J. Smois a hip-hop artist and producers based in Sacramento, California. He started off in the hip-hop formation BUNKS before venturing on his own as a solo artist. He’s been going strong since, putting the finishing touches on his album and organizing a tour whilst juggling multiple side projects with fellow artists and remixers. And did we mention his familiy, friends, and teaching career? This man has the chops! Well-spoken and intelligent, J. Smo has a lot to say about his work, but stays humble all the way through. Mad respect!

Hello! Tell the world about yourself. How did you grow up to become the musician you are today?

My stage name is J.Smo. Up until recently, my music has always been released as part of the Tennessee (U.S.) native Hip Hop collective BUNKS which is an acronym: Bringing Unmatched Noise Knowledge & Sound. We started recording and releasing music as BUNKS around 2002-03 but had been writing and recording in genres outside of Hip Hop before BUNKS formed. We were always lovers of Hip Hop but it did not become our primary creative focus until BUNKS came into being.

I grew up watching my father play guitar and piano. In earlier life, he toured in a rock and roll band for many years before settling down and choosing a career as a Methodist pastor (around the time I was born). Upon my birth, he sold most of his musical equipment except for a Yamaha acoustic guitar which I still have and play today. My great aunt was a well known organist and piano teacher in her community so you might say music has been in our family for a while.

I don’t remember what led me down this path but watching my father playing guitar as a child really drove my passion for learning to play myself as I got older. As I continued aging and learning more about production and recording technology, I began diving deeper and deeper into DAWs, sequencing software, and specifically Hip Hop production. I enjoy blending non-Hip Hop genres into my music and my Purgatory EP is a collection of songs featuring exactly that. I teamed up with musicians and songwriters from non-Hip Hop genres based in various locations around the planet to create remixes or original songs.

Introduce your current musical projects and tell us what makes each one special for you!

I am currently putting the finishing touches and preparing merchandise for the release of my full length solo album titled The Joshua Story. I am also working with Danish emcee EKD and Danish producer JAW on a multilingual project featuring rapping in Danish and English. We are hoping to include emcees from various other languages on the project as well.

I have been releasing singles to all the major streaming services. Some of those releases including “Tryin To Understand (The World)”, “Break It Down”, “Endurance (Mr. P Chill Remix)” and various features on other artists’ projects including Mr. P Chill and Tennessee based producer Fell Peepz.

There’s nothing really “special” about these releases other than they are my most recent creations and since I’m now flying solo, instead of in a group, everything is 100% me from top to bottom and all around.

Another project I have been working on is producing for jazzy soul singer/songwriter Madame Z. We will be releasing music together very soon.

You have been playing music for a long while! How do you find the drive and inspiration to keep going all this time?

I love it. I also run a music blog that focuses on DIY, indie artists and bands. The blog has been running since 2011 and has served many purposes including introducing me to the bands and songwriters I collaborated with on my multi-genre Purgatory EP as well as helping me grow a network of people I can rely on to help us out in foreign cities when we are planning tours and traveling through areas we would otherwise have no friends or acquaintances.

I have no idea where the drive comes from but I have a long term vision that formed around 20 years ago and I am still manifesting that vision. It has changed, been edited and has adapted over the years as I have raised 3 kids, been a loyal husband and worked on various other projects (as well as being a substitute teacher), but I think the best part of this whole journey is having to live in the moment and learning to love every second even when they really suck or have you really down.

At the end of the day it’s all passion and love and there’s nothing else I really want to be doing…except sharing it all with my wife, kids and all our extended family and friends.

How is your local music scene in your perspective? Do you feel like you belong there?

I have been living in Sacramento, California since 2013 and I definitely feel a lot more at home here than I did back in Tennessee as BUNKS. In Tennessee we managed to carve out a niche but it didn’t take very long for me to hit a creative ceiling and become frustrated with the lack of opportunities in front of me. Moving to Sacramento has allowed me to grow and expand not only as an artist and creative individual but also as a human being, father and husband.

Sacramento has had a much longer history with Hip Hop. Not just the music but with every element of the culture including DJing, break dancing, graffiti and, of course, music. Moving to focus on being a solo artist and producer has been very refreshing and allowed me to build a much stronger network of very active and successful indie Hip Hop artists.

I think, at the end of the day, I do feel like I belong here (in Sacramento)….at least for now.

What is your all-time favorite record and how did it change you as an artist?

I don’t have one and there isn’t one record that changed me. I listen to a lot of music, mostly from unknown independent artists, that covers every genre imaginable. I believe there is good music and there is not good music. Not good music usually suffers from poor recordings and lack of production during the recording, mixing and mastering process. I’ve heard great songs that were really horrible to listen to but I’ve also heard horrible songs that sounded like they were recorded in world class studios…

What are your favorite software and hardware tools for music production?

I’m a big fan of Maschine 2.0 and all the plug-ins, expansion packs and other software Native Instruments has developed for producers and DJs. I also use Cubase, VST instruments and sometimes fall back to my old school favorites Fruity Loops and Cool Edit Pro depending on the project I am working on.

What is your songwriting process like?

Depends. If someone sends me a beat and wants me to write a verse for it, I play it over and over until a verse comes out.

If it’s my own music I am working on… I typically open up Maschine, turn on my MIDI keyboard, find a rhythm and start playing around until I create something that feels good. I don’t release anything or let anyone else hear it unless I’m truly “feeling it”.

Out of all the live shows you played, which one was the most memorable, and why?

There are a few. J&J’s in Denton, Texas. Blondie’s in Arcata, California. Red Room Lounge in Spokane. Several shows in Salem, Oregon but I guess I would have to point out the fact I got to tour with The Great Peso 131 of the legendary Hip Hop group Fearless Four. Fearless Four was the first Hip Hop group signed to a major label back in the ’80s. They had several releases and icons in the Hip Hop and music world. Riding around California, Nevada and Utah with Peso and hearing stories about all the Hip Hop legends I grew up listening to was a priceless experience I will never ever ever forget.

If all goes as planned I will be going on tour again with Peso and Mr. P Chill in October of 2018 but those details won’t be available until a later date.

What is your biggest musical goal?

To self-sustain long-term as a creative, independent, DIY artist.

How has being on Drooble helped you as a musician?

It has been the best way to connect with other indie, like minded, DIY musicians across the planet. The best part is everything post is about or related to music or creative pursuits. The Karma Point system that allows you to earn points for being and staying active is genius and being able to spend the points on EPKs, interviews, reviews, radio boosts and more is GENIUS! I love Drooble!