Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first received widespread attention in 2007, after the release of his mixtape, '' Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)''. The success of the aforementioned mixtape and the stand-alone single " Exhibit C", subsequently led fellow American rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

to sign Electronica to his record label,

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

in 2010. His debut studio album, '' A Written Testimony'' was released in 2020 and followed up by '' Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)'', after years of speculation and delay.

Musical career

In 2007, Jay Electronica released his first mixtape, '' Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)'', via MySpace. It was downloaded over 50,000 times. That success and his catalog led to Electronica joining the

Rock the Bells Rock the Bells was an annual hip-hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert featured a line-up of high-profile alternative hip-hop artists, often headlined by a mor ...

Tour in 2008. Later that year, producer

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...

and Jay Electronica selected songs for Guitar Center's GAIN project, Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 and included a (previously unnamed) song which Just Blaze named "Exhibit A (Transformations)."

would later (October 27, 2009) debut " Exhibit C" on Tony Touch's Sirius Radio program, where it quickly caught on, making its way to terrestrial radio stations like New York's Hot 97 and spawning artist remixes from MCs AZ, N.O.R.E,

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

Joell Ortiz Joell Christopher Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper and a former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's A ...

and others. A bidding war ensued with Jay finally signing (November 12, 2010) with

. Though fans and critics anticipated a full-length debut, Electronica's output in the subsequent decade consisted of several collaborations and non-album solo songs. On February 7, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

the completion of his album, '' A Written Testimony'', which was recorded over a 40-day period. It was released on March 13, 2020. On October 5, 2020, Jay Electronica announced via Twitter that his previously unreleased album, '' Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)'', was available for streaming on Tidal after the album had surfaced online two days prior. In August 2021, Jay Electronica was featured on the song "Jesus Lord" released on Kanye West's album '' Donda''.

Personal life

Jay Electronica and

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

were in a relationship for five years and have a daughter together, born in 2009. Jay Electronica had an affair with Kate Emma Rothschild, the wife of Benjamin Goldsmith, resulting in the breakdown of Goldsmith's marriage.

Controversy

Jay Electronica is a staunch supporter of

Louis Farrakhan Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader, Black supremacy, black supremacist, Racism, anti-white and Antisemitism, antisemitic Conspiracy theory, conspiracy theorist, and former singer who hea ...

and sampled him on ''A Written Testimony''. One track from the album includes a reference to the “Synagogue of Satan”, a phrase Farrakhan often uses as an antisemitic slur. As a result, Electronica has been accused of antisemitism.

Discography

* '' A Written Testimony'' (2020) * '' Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* - Old official web site (2004–2005)
Jay Electronica video interview on redbullmusicacademy.comJust Blaze, Jay Electronica, & Mike "Chav" Chavarria
– An Interview with Jay, Chav, & Just Blaze
Exclaim! magazine interview with Jay Electronica

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

1976 births Living people St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni African-American male rappers African-American record producers American expatriates in the United Kingdom American hip hop record producers Five percenters Members of the Nation of Islam Rappers from New Orleans J Southern hip hop musicians Songwriters from Louisiana 21st-century American rappers Erykah Badu African-American songwriters Converts to Islam {{US-hiphop-bio-stub