Fresh Skillz

#1 J. Nolan (Reppin' Connecticut/Georgia)

Hip-hop is about the future. Without new artists breaking onto the scene the game would be lost, gone the way of jazz before it. That’s why this site will have a large emphasis on up and coming talent. An unsigned hype kind of column. This week I came across J. Nolan from Connecticut (I’ll refrain from Ken Kaniff jokes) who has just released a new mixtape called ‘Fresh Produce’ independently. I’ll admit I was sceptical when I listened to the tape for the first time but when I heard how the Shaft theme was flipped on the opening track ‘Going All Out’ I paid attention.

Not only is the production high quality but Nolan displays a great flow, breath control and overall delivery. His rhymes tend to lean towards bravado with a lot of attention paid to multi’s rather than thoughtful moments, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. A defining moment comes on ‘Dead Presidents Revisited’, a great flip of the Jay-Z classic, on which he rhymes, ‘What was once literal is now hypothetical, dudes tote guns in the streets which I’d never do, unless I felt threatened to, which would be incredible’. On ‘Dead Presidents’ he shows great skill in terms of tongue twisting alliteration and a very slick flow.

The well packed flow gets a little annoying after a while with a lack of things to talk about, but the feeling on ‘Why So Sad’ makes up for it. There are more highlights, like the final track ‘Easier Said Than Done’ on which Nolan rhymes ‘Try to be a role model for younger dudes, even though graduation’s the only time I touched a suit’ over a lively bouncing soundscape. Overall, it’s an enjoyable affair, but with a lack of subject matter it gets one dimensional at times. One thing can be sure though, with the amount of raw skill and some more life experience (he isn’t out of his teens yet after all) J. Nolan could craft a great hip-hop album.

The mixtape [Fresh Produce] is available for free download from this link :

http://www.zshare.net/download/13323318ca524c37/

I caught up with J. Nolan earlier this week to ask him his opinions on rap music and ask him where his future lies, amongst other things.

Chris - You seem to have a raw flow, which is based highly on lyricism. What do you think of where hip-hop is going today, away from the lyrical side?

J. Nolan - Its definitely a different atmosphere as far as lyricism these days. Rappers are dumbing down in order to play it safe for they think the fans can handle. Its unfair for everyone. Not to mention that the fun is being taken away from creating something that people can honestly relate to.

C - What are you own goals for your career?

J - Right now, I'm trying to see where this [Fresh Produce] mixtape movement will take me. I plan to be around for quite some time and on a large scale too. I'm just taking it one step at a time and hopefully this mixtape will catch some attention from people in the industry that can speed up my process. I'll probably do a couple more mixtapes before I start trying to do an album.

C - You can handle a whole mixtape by yourself so where does your work with Manifest stand?
J - The group situation is still there with Manifest.Its just certain factors that keep us from making music together. Yung B Da Producer is living in Colorado and Osiris> The Prophet is balancing out the other things that he wansts to accomplish. I'll be working with Yung B on a project called "The Up-Bringing 2.0" pretty soon.

C - What were you going for on this album? There is alot of Big L like bragging, but then you switch it up with tracks like 'Easier Said Than Done'. How do you see yourself as an artist?

J - [Fresh Produce] is a melting pot of what makes me who I am through music. Its 100% J.Nolan with no preservatives. Hip-hop has always been about bragging so it may seem like I'm being self-endulgent on some tracks. I'm really just being true to the game. I have the deeper songs like "Easier Said Than Done" where I can more open and vulnerable but still keep my swagger right to captivate the listeners. It's very balanced.

C - What is the hip-hop scene like in Connecticut, or where you're staying in Georgia nowadays? Is it hard to get noticed?

J - In Connecticut , the market is very small. The scene is not dead but no on is really checking for the next big thing to come out of CT. The industry is thriving in Georgia on the mainstream level. There's a solid underground scene here too. However, those two worlds don't intermingle...its just too much politics involved and the difference of taste is very evident. I think I'm the closest one to being able to bridge the gap because I know people that listen to Soulja Boy that can turn on a J.Nolan record and love it...and its not just because they know me either. People are smart enough to understand the difference in artistic vision. Its still a tough market to break through though because people feel that they have to be the next Soulja Boy in order to make it.

C - So what's next for J.Nolan?

J - [Fresh Produce] has only been out for a couple days so I'm going to be pushing that for a few months to see how the people respond. I'll be coming back out toward the end of the year with something new. I'm thinking about calling the next project "The Non-Smoking Session" but is not final. I'll worry about it later. Right now, promoting [Fresh Produce] is my focus.

C - Is there anything else you'd like to speak on?

J - Just look out for me because I might be around sooner than people may think. And once I get in, I have a whole new movement for the world to enjoy. Check me out at myspace.com/jnolaniscool for info about me and the mixtape.