REAL LIFE RHYMES: JAMIL HONESTY

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND | JAMIL HONESTY

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK PHOTOGRAPH SUBLIME CROWN

THE DMV HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHEN IT COMES TO EMCEES. FROM MAD SKILLZ IN VIRGINIA TO WALE IN D.C., THE DMV IS EQUIPPED WITH SPITTERS. JAMIL HONESTY IS NO EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE. THE RAPPER AND SELF TAUGHT PRODUCER COMES WITH BARS TO GO. IN HIS OWN WORDS, “I WAS BIRTHED WITH A VERSE TO MASTER” AND “RHYMES ARE EFFORTLESS”, THE STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK BORN, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND INFLUENCED EMCEE IS MAKING NOISE. VALIDATED TALKS WITH JAMIL HONESTY TO DISCUSS HIS GROWTH AS AN ARTIST, EVENTUALLY MAKING HIS WAY TO PRODUCING, HIS UPCOMING PROJECT “MARTYR MUSIK 2 (THE KINGDOM)” AND MORE.

VALIDATED: BORN IN STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK AND LATER MOVED TO BALTIMORE, MARYLAND AS A TEEN, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP HOP CULTURE?

JAMIL HONESTY: I EQUATE IT TO MY FIRST MEMORY OF MY PARENTS. IT WAS THERE KIND OF WAITING ON ME TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT, FEEL ME. IT WAS ALL OVER BIG PARKS, COMING OUTSIDE… EVERYWHERE.

VALIDATED: YOU BEGAN YOUR QUEST AS AN EMCEE IN THE EARLY 90’S, HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START?

JAMIL HONESTY: I STARTED OUT AS A EMCEE AFTER HEARING “SCENARIO” BY A TRIBE CALLED QUEST AND “SMOOTH OPERATOR” BY BIG DADDY KANE. THOSE TWO RECORDS CAUGHT ME TO THE POINT WHERE I WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE CULTURE. I REALLY STARTED TAKING IT SERIOUSLY ONCE THE WU TANG CLAN TOOK OFF. IT PUT THE BATTERY IN MY BACK SEEING DUDES FROM MY HOMETOWN MAKING IT WORLDWIDE. I'VE BEEN HOOKED EVER SINCE.

VALIDATED: YOU EVENTUALLY STARTED PRODUCING AND FORMED YOUR OWN PRODUCTION COMPANY MACABEATS ENTERTAINMENT, HOW DID YOU TRANSITION INTO PRODUCING ALSO? 

JAMIL HONESTY: BEING IN THE STUDIO WITH OTHER PRODUCERS REALLY AND NOTICING THAT I ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF MUSICAL IDEAS. ALSO SHOUT TO KANYE WHEN HE DROPPED I WAS A BIG FAN OF “COLLEGE DROPOUT” AND “LATE REGISTRATION”. I WANNA SAY HE GAVE ME THE INSPIRATION TO KINDA MOVE FORWARD IN THAT DIRECTION SEEING HOW DOPE THOSE BODIES OF WORK TURNED OUT. 

VALIDATED: WHICH EMCEES AND PRODUCERS INFLUENCED YOU AND WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU “BORROW” FROM THEM?

JAMIL HONESTY: MAAAN A WHOLE LOT. I REALLY STUDIED THIS COMING UP BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE JUST AS GOOD AS MY FAVORITE EMCEES... FROM NAS, BLACK THOUGHT, KOOL G RAP, GFK, REDMAN AND RAKIM JUST TO NAME A FEW. I LEARNED CADENCE AND FLOW FROM SOME OF THESE GUYS. PRODUCERS RZA, PREMO, NOTTZ, DILLA, BLACK MILK, PETE ROCK AND ERICK SERMON. WHAT I TOOK FROM THEM WAS THE WAY THEY INCORPORATED FUNK INTO HIP HOP AND TRANSFORMED IT INTO SOMETHING CRAZY. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SWING. 

VALIDATED: YOU’VE WORKED WITH PLATINUM HIP HOP ARTIST LIKE DOITALL OF LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND AND STYLES P OF THE LOX, HOW DID THOSE COLLABORATIONS MATERIALIZE?

JAMIL HONESTY: THE DOITALL CONNECT CAME THROUGH MY DUDE SENICA DA MISFIT (ANIMAL GANG). BACK IN 2009-2010 I WAS PRODUCING A RECORD FOR HIM AND HE HAD DOITALL ON THE TRACK. I CONNECTED WITH DOITALL AND WE SPOKE AND HE ASKED ME TO SEND HIM MORE BEATS. I DID AND ONE OF THOSE BEATS ENDED UP ON ONE OF HIS MIXTAPES BACK IN 2011. STYLES CAME THROUGH CHEDDA BANG, ANOTHER STATEN ISLAND EMCEE. HE ASKED FOR SOME BEATS, I DELIVERED, HE LIKED ONE BEAT AND STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE STYLES DO A VERSE FOR IT. ONE DAY I WOKE UP AND IN MY INBOX WAS A SONG FEATURING STYLES P AND CHINX DRUGZ (RIP). 

VALIDATED: YOU’VE DROPPED SEVERAL PROJECTS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS INCLUDING THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED EP “MARTYR MUSIK” FULLY PRODUCED BY UK NATIVE HOBGOBLIN, HOW DO YOU FEEL THIS PROJECT COMPARES TO YOUR PREVIOUS RELEASES?

JAMIL HONESTY: MY PREVIOUS RELEASES WERE PART OF MY GROWTH TO GET TO “MARTYR MUSIK” AND THAT LEVEL OF LYRICISM AND REALLY PUTTING DOPE SONGS TOGETHER. I ALWAYS HAD DOPE IDEAS BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH “MM1” I WAS HAPPY WITH ME BEING ABLE TO SEE AN IDEA THROUGH AND FOR IT TO COME TOGETHER THE WAY I IMAGINED IT IN MY HEAD... THAT’S A SKILL LEVEL BELIEVE IT OR NOT. 

VALIDATED: YOU’RE RELEASING “MARTYR MUSIK 2 (THE KINGDOM)” ON SEPT. 18, 2020, WHAT’S THE FIRST SINGLE FROM THE PROJECT? 

JAMIL HONESTY: THE LATEST SINGLE IS “THE FABRIC” THE FIRST SINGLE WAS RELEASED IN THE WINTER CALLED “REPTILES” FEATURING MY GUYS MAV AND P.U.R.E. 

VALIDATED: WHICH PRODUCERS AND ARTIST DID YOU WORK WITH ON THE PROJECT?

JAMIL HONESTY: SOLEY HOBGOBLIN, THAT’S IT. HE DID THE WHOLE PROJECT. 

VALIDATED: NAME A COUPLE OF BALTIMORE EMCEES THAT ARE MAKING NOISE RIGHT NOW.

JAMIL HONESTY: JAY ROYALE, ILL CONSCIOUS, DIRT PLATOON, GUY GRAMS, ULLNEVANO, ACE CANNONS… DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE ON YOUR RADAR.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S THE REMAINDER OF 2020 LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 

JAMIL HONESTY: “MM2 THE KINGDOM”, WE ROCKING THE WHOLE FALL WITH THAT INTO THE WINTER. I HAVE OTHER PROJECTS I’M WORKING ON AND NOT SURE WHEN THEY’LL BE READY BUT WE ARE PREPPING THEM. ALSO MORE PRODUCTION FROM ME AS WELL. MY GOAL IS TO WORK WITH MORE ARTIST FROM THE PRODUCTION SIDE OF THINGS, SO THAT WILL BE FUN.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS?

JAMIL HONESTY: @JAMIL_HONESTY ON IG AND TWITTER