Locality: Reston, VA, part of the all encompassing DMV.
Color: Red: Audacious full sound.
The Story: JDVBBS (pronounced Jay Dubbs), ain’t your average
rapper. Nor is he “Just A Rapper.” The Virginia native is cut from a
different cloth.
JDVBBS has always been a fan of hip hop; yet he has a story that’s all his own. “My mom was a young mom, so of course she listened to hip-hop around
the house. As early as 9, those are my most tangible memories. My mom used
to say that I was always rapping MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” [Also] ONYX’s “Slam”—“let the boys be boys!” Growing up in the suburbs,
he always had rap in his roots, but that’s not all. At a very young age he
started his some-odd 20-year piano career. While he could hear chords and
sing octaves backwards and front, he put his musical creativity to use with his classical background.
The rapper/singer headed to college at James Madison
University. He was still a fan of hip hop while he earned a degree in music. Post college he started DJ’ing. Exploring musical influences from singer-songwriters, folk, EDM, including LCD Soundsystem and Björk, he made a
decision a year ago to take things to the next level. Yet he was very clear--he
wanted to rap and sing on this first release.
JDVBBS put his lyricism and his vocal chops to work,
dropping subURBAN at the top of the year. “I think I was in a rush to put it
out because so many of my friends weren’t expecting me to be rapping. I went to
school for singing,” he exclaims of the multi-genre release. It’s a mixture of
all of his influences, and includes samples that are nothing less than dope
from Ray Charles on “Just A Rapper,” and Kimbra on “Piece Of Mind.” “There’s so
much stuff that goes into it outside of your ability to rap. What you’re
rapping about, where it comes from, how you sound on a record and things like
that…I always had that,” he says of his talent.
He hopes to put more of his vocals on blast in the near
future. “Chance [the Rapper] nailed it, like Chance did a good job. Like I want to know-- is
he a rapper? Is he a singer? That’s what we’re trying to do going forward.” As
for who he’d like to make music with, his aspirations go everywhere from James
Blake, Sid Sriram and Snow Tha Product to Pharrell and Jay-Z.
Coloring Outside the Lines Because: There’s no shame in
JDVBBS' game. The unapologetic musician embraces his roots with simultaneous
undeniable talent. Only the truly musically inclined would how to magnetize such gutsy samples with braggadocio lyrics. Not to mention the rapper/singer combo is musically ambidextrous.
Think: Fashion line in-store bash/fashion show, LA, workout playlist, fine wine, party bus; outgoing message.
Think: Fashion line in-store bash/fashion show, LA, workout playlist, fine wine, party bus; outgoing message.
