"Souljahz don't quit / Souljahz don't stop / We're the real hip-hop," rapped Je'Kob Washington in 1999, when he was part of the pop/hip-hop group Souljahz--his foray into the Christian music industry.
And true enough, 14 years later, he hasn't quit. Some heard him with the Souljahz with his brother Josh and his sister Rachel. Then Je'Kob and Rachel went on to form Washington Projects. He released three solo EPs, Faith, Hope, and Love. He is back with Faith Hope Love--which is 14 songs from the EPs and three "Eutopian" mixes.
NewReleaseTuesday's Dwayne Lacy was able to speak with Je'Kob about the album's concept, staying musically relevant and spiritually fresh.
What prompted you to use the concept of Faith, Hope and Love?
Man it was actually a crazy process. I had a bunch of material ready to go before I met the CEO of this label (Save the City Records). I was getting ready to put out my album independently, and I had over 30 songs that I had been working on. I didn't have any game plan on how I wanted to release it. There was just no coherency on what this album was about. Eventually me and the label met. Their team is incredible and their hearts are in line with what I'm doing and why I did not like the major label side of things.
We talked about the direction of this album and how it would really make sense. I initially thought about releasing it as a double album. We looked at it and thought about how we could break it apart. How can we make it a more thought out process? It was just crazy how it all came together. The marketing guy, Keith said, "Why don't we think about doing it in a more trilogy type of thing or splitting it up half and half?" That's when I started looking at the songs and what they were talking about. About six to seven songs fit in each category of Faith, Hope and Love. It just all lined up.
How it is working with your sister as a part of Washington Projects, as well as the adjustment of working without her as a solo artist?
Man, it's cool. It's both its own world, I think. With WP, we've been doing music together for so long that it's kind of a natural thing. We really don't practice much and take hours and hours to figure out songs and what we're going to do. It's really just a natural process for us. On the solo side, a lot of that is more personal as far as the topics are concerned. It may be something I've went through or currently going through. That's probably the biggest difference. Otherwise, there's not much difference.
You are not afraid to tackle various genres such as electronica, acoustic soul and even pop. However people may not know that ever since Souljahz, you have been a versatile artist. Explain why you do this.
I don't consider myself a rap artist or a rock artist. I'm kind of all over the place. It's kind of what I am with the music that I listen to. I don't have one specific style that I love more than the next genre. If anything tops my list, it's classical music. I can hear a country/pop song and I will really dig it. So my own music derives from my eclectic taste in music.
Fortunately, and even unfortunately people have a tendency to put artists in certain categories, even if it's not what the artist wants. Where do you think Je'Kob's ministry fits in the whole CHH and even CCM genres? Or are you sort of creating your own niche?
It's not that I am specifically trying to do, but it's probably the No. 1 thing that I've been hearing as far as feedback is concerned. I've heard that it's an original thing. I love that and I think it's the best compliment (musically) that I can get. With me being all over the place, stylistically that it can all sound like the same artist. It can be an electronica type of song or a hip-hop type of song and it stills sounds like me. It stays with who I am.
You have been around the scene since 1999. What advice can you give to people to stay fresh and relevant both spiritually and musically?
Good question. I don't know if there is really a formula for that. On the musical side, it's all about being open minded. Don't be swayed by what is hot and what is not. Focus on what you did really well. Don't try to be somebody else. One criticism that I've heard from people outside of the Christian industry is that a lot of Christian music sounds like a rip-off of something else. Hip-hop has grown a lot out of that state. We still have a lot of growth. I think rock and alternative had a head start on Christian hip-hop. Focus on the gifts that God has given you.
Spiritually, continue to make your relationship with God your first priority. I know I struggle with this all the time. Come back to that same spot where you are humble.
