Jahzel

Early life and education

Jahzel was born in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised by his parents in a housing project in Uptown Chicago, both his parents had immigrated from Nigeria and exposed him to diverse musical genres, including Nigerian, pop, polka, and R&B. Despite this he had a strict upbringing, stating in an interview "when I was younger I didn’t listen to a lot of music. We didn’t have the money to buy CD’s. If you were on the radio I heard you." He bought his first CD as a teenager, which was Jay-Z’s Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life," with Jahzel explaining that "Jay-Z’s wordplay was crazy and that type of style influenced me." Jahzel has also cited rappers such as Biggie, Nas, and Kanye West of Chicago as early influences, or in particular "90’s hip hop that had strong lyrics and strong beats." After high school he attended college, majoring in engineering and minoring in computer science, before beginning to focus on music full-time.

2010-11: First mixtapes

After working in the music industry as a music engineer, producer, songwriter, and DJ manager, he released his first mixtape as an emcee in 2010. Titled The Arrival, it featured his friend K.E. on the Track behind production, as well as Lil B and JBar. The mixtape was featured in media outlets such as Datpiff, Fake Shore Drive, Thisis50, MTV2, and MTV’s Suckerfree Sunday, and was followed by Jahzel's sophomore mixtape First Class, self-released on January 1, 2011. During this time Jahzel continued to write for other artists, and according to HipHopDX, as of 2013 he had ghostwritten a number of Top 40 hits for mainstream acts.

In May 2012 he was featured on MTV2's Suckerfree Sunday, and that August he released Jet Lag: The Mixtape, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid. Jahzel stated the lyrics from Jet Lag were based on a "laidback concept. I used a travelling theme because that was what I was doing at the time." Performing at a number of venues in support of the mixtape, in Chicago he headlined with Travis Porter at the Harold Washington Cultural Center. Also in December 2012 the music video for Jet Lag's track "Inner City Kid" was his first to be placed in rotation on the MTV Jams channel, as well as MTVu.

2013: In God's Image and singles

The music video for Jahzel's single “In God’s Image” premiered in May 2013, with Andrew Martin of Potholes in my Blog writing that "backed by brassy, piano-laden production, Jahzel delivers some thoughtful bars complemented by equally sharp visuals." Bryan Hahn of The Source wrote positively about the production and lyrics, as well as the video itself.

"In God's Image" was announced as the title track for Jahzel's up-coming mixtape In God's Image, and several other promo singles such as "Carefree" and "Chapters" were released as well. The video for "Carefree" premiered on Okayplayer on June 28, 2013, with the outlet describing the song as a "laid back, chill out, no-fucks-given-anthem." In June 2013, MTV Jams and MTVu premiered his music video for "Chapters," directed by Asa Davis of Deep End Imagery.

Jahzel released the ten track mixtape In God's Image on July 2, 2013, for free through Soundcloud and in various stores in Chicago. Among the guest artists were Chris Mathien, Megan McNeal, and A Cross. After their previous collaboration on Jahzel's track "Inner City Kid," producer Tone P was brought in to produce the overall mixtape, with Jahzel stating "I like the way he produces records, they go with my style of music." Unlike Jet Lag, no DJ was brought in for the mixtape. In July 2013 Jahzel released "One Day" as a promo single for the mixtape, and also that month XXL Magazine featured Jahzel on "The Break".

Jahzel explained that the mixtape had more "serious" themes than his last release Jet Lag, and that he saw the project "as more of an album release while Jet Lag was a true mixtape." He also explained to HipHopDX, "as a human being...some days I might feel righteous, some days I might feel braggadocious, I wanted to communicate that range on In God's Image." Eric Diep of XXL Magazine wrote that In God's Image displays Jahzel's "soulful songwriting and truck-rattling production." According to HotNewHipHop, the mixtape draws from the “soulfulness of [Chicago's] musical past” and is "a fitting addition to a solid catalogue." While touring in support of In God's Image, Jahzel performed at the International A3C Hip Hop Festival in late 2013. Later in 2013, the Jahzel track "She Got It" was included on the soundtrack for the film White T, a rap comedy released on Netflix.

2014-15: The Wake Up

Throughout 2014 Jahzel began working on tracks for his mixtape The Wake Up, also operating a promotional campaign that summer in Chicago. Originally slated for an October 7, 2014 release on The Black Key Collective, the date was later extended to January 19, 2015.

The promotional single "Wake Up" was released before the mixtape in early September. Produced by Flawless Tracks, it premiered on HipHopDX and focuses on life in Chicago. About the lyrics, Jahzel explained that "I feel Chicago has been depicted as this ultra-violent city, comprised up of gun toting youth who stand on corners shooting at each other even over the slightest disagreement.This may be true in several cases, but it's not the majority situation. The real story is much more complex."

Earmilk premiered his track "Who Is You?" on September 25, 2014, with critic Artham Pierre writing that Jahzel "delves into the world of Chicago in this piece, even down to the production, which brings influences of Chicago drill into the mix. With serious reppin' for the city, the joy the artist brings is abundantly clear, and caution is completely thrown out of the window, providing with an honest and raw account of life that isn't always captured." The official music video for "Who Is You?" premiered on YouHeardThatNew in late September, and on 2DopeBoyz on November 12, 2014.

About the single "Faithful," released by Jazhel in November 2014 as a promo single as well, AllHipHop wrote that "the Chicago rapper tells a love story of his hometown." It was produced by CJ of Flawless Trackz and features a sample from DJ Rogers’ “Faithful To The End.” HotNewHipHop gave the single a positive editor rating. Jahzel and The BlackKeyCollective have a six-part online reality show series hosted by HipHopDX that showcases the creation of The Wake Up project.

Style and influences

According to Prefix Magazine in 2013, Jahzel's music is "totally distinct" from other Chicago hip hop styles that have become prominent since 2011.

His sound has changed through his different albums, with critic Sherron Shabazz of The Real Hip Hop opining that Jahzel "has created a sound that mirrors his surroundings. The North side of the Chi is more diverse than Chicago’s much-publicized West and South sides. Immigrants from Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa primarily make their homes on the city’s North Side. That diversity lends itself to Jahzel’s music."

About the influence of Chicago hip hop on his music, in 2013 Jahzel stated that "[growing up] in the middle [of Uptown Chicago] you get all types of music, South, East, West. I feel like I’m kind of like that. My songs are based on lyrics first and foremost." He has further explained that his lyrics "[tell] the story about Chicago that hasn’t been told – that along with the bad things that are happening, there are plenty of positive things going on." His overall lyrical message is "to show... the complex decisions that must be made on a daily basis [by inner city youth], which are also restricted by limited options.”