Virginia, Cali raised, James Savage a.k.a. Jayo Felony, Bullet Loco, One Shot Kill… you know who we talking about. Began his career signed to JMJ Records headed by the late Jam Master Jay . Take A Ride, What You Gonna Do, Sherm Stick, Crip Hop. collaborations with hip hop’s elite… Method Man, Snoop Dogg, DMX, Tha Eastsiderz, E40. just to name a few. So it’s NO QUESTION , he has resume.
Connecting with Xzibit’s Open Bar Entertainment, releasing the self titled James Savage album sonically going in a different direction than we are used to hearing from Mr Savage. The James Savage Album, although did not surpass his past work, it was still a solid project, and his true artistry was flexing.
OK now… I spent a day with the legendary words smith… And the conversation was… Savage.
I make the 40 minute drive to Jayo’s crib in Poway CA. a suburb of San Diego, with intentions of giving him a couple t shirts of our latest design, but wound up sitting down with the West Coast vet, tearing back the layers to what we the fans know as Jayo Felony. As he guides me into the dining area, Jayo is sits at the bar in his kitchen, watching old Paul Moony videos on a laptop, blue tooth speaker close by.
Insisting I grab a couple Jayo Felony shirts, (no problem) I sit down an offer a jar of High End Radio OG, my own personal strain. So as a true Savage he grabs a Raw cone, grabs some nuggets and says… “I just hired a new publicist and she has some plans, I’m real hype about. I can’t lie, I have seen this industry up close and personal and although I have had some success, it (the industry), at times showed it’s ugly head”. How he survived took lots of sacrifice, refusing to become a puppet, not compromising his integrity, creativity, or self worth. Those things he holds closely and are more important than becoming the biggest rapper in the world. Jayo says, “It’s some things I saw that I was NOT willing to attach my name to, I’m still Bullet Loco, Neighborhood Crip”.
So I asked him, what do you feel about the direction the culture is going? “I’m not mad at the young homies, it’s difficult sometimes to tell who’s who because of the auto-tune thing, but sometimes it’s dope. I personally wouldn’t do that, but, if someone does a hook I’ll kill the verses”. But I ain’t going to hate on em… ya’ll know what I do”. So what’s James Savage sound like RIGHT NOW? “Here’s some new shit me an Quik did recently”. says Jayo. Already paired to the speaker, an up tempo beat comes on, no, not that signature DJ Quik sound, something very different, from both Cali vets. Once Jayo starts, it’s almost foreign because we are used to him coming in snapping in his Jayo Felony norm. NO THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS IS. This is something sonically fresh, and captivating. You find yourself OVER listening, because the flow is rapid, and the bars are piled on top of each other effortlessly, his delivery is switching up just as rapid. as if he is the lead instrument.
Letting me get a early listen to his upcoming, untitled album was a for sure experience. After 3 fire records cooked up by DJ Quick, Jayo plays the lead single from the album, a Bossman Hogg track that gives you more of that Bullet Loco we are all familiar with. And then… He presses play and MAAAAAAAN I was floored. “These the one’s (plural) Dr. Dre did” he says as if I did the beat. And I will say this… have you ever heard of a peanut butter and jelly, chicken and waffles, hand and glove? Yeah that’s exactly what I was witnessing, a perfect hip hop match. Bullet is in his bag for sure. and production from the Doctor, the vibe is PHENOMENAL!
His passion for hip hop, and music over all runs REAL DEEP. So when I processed all I listened to, I had to ask him, “Your beat selection is wide fam, what’s that about?” “I tell the producers to send me the beats OUTSIDE my norm. Send em’ assuming I won’t like em’. I’m more than the classic west coast sound, I love it, but look how I’m defacing these beats here.” Lightwork
So after Jayo smoked the majority of my H.E.R.OG, and fuckin me up with all that unreleased heat, he insisted that once he and his team put the plan in motion, the Savage will purge. Stay Tuned.