The 23PRINCEJAY Interview
Written by nic violets
Today we sat down with another familiar artist to the ripe—tanjerines. family. Since the initial collaboration, we’ve seen immense growth both musically and mentally. This young man is ready to heat up the Summer and isn’t planning on taking his foot off the gas anytime soon.
Who is 23PRINCEJAY? Tell us about your upbringing and where you’re from.
23PRINCEJAY is a 25 year old young Haitian man born in Brooklyn, NY (Flatbush) and raised in Malden, MA. My upbringing was smooth had a 2 parent home and even though we were always broke my folks always found a way to make ends meet. I think that taught me to be the humble personable man I am today and why I work so hard to switch the flip on generational poverty for my family.
As a Massachusetts based artist, what are some of the positives of our music scene? What are some things that make it difficult as an artist living here?
As a mass artist I’d say the main positives are a lot of people are still trying to network and build themselves up from the ground level since it seems lately we’ve been having a burst of talent popping out on the scene in the last few years. The only negative is that us artists never had a big music scene in general in Massachusetts. We’re all creating it right now as we speak. This makes a lot (not all) mass artists people feel like they have to branch out to other states to prosper first instead of making a name for themselves at home. Besides that it’s lit out here.
As someone who has been independent, name some of your self-made accomplishments.
As an independent artist I have a few self-made accomplishments. I’d say a big one is really learning this music game and how it works whether it’s buying beats , publishing/masters & marketing yourself. Another one is always persevering through tough times. Everyone goes through it in life and especially when you’re independent trying to figure out most things on your own it gets rough. Always gotta find motivation from within. I’m also very proud of myself for the quality of work I put out sonically and visually. I’m a borderline perfectionist.
Who inspires you musically? Who inspires you in life?
Musically I’m inspired primarily by RNB/Hip-Hop artists like Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Mario, Drake etc. On the rap side it’s Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Wale etc. I mess with the Chicago and Detroit music scenes heavy as well. In life I’m inspired by my son Jamari and my family as whole. That’s all the motivation I need.
Definitely some legends on that list. In your latest release titled Run Up, you lean more toward drill in both production and delivery. Can we expect more records like it? And what draws you to a certain instrumental before recording?
Yeah “Run Up” had that UK/NY Drill beat vibe. I was messing with that beat heavy. Def expect a few more songs like that in the future. With me what draws me to most instrumentals is the vibe/emotions I feel from it. I harness that energy and turn it into words and how I feel in all my music mixed with real experiences and where I want to be in life.
Name your top 5 favorite snacks.
Green grapes, welches fruit snacks, Honey Barbecue chips (most brands), Caramel corn (or most snacks that have to do with caramel lol) and crackers with lunch meats and cheeses.
What is your goal as an artist? Are you comfortable creating for fun or is music your ultimate passion?
My goal as an artist is to break generational curses put on my Haitian people. I want to make it big and change my family’s mentality on life first and then more of my people back on the island. The average Haitian household raises you to obey rules, keep your head down, always be kind to people and work till you can’t work anymore. I’m trying to show a lot of them that it can be done differently. Long story short my goal is to make it out. Although music is definitely my main passion I’m also capable of making it for fun as well. Certain beats and songs you can’t help going into the booth and having fun with it. Feel me?
I can definitely understand that. A lot of cultures push a similar mentality so props to you for trying to break the mold and strive for more! My next question is a theme for all artists - What is your biggest strength? Growth involves action; What’s something you need to work on to reach the next goal?
My biggest strength is my personality I’d say. I could talk to any person in any room that’s famous or just a regular everyday 9-5 type and just catch a good vibe. I’m always myself and will never change or switch up no matter the situation. One thing that I’ve been working on and will continue to in the last year or so is patience. I know the talent I possess and sometimes I would mess up opportunities for myself trying to push my product on to people. Organic love is the best love ! Let your supporters/fans choose to support you on their own time. As cliché as it sounds you really just gotta work harder than the next person and trust the process.
That’s a great goal. Patience is a virtue and I can personally attest that statement. What is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self is focus on yourself more! Not the unimportant things like women and the pressures of society as a young man. All of that follows.
Valid. So what is next for you man? Talk about new projects and share anything else you’d like your supporters to know!
Next for me is probably a few more singles and visuals as I’ve been trying to heat up all 2021 with new music. Might have a tape on the way for y’all soon too but, I guess you’ll have to tune in to 23PRINCEJAY on all platforms and socials to find out!