Today we’d like to introduce you to Jai Renegade.
Jai, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m from Savannah, Ga I’m 26 years old here’s my story. I’m the youngest of 4 boys, my mom, pretty much raised us on her own since I came to Miami when I was in the 2nd grade. I played on basketball teams my whole life. I actually became a rapper when I was about 24 because of my friend Jeremy aka RicoAce. I grew up a bit of a hot head, but I was made honor roll in school and had a passion for writing. I have always had a need to express myself, and music was the perfect outlet for me. Life for me as a child was a lot of financial struggles, but my mother always made sure our needs were met, and we still got to experience lots of traveling through sports. I also went tons of places playing chess as well. As a child, I was actually the number 1 ranked chess player in all of Miami-Dade County. Other than music I currently teach kids at a program known as Gang Alternative, I coach and do personal training for youth basketball, and I also have my own clothing line. I guess I’m something of a jack of all trades haha.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a music recording artist. I love writing songs, and my inspiration comes from all kinds of things. I draw most of my inspiration from my life and the things I have gone through. From things like partying with friends to even heartbreak. I feel I should always be pure with my art and use it as an outlet for expressing my feelings. When people listen to my music, I want them to be able to learn about me and relate to the music. I want people to see that we all go through ups and downs and recognize me as an artist who puts it all out there for the world no matter what. If there’s one thing I want people to take away from my music, it’s that I don’t just rap over a nice beat but to listen to what I’m saying because I’m always talking about something there’s almost always a message behind each song. I want everyone to know that when comes to my art, it’s not just to sound cool or look cool but to actually deliver a message and share my story.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think the condition of artists these days is good and bad. I say good because a lot more people are doing music now then I remember as a child. However, I say bad because of some of the quality of the music and how hard it is for an artist to get a genuine opportunity at success. I believe it’s mainly harder for artists these days because of that reason. The main artists I see getting famous all rap the same and talk about the same things. I believe there’s so much more than violence, drugs, and sex to talk about, but society really only wants to hear that. I also feel like society isn’t that open to new styles and sounds. I personally have been compared to over ten different artists instead of just being told I have my own unique style. I think that’s because my songs vary depending on how I feel when I write. I feel like because people want u to sound like their favorite artists instead of just embracing something new life is hard for upcoming artists.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can find my music on SoundCloud @Jairenegade as well as on my Instagram @jairenegade. I appreciate any and all support I have my own clothing brand and logo. So I definitely would love to have more wearing my logo and showing their support. I also perform basically every chance I get such as at Miami Live which is an awesome spot for artists wanting to be heard so you can definitely catch me on stage and support by simply showing up I usually just give out my tickets for free, so supporters don’t even have to pay to see me and other artists.
Contact Info:
- Address: Dade County, Miami, Florida
- Website: https://m.soundcloud.com/jairenegade
- Email: go4renegade@icloud.com
- Instagram: @jairenegade
- Facebook: JaiRenegade
- Twitter: @jairenegade
Image Credit:
Marquis Russell (brother)
Jeremy Walker (RicoAce)
Nicolas Diaz
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