Petite, sexy, and Filipina, JNatural is hardly your typical hip-hop emcee. Her debut, Love is On Hiatus, executive produced by southland legend Aceyalone, is a rousing, jazzed inflected homage to finding love. And with guests like Acey and Abstract Rude, and production by Jeff Wonder and LD (Dilated Peoples, GZA, LMNO), this June release is sure to put her on the hip-hop map. Below Acey chops it up with his protege especially for URB readers. Find out how they met, JNat’s favorite Freestyle Fellowship song, and how she plans world domination:
Aceyalone: Talk about your album a bit. Any songs about me?
JNatural: Love is on Hiatus was my attempt at defining real love. Case in point, it took the number of people I interviewed, and the adventures leading up to meeting those people, to tell my story. The meaning that my album brought to me after I had finished writing it is: love is on hiatus. As a society we are so twisted with what the definition or representation of love truly is, from our mistreatment of each other, to the beauty and consumer products industry convincing us we need to look a certain way to be desirable, to the (and I hate to say it) music and tv industry glorifying all the afforesaid things. Love will always be on hiatus for those people looking to fill what these “people” say we lack, with the things, notions, ideas that these “people” are trying to sell us. You lack nothing. You are perfect. Love is inside of YOU. But you will always be waiting for it until you realize that only you have the power to activate it. Are there any songs about you on the album?? Haha. Honestly? “Rain” is about you Acey or at least inspired by you… I remember writing that song and channeling your “alone-ness.”
Aceyalone: What’s it like being a female (Filipina) MC out there?
JNatural: It’s the same as being a female anywhere, regardless of what youre trying to do. The capitalist world is pretty much male dominated, which a microcosm of hip-hop. As females, we are underestimated, over sexualized and overlooked. Female and Filipina is pretty much almost the antithesis of what the average person is expecting to see when they look for someone rapping. I like being the underdog tho… it makes the impact when I start to speak so much greater.
Aceyalone: How is designing clothes/fashion like making a hip-hop record?
JNatural: Like any good fashion line, as your career goes along you have to define your style, not just create knock off versions of other trending styles. In defining your style, you not only have to define what you like, but what your fanbase looks to you for and evolve it so its always fresh. I believe when creating a record, just like creating a line, there has to be an inspiration, a point of view or something you want to say. Every designer thats always been associated with genius can tell a powerful and cohesive visual story. Lastly, just as in fashion, you always always have to go with your gut. A term thats often been used in many places I’ve been employed is “Its better to fall on your face, than fall on your ass”. The balance of safe/commercial, with forward reaching music is what creates a well rounded and saleable fashion line. The same principles apply to a hip-hop record.
Aceyalone: Your favorite Freestyle Fellowship song + why?
JNatural: It would really be hard for me to pick just one..haha … I love “Cornbread” because of the drumbeat and the playful lyrics, and just the fact that it makes me wanna jump up and bust, beat on bathroom walls, b-girl b-girl forever. I love “7th seal” again because of the beat, the style and delivery of the lyrics, and I just have a thing for occult, extraterrestrial, supernatural type subjects. When I hear this song I feel like my body is taken over by a higher spirit which causes me to move and dance freely, like a war chant or a rain dance. Lastly but certainly not least, I love “When the Sun Took a Day Off.” The first time I heard this song, the story telling blew my mind, the whole mood of it, the combination of the story and the beat together. it felt so desolate, so eery, I could see colors like this place was a painting.
Aceyalone: What’s next?
JNatural: I’m just going to keep doing me. Proliferating my creative prowess. The current album Love is On Hiatus is coming on in June and the movie from the album, called “Desire” should be premiering in June as well as well as showing in various domestic and international film festivals. As far as music goes, I want to come out with a new album within the next year or so that’s a departure from what I’ve normally done… something quite experimental.. that or Im just going to make a fuckin-pop album. I’ve started a production company called Mis-Masked Productions and I’m planning to continue making videos and films, maybe even a feature. My design firm Halseyan LLC is constantly gaining new clientele and we are aiming for Asian and European markets at the moment. Regardless of what area, the goal is always GLOBAL. So the short answer to the question is WORLD DOMINATION.
Get it JNeL! Bless n much respect sistren. Still rockin steady.