Today we’d like to introduce you to Jericho Jyant.
Hi Jericho, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
That’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. As a rapper, I pretty much am nothing if not my story. It’s tempting to tell my life story in gritty detail, but I’ll go over the highlights, and focus on what’s relevant to music.
I was born and raised here, in Georgia. I spent most of my elementary and middle school years home-schooled. I tricked my parents into letting me go to public high school so I could spend my adolescent years less sheltered.
In high school, I was exposed to pop and hip-hop radio stations for what felt like the first time. I started listening to 95.5 The Beat FM (RIP), and quickly fell in love with hip-hop.
I soon realized that I wanted to be a rapper.
In Forsyth County, especially back then, that kind of decision was met with derision and not taken seriously by anyone in my life. Still, I could not be dissuaded. I started practicing along with other rappers’ music in the car. I had no idea what “a rapper” was or what that life would look like, but I was determined to figure it out.
I was a star student, but my quest to become “a real boy” led me to drugs and alcohol. From 17-20 years old, my life slowly spiraled into nothingness as I lost everything to addiction. I got sober on January 27th, 2014 (during “snowpocalypse”), at twenty years old. I was broken, broken, and lost.
The next few years consisted of putting my life back together. I found the love of God and companions in recovery who knew how I felt and helped me become the person I always wanted to be. Recovery gave me the ability to pursue my two passions, rap, and engineering, to the best of my ability.
Over the past ten years, I have perfected my craft. I learned audio recording, mixing, and mastering. I studied production and started producing the instrumentals I rapped over.
Today I am learning the business side of the music industry. It’s not enough to make quality music. I’m learning marketing and content production, pouring the money I make as a software engineer at Google into my “side hustle.”
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Addiction is the hardest thing I have ever been through and was the hardest to overcome. One of the hardest things about music specifically is the delusional nature of the career in the early stages.
The majority of musicians, no matter how talented or hard-working, do not “make it.” I have every reason to give up and instead focus on my career as a software engineer. As someone focused on stardom, my goals are unrealistic.
Most people with passion who dedicate themselves to entering a certain industry will succeed.
Musicians, however. are promised nothing and often given nothing. I know I will be famous. I know I will pay my bills with music and live the life I want to live as a musician. That sheer power of delusion fuels my dedication and determination.
I wrote my first song eleven years ago. I released my first album almost three years ago. I have very little to show for my efforts other than the songs I have released. It often feels like a Sisyphean task to become a successful musician.
But I will never give up. I know my worth and the quality of my music. The world will hear me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a rapper, producer, and audio engineer. I make the kind of music I love to listen to in mainstream hip-hop. I have a versatile style.
I frequently rap about God, my cats, and relationships.
I’ve released four albums, one EP, and a few singles.
My most popular song is one I produced and rapped on, called “She Missed It All”, which I believe will become a hit. My most controversial song is a conscious rap song called “Jesus Loves Me (I’m an F**)”, a brash and explicit pro-LGBTQ+ diss track against homophobic, hateful Christians.
I am unapologetic when I rap consciously. I pour my heart out about relationships. I take cat parenting seriously and rap about it. No one is quite like me, and I’m happy about that.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Atlanta has a great hip-hop scene. There are studios everywhere and plenty of opportunities to collaborate and network with other artists. This year I’m putting myself out there more and working on building local connections.
I love going to restaurants and there’s an endless supply of new ones to try. I don’t have much to complain about. The traffic is notoriously bad, but I don’t know anything different.
Contact Info:
- Website: jerichojyant.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jerichojyant
- Facebook: facebook.com/jerichojyant
- Youtube: youtube.com/@jerichojyant
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/jerichojyant
Image Credits
Simply Shay Photography
