JENNIFER JOHNS  (September 2008) | Interview By: Javon Adams

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Interview was done in August 2008

Questions Asked By: Javon Adams

Jennifer Johns Interview Audio: Listen Here

Jennifer Johns Gave Dubcnn A Shoutout: Listen Here

 

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Dubcnn: The talented Jennifer Johns has come to dubcnn. How are you doing this evening?

I am wonderful. How are you doing?


Dubcnn: I’m doing ok. I can’t complain. Now for those that may not be familiar with what it is that you do can you please explain a little bit?

I am a singer, songwriter, emcee and arts and action styles human being I guess. *laughs*


Dubcnn: Ok. Now I read where you said that your music is influenced by the places that you’ve been. That’s not an uncommon statement to hear from an artist but can you explain how travelling to different places and interacting with different people can influence the music that you make?

I think that even though I don’t necessarily rap primarily that I am a part of the culture of hip hop. You travel to different places and you experience the culture of hip hop in other places and get to insert yourself in this common ground and learn about different levels of culture and the sounds that have influenced them. But if nothing else it is their stories and their struggles and you begin to understand that no matter where you are, no matter what color you are and what your socioeconomic status is that there are commonalities in all humans around the world. You don’t really understand how connected you are to other people until you get an opportunity to see other people doing other things, you know what I mean?


Dubcnn: Yeah, I get you. So you describe yourself as a B-Girl *laughs* Define what being a B-Girl is to you.

I would say that I am a B-Girl because I am of this generation. I am a B-Girl because me heart is hip hop and that’s what it is.


Dubcnn. Ok. I know you are from Oakland and I can hear the Oakland influence in some of the music that you make. But from listening to your ‘Painting on Wax’ project I hear such a wide range of influences and styles. Is that a conscience effort on your part to be diverse or does it just come naturally?

It just kind of comes…my process for making music is different for each song and my belief is that you don’t push music you allow yourself to be the vessel. When you get filled up to make what you make you just let it through you so I guess that’s where the diversity comes from.


Dubcnn: Your first project had such an interesting title can you, since you are the one that created it…what is the title of your debut CD

You are speaking of ‘Heavyelectromagneticsoloarpoeticjunglehop’


Dubcnn: There we go. *laughs* I just had to get that out there. Now from that title and like I said from listening to your music and researching you you’re an intelligent black woman and it comes across in all the interviews and all that. Do you find it difficult to be respected for your mind as well as your voice in a male dominated music business?

*laughs* It has it’s moments that are entertaining but as I tell all young women who ask me what it’s like to be in a male dominated industry like this, ‘There are true benefits to being a smart woman in this industry.’ So I would say that it balances itself out. I don’t ever feel like I wish I was a dude in this game ever because I feel that there’s just too many of them. *laughs*


Dubcnn: Ok, I got you. Along those same lines, I know that you have done work with a lot of well respected underground musicians like Blackalicious and some work in terms of production with Spontaneous. I know you did some stuff with A-Plus and that is where I started to get a little bit of the education of Jennifer Johns but how is it as you manoeuvre? Do you ever have somebody try to cross the line?

I mean, it’s not different ‘hip hop vs. not hip hop’ because you encounter people of the opposite sex. Guys encounter the same thing where you’re out in the world and they treat you a way that you don’t necessarily want to be treated. I don’t think it’s specific to this community. I would also venture to say that A-Plus called me on International Women’s Day, you know what I’m say. He was like, ‘Girl, keep it going.’ So I have a lot of support in the community as well. It’s give and take.


Dubcnn: Now, Nayo Movement that is your label. I saw where you interned at Arista a few years ago so you could gain greater insight into what a label does. Now that you have that real world experience what has been your greatest challenge?

Ooh, what has been my greatest challenge? I would say balance. I really have had problems balancing the passion and the love of making music with the game and the industry and the love for the game and the industry. Those are two very very Full Time jobs and when you are an independent artist and you don’t necessarily have a Full Time staff it’s not easy. Fortunately I’ve put in a lot of work and developed a good support system now so there is some changes in my career but it requires that.


Dubcnn: I spoke with an artist by the name of Jihad and he touched on the fact that he has to wear so many hats during the course of a day and over time you just get used to it but that everybody is not cut out for it. Would you agree with that?

Yeah, not everyone is cut out for it and I would say that many times it is counterproductive. I would encourage artists to do things like contact the universities near you that have music business programs there. There are people that really want to get into the music industry and are really talented artists but for whatever reason at that level they don’t connect for the purpose of business. We seem to think that the music business is still done in clubs and that’s not where it happens.


Dubcnn: OK, good piece of advice. Now Nayo, that means ‘She who brings joy’ in Swahili, right?

Yep


Dubcnn: Now for all the critical acclaim that you get and the demand for your talents overseas it’s evident that you bring joy to a great many. Your first project moved over 300,000 units and I can imagine that was the result of a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Numbers wise, is that where the bar is set now in terms of a successful project or is every project kind of different and judged on it’s own merits?

*laughs* Who told you 300,000? *laughs*


Dubcnn: In some of the research I was doing I saw 300,000. *laughs* Let’s refine it a little bit…how do you judge what is successful in terms of a project? Is it the number of units that you move is it the number of places or number of shows? How do you judge what is success?

What is success? I would say that it is more about how many it reaches because the way the music is sold and distributed and dealt with these days is so different than it was before. It’s not so much about selling music but it’s about being an overall fresh artist and being a dope brand. My music gives me the opportunity to maybe come and speak at schools. My music gives me the opportunity to be a part of this Green For All movement and the I AM The Change tour this summer and brand myself with things that I believe in that will also pay me. And that is how I measure the success of the music. I look at as a billboard for the brand that is Jennifer Johns and is emerging and sales these days.


Dubcnn: You just mentioned speaking at schools…when you speak at schools does anybody ever come up to you and say that you have made an impact on them? How is that feeling? I would seem to be a great opportunity when it’s youth that you are speaking in front of.

It is an amazing opportunity. I get an opportunity to go into schools sometimes and share music with them and also make music with them and learn from them which is cool. These kids and organizations like Bump Records out here and YMR and Cove Records these kids are off the chain. I get inspired by them. They dance and stuff like that for me and I’m like, ‘Whoa!’


Dubcnn: Nice. What is the project that you have out now that you are promoting? Let dubcnn know about it.

It is called ‘Painting on Wax’. It will come out at the end of the summer, at least digitally by the end of the summer. It is a hodgepodge of a bunch of different things. I don’t know exactly what else to say. It’s a manifestation of my work for 2 ½ years and some dreams and some thoughts and some ideas and I hope folks enjoy it.


Dubcnn: I know how sometimes when you finish a project and it’s a time capsule. Have you already started to think about the next project?

Oh yes. *laughs*


Dubcnn: Are you the type that is thinking two or three projects ahead?

Sometimes…yeah I’ll think two or three projects ahead and begin to think that these are the next steps that I want to make but I would be completely retarded if I didn’t tell you that it completely changes constantly. I just try my best to stay creative and right now I am thinking of this journey that I am making through the summer and the music that I want to make to support that journey.


Dubcnn: Any last words for dubcnn? Let the people know where they can stay abreast of what’s going on with Jennifer Johns.

You can go to MySpace. You can go to Facebook. And you can check out Sustainable Living and GreenForAll and starting at the end of August with the Democratic National Convention I will be on tour across the country stopping at universities through election day showing sustainable living to people. So look for us in your city. And you can go to those websites to get the dates.


Dubcnn: Now you brought up…with the Democratic National Convention, tell me a little more about that then. How did that come about and are you out there trying to Rock the Vote…

*laughs* Well, what I wanted to do was travel across the country and register voters and share music and be a part of this amazing historical period of time. I was contacted by the Green For All organization to do this Dream Reborn thing. They pulled together activists from around the country to come to an event in Memphis for the 40th anniversary of the passing of Dr. King. And unfortunately and ironically because of gas prices ATA Airlines shut down as I was trying to leave Hawaii to go to Memphis.


Dubcnn: Wow. So you were affected by that.

But as a result of the show I found myself researching what the organization was about. What they do is raise awareness about Green Jobs and a sustainable living being more practical in Black and Brown communities across the country. Their work is about using Green jobs as a means to lift out of poverty. That really kind of brought the whole thing of sustainable living to being logical and sustainable for people who look like me and are where I come from.

I went to an event that they did and talked and said this is what I’d like to do and I’d like to do it in some kind of Bio-diesel bus or something that is sustainable and they said how about a road show. So I said ok. So I go and check in with these guys and they are the most fantastic, tree hugging, crunchy White people on the planet. They have got these Bio-diesel busses and they are traveling across the country. They need entertainment and ability to…the have booked these university dates but with the Urban community so we can reach out and share food ideas and things like that. So I got the opportunity to bridge Green For All and Sustainable Living and the thought process there and there resources to travel across the country. I’m filling in those dates with club dates and we’ll be going to high schools and universities now and we will be performing in clubs as well. It’s going to be great.


Dubcnn: Good luck with that and make sure to keep us abreast of what’s going on. We’ll hook up in the near future.

Awesome. Thank you so much.