford, who was born in 2009.{{Cite web|title=Meet Mars Merkaba, Erykah Badu's Younger Daughter Who Just Turned 11 in Beautiful Pics|url=https://news.amomama.com/193384-meet-erykah-badus-younger-daughter-mars.html|last=Fiyin|first=Olowokandi|date=February 10, 2020|website=news.amomama.com|access-date=May 20, 2020}}
Jay Electronica had an affair with Kate Emma Rothschild, the wife of Benjamin Goldsmith, resulting in the breakdown of Goldsmith's marriage.{{cite web |last1=Beckford |first1=Martin |title=Jay Electronica: I'll 'come see' you, threatens Ben Goldsmith's rap star love rival |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9350262/Jay-Electronica-Ill-come-see-you-threatens-Ben-Goldsmiths-rap-star-love-rival.html |website=Daily Telegraph |access-date=March 25, 2020 |date=June 22, 2012}}
Jay Electronica is a registered member of the Nation of Islam and follower of Louis Farrakhan.{{Cite web |title=Farrakhan Predicts Another Holocaust, Espouses Antisemitism and Bigotry in Saviours' Day Speech | ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/farrakhan-predicts-another-holocaust-espouses-antisemitism-and-bigotry-saviours-day |website=www.adl.org}}
Controversies
=Statements about the Illuminati=
On March 13, 2020, Electronica caused controversy by posting a series of bizarre Tweets, in which he claimed to have had a meeting with the Illuminati (the legendary secret society that supposedly controls all world events with the aim of creating a New World Order). The controversy arose from the fact that his tweets accused certain groups in society of being part of the Illuminati, such as the Dominicans, the Visigoths and the Jehovah's Witnesses, leading him to be accused of committing racism, religious discrimination and being a conspiracy theorist.{{cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/jay-electronica-illuminati/|title=Jay Electronica Claims He Met the Illuminati, Was Unimpressed|website=XXL Mag|date=2020-03-13|access-date=2024-09-13}}
=Feud with Joe Budden=
Since March 2020, Electronica is involved in an ongoing feud with broadcaster, media personality and former rapper Joe Budden due to Budden's negative review of Electronica's debut album, A Written Testimony (in which Budden openly says that he hated Electronica's debut album{{cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/joe-budden-jay-electronica-got-smacked-around-by-jay-z-on-album/|title=Joe Budden Thinks Jay Electronica Got Smacked Around by Jay-Z|website=XXL Mag|date=2020-03-15|access-date=2024-09-13}} and that he called Electronica's debut album "A Jay-Z Mixtape"), which led to him and Budden to get involved in a heated argument that went viral on Twitter, with the two exchanging accusations against each other.{{cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/joe-budden-jay-electronica-got-smacked-around-by-jay-z-on-album/|title=Joe Budden and Jay Electronica Trade Shots, Budden Calls Elec's Album a Jay-Z Mixtape|website=XXL Mag|date=2020-03-17|access-date=2024-09-13}}
= Antisemitism =
The track "Ghost of Soulja Slim" from the album A Written Testimony includes a reference to the "Synagogue of Satan", a phrase pulled from Revelation 2:9 often considered as an antisemitic slur. The album also contains samples of sermons by Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader whose rhetoric has often been denounced as antisemitic. As a result, Electronica has been accused of antisemitism.{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Yair |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Kanye West Destroys Himself |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/what-kanye-west-anti-semitism-conspiracy-theories-reveal/671885/ |website=The Atlantic}} His verse on Noname's song "Balloons" also features numerous antisemitic dog whistles, including the Rothschild conspiracy theory, which led to controversy and criticism.{{Cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Kyndall |date=2023-08-14 |title=Noname Refuses to Apologize for Jay Electronica's Antisemitic Verse on Her Album |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/noname-responds-to-jay-electronica-antisemitic-verse-backlash |access-date=2023-08-26 |work=The Daily Beast |language=en}}
Discography
{{Main|Jay Electronica discography}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Awards and nominations for Jay Electronica |
| scope="col" |Organization
! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Category ! scope="col" |Nominated work ! scope="col" |Result |
|---|
| rowspan=2 scope="row" |Grammy Awards{{Cite web|date=November 24, 2020|title=2020 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-grammys-complete-nominees-list|access-date=November 24, 2020|website=Grammy.com}}
|rowspan=2|2021 |{{Nominated}} |
{{-}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204033732/http://magnetik7.com/index.htm |date=February 4, 2005 |title=:::::::Magnetik7::::::: (come on in, the water's fine.) }} - Old official website (2004–2005)
- {{allmusic}}
- [http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/video-archive/lectures/jay_electronica_exhibit_ldn Jay Electronica video interview on redbullmusicacademy.com]
- [https://archive.today/20120709055515/http://gc.guitarcenter.com/interview/justblaze/ Just Blaze, Jay Electronica, & Mike "Chav" Chavarria] – An Interview with Jay, Chav, & Just Blaze
- [http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/jay_electronica/ Exclaim! magazine interview with Jay Electronica]-Exclaim!
{{Jay Electronica}}
{{Roc Nation}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electronica, Jay}}
Category:St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni
Category:African-American male singers
Category:American male singers
Category:African-American record producers
Category:American expatriates in England
Category:American hip-hop record producers
Category:Members of the Nation of Islam
Category:Rappers from New Orleans
Category:Songwriters from Louisiana
Category:21st-century American singers