What's
your stage name & where did it originate from? Of
what importance is it?
JBiZzNys: Initially
people just started putting my initials together and
sayin’ things like JBiz, Bizzle, or whatever.
Then one day someone said JBiZzNys…and it just
stuck. I looked at it like – as goofy, crazy and
out of control that I act…when it comes to this
music stuff, I’m about my business.
How
do you describe your music/style?
I feel it’s unique, obviously
hip-hop, but probably 90% of my music is relevant issues.
I don’t talk about things I don’t have or
untruthful material, because that’s not being
real. Don’t get me wrong there are times when
I get stupid on stuff and joke, but overall I keep it
one hundred. I feel that my style is pretty different
from most everything I’ve heard.
Why do you want to record and release your own music?
It’s
pure joy my dude, that’s first and foremost. If
you don’t have love for what you’re doing
then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Is there
money involved with this profession, well there can
be, right now? Not as much as I’d like [laughs],
but that’s the grind and where the love comes
in. If you love what you do you’ll keep pushing
for it even if your pockets look like Nicole Richie.
And I really want people to be able to relate and feel
emotion in my music, to help them get through a bad
day, or over an issue. I really want to bring the world
joy and happiness and be able to express my self. But
also a lot of it is a challenge I haven’t entirely
met yet, no matter what I’ll be striving for more.
And sure people say or think all the time that I’ll
be unable to achieve this dream, but that can go either
way. It gets discouraging, but it also just fuels the
fire…it makes me want it that much more. But bottom
line, I do this for me; the people close to me and the
people that need this. I love putting ME into music;
nobody else can put ME into their music because I’m
the only ME. I know this is what I’m here to do;
the world NEEDS my music.
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What
are your songs about? What messages are you trying to
portray to your fans?
Myself
and life. Anything I can relate to that I feel is relevant
and that people need to hear – or just an issue
I’m going through. My songs are life, struggle,
grind, humor, acting like an idiot…whatever it
is. Seriously, I want to make a change in not only music
but the world. It sounds so far fetched but it’s
the truth. In the words of Ghandi - I’m trying
to be the change I want to see. Not just with my music
but even as a person - I think the world and America
especially have some issues, and I’m just playin’
my part as a person, and as a hip-hop artist. And to
the fans, I just want you to know whether I can comment
you back on MySpace or not, I really appreciate everything.
I’ve got some really down fans – I’m
very fortunate.
Who
are you musical influences?
Cliché or not…2pac
is the most as a person and artist. Just the way he
recorded and stayed focused and put heart into everything
he did, and meant it. Right up there with him is Kanye,
that dude is the truth. He’s the deal; everything
from his soul, to his content and metaphors to his humor
– and especially his beats. He’s the man
right now and has secured a spot in history musically
with out a doubt – you don’t find too many
livin’ legends, he’s one of them. Also Bone
Thugs ~n~ Harmony, those are some real dudes. Thirteen
years in the game and still makin’ noise, you
already know. Jay-Z is another for me too. Smart dude,
great business mind but his artistic ability is even
more unreal. Flow is on point and he too has been in
the game for a minute – and when he came out in
’96 people passed on his album “Reasonable
Doubt” because it was too complex [laughs], how
sick are you dude!? And I can’t forget about that
white guy from Detroit, what’s his name again?
Oh yeah, Eminem [laughs]. This dude may be the most
talented I’ve ever heard. I mean he could talk
about somethin’ so disgusting I can hardly handle
it – but I keep runnin’ the track back,
the dude is another one of those livin’ legends.
And even though he might have made it harder for me
to shine out here, he opened some doors for me too;
he went through things I’ll never have to go through.
But really everything is influential, my fans, family,
friends, haters, having to work an 18 hour day, pay
bills, work out when you don’t want to, losing
a high school hoop game – everything is influential.
And even people like Michael Jordan – who I grew
up idolizing. Or people like Martin Luther King Jr.,
Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln…anyone and everything.
It really doesn’t stop.
What
are your goals in the music industry in the next 1-3
years?
I’d really like to have
my music heard by a broader audience and be able to
generate a little more money to support this thing.
I think a major label would be cool – but today
it seems these contracts are so tight that you might
not even be able to do you. But I guess I’d just
have to find out. But overall I just want to keep doin’
the best I can when I get in the booth and on stage.
And if a lot of these people are passin’ on me,
then I’ll just have to grit my teeth and do it
solo – I’ve been there before.
How
did you get your start or your break onto the music
scene?
Just put in that grind time,
that’s all it is. I wanted to do it and I didn’t
stop, with that said, eventually I put myself in positions
to work with and meet the right people. I’m from
a small city where you don’t do what I do. Eventually
I went out off to college and started getting more serious
with what I do. I still felt that I needed some “coat-tails”
to ride though; I was scared to do it on my own. Finally
one day I just said [screw] it – and went out
and made JBiZzNys, regardless of who thought what. Bottom
line if you work hard, and stay true to who you are
and what you are about – more than likely good
things will happen. You have to set yourself apart from
everybody else. And with me that could be my music,
but it could also be the way people feel about as a
person. Even if my music was awful (for instance, we
know the truth [laughs]), people might remember me just
because I’m a good dude or the way I carry myself.
And fortunately for me, those qualities carry over into
my music. So in a nut-shell that’s how I made
my way into the scene, I just stayed adamant and stayed
me.
What
live performances have you had? When & where have
you performed?
Grand Rapids, Holland, Detroit,
Flint – I’ve been all over Michigan. Some
shows are small, some are bigger, but nonetheless it’s
the bomb being in front of a crowd partyin’ with
them. Opening for Marques Houston in Detroit last summer
was crazy too; about 3,000 came out for that. I had
them goin’ bananas – they showed me mad
love out there. Shout out to Detroit!! What up doe!
How
do you advertise, promote, & sell your CDs?
Back to that grizzy homie –
it’s all about the hustle. I know I say that over
but that’s all it comes down too. MySpace is obviously
a big market, Facebook too. I’m plugged in a few
stores, but aside from that it’s just sales out
of the trunk after shows, or where ever. [Editor Note:
The JBiZzNys single "I Just Want a Day" is
now available on iTunes. Click the picture above to
download - only $0.99!]
Where
did you record your album? What studio(s)? Who produced
it?
I recorded it in a couple different
spots in Grand Rapids and Muskegon, with different producers.
And I’ve got two new singles gettin’ ready
to drop soon, those were produced by Young RJ Rice of
Barak Records out in Detroit, songs turned out great
I’m excited for the world to hear them.
Have
you had any previous print or broadcast media coverage?
I’ve had some front page
news back home and a couple school articles at the university
(Grand Valley State) and Grand Rapids Press. I’ve
also had some TV Coverage at Fox and some radio exposure
throughout different stations across Michigan; more
coming to a city near you!
If
you could tell your fans one thing they may not know
either about yourself or your music, what would it be?
Look, in 2003 I was recording
songs on sound recorder on my computer, and if you heard
some of that stuff you would laugh until your stomach
popped. And even in 2005 – I was gettin’
there but I was still gettin’ boo’d off
stage – didn’t have a clue. And really I’m
where I’m at now because I work hard, day after
day after day, and stay true to who I am and what I’m
about. I don’t pay any mind to these people talkin’
down on me. The majority of these people don’t
have a clue what I’ve had to go through to get
where I am. Ten below January nights hikin’ all
over Grand Rapids with numb fingers puttin’ flyers
on car windshields, takin’ trips from Grand Rapids
to Flint to perform at 1am and then drive back to GR
and get up at 8am to go to work. Having NOBODY give
me a start musically and still getting where I’m
at, and going where I’m going. I really thought
I was going to quit – but for some reason, I didn’t…and
I’m here. If you’re holdin ‘me down
thank you; and if you’re hatin’ –
[laughs] you don’t even have a clue.
Have
any life situations or experiences inspired your music?
Which ones and why?
My mom raised me and my sisters
on her own since I was 7; and we all graduated college…that
speaks for itself. She is my inspiration – anytime
I feel like life is hard, I look at the big picture.
And you asked what life situations or experience inspire
me? That’s just it – life. That’s
why hip-hop is so twisted right now. It’s not
ice, cars and [girls] – it’s supposed to
be about what it came from. Hip-hop wasn’t accepted,
people hated it – it was looked over a million
times. So for me my music comes from my mom’s
struggle, my close family, my torn ACL, my humor, not
getting off the bench my junior year, coming from nothing
musically and makin’ something out of it. Aside
from that, other artists and people that had to fight
through to get where they got, that believe it or not
can be a hell of an experience.
What
inspires you to do what you do?
I know we sort of touched on this
already but I’m inspired by everything from people
doubting me to me just being something and being somebody
I want to be. People don’t see or feel what I
see and feel. I’ve got a college degree –
even the people closest to me think I need a 9-5 or
what ever, but I don’t feel the same. I know what
I’m capable of and what I need to do. And I’m
doing it because I love it. There are people that inspire
me for real, but I inspire me too. I want this, and
I want to be a change.
What
advice could you give to an aspiring artist/band?
Stay true to who you are and what
you’re about. If you really love this, if you
truly love music; you won’t let yourself stop.
Just make sure you don’t let anyone else stop
you either. If you don’t believe in yourself nobody
else will.
Any
shout-out or thank yous to anyone/people in particular
who have gotten you/your band where you are now?
My
mom, my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Loren, my other
sister Kirsten, my girl Em C, my cousin’s Ryan
and Amy, uncle Dan, my little homies Lucas and Miles,
all my aunts and cousins, Mr. Wolters, Vito, Binks,
Jason Jamerson, Siz, Ben, Nelly, Marquita and the whole
Foot Locker crew, Ionia Michigan, C-Flo, Casey Burrows,
Darrell Desgranges, SMW, Brandon Evans, Nana, all my
coaches, Jess Christopher, AGE and NER, professor Rob
Frans, Ty Wible, Pastor Dan Klotz, Bouche, Jake Schipper,
hip-hop and last but not least – those hatorade
sippers!! And everybody else holdin’ me down.
Anyone else I forgot – sorry, I barely had a 3.0
in college – I know Schroeder.
That's
it. God bless & be easy!
*If you'd like to nominate or bring to
our attention an artist or individual that has a passion
for what they do & work tirelessly towards it, we’d
like to know. Write a description of the who, what,
where, how, and why to us at morewords@twaycustoms.net.
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