EQUATE Meets Jordy
"...This really turned out to be a ‘thank you for waiting for me’ project. I’d like to think that I know my core fanbase well enough to know what they expect from me and hopefully I've delivered; if it reaches anyone else that’s a bonus!"
“Over the past few years, I’ve always been recording, I just never knew what for” Jordy tells me of his imminently dropping debut EP “SMH”. When the Tottenham-born, Essex-based creative hyphenate greets me over the phone, he’s exuding a ready energy as he explains with a hint of satire that he’s simply dropping this long-anticipated body of work to appease the “Jordy don’t drop crew”. Which, as it turns out, are a fiercely dedicated faction of his core fanbase who are meticulous about him consistently releasing new music.
I can’t exactly blame them. Taking into consideration the clear-cut quality of Jordy’s sonic product and the poignancy and dynamism present within his bars, it’s clear as day why his supporters stay waiting on the edge of their seats. Outside of his introductory feature on Ghett’s “Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament” album back in 2018, and the moderate success of his single “A13” featuring TIGGS DA AUTHOR in 2019, - save a few appearances with the Vibbar collective in 2020 -, until the outset of 2021 when he arrived with the drill-infused heater “I CALLED TJ TWICE”, Jordy had been relatively thin on the ground musically.
“It’s my own fault - I’d be leaking snippets knowing full well I was on a year-long hiatus from music” he jests when I ask him if there’s an ulterior meaning behind the acronym he’s chosen for the projects’ title. “I wasn’t completely silent, so people must have felt like I was just teasing. In my mind, it became this call and response thing where I was like shake my head – here it is, have it!” he chuckles. Concluding this thought, he states candidly, “I guess, I just broadly used that acronym to sum up everything I’ve been feeling over the course of the past year.” Jordy’s playful approach is intriguing to say the least. If there’s one thing that’s been made clear as we begin dissecting the impetus for this sublime 7-track-wide instigation into his musical world - it’s that you just can’t rush greatness.
Read the full interview below…
Interview and Words by Tahirah Thomas
EQ: I’m excited to talk more about “SMH” – it sounds like there’s a lot of work that’s gone into it. Clearly, you’ve paid a lot of attention to detail when it comes to the quality of sound.
J: I tried! I have to admit I’m spoiled too though. I’ve got my two cousins Tj2percent and JoJo who are both brilliant producers and they 100% helped me to get it done.
EQ: You guys snapped on this one still! I think the sound is quite audibly London. We hear it in the language you use and the topics you discuss across tracks; it’s all indicative of life in the city. I want to know if there are any artists that remind you of that London sound and if any of them inspired you in the early stages of your career?
J: Yeah man, of course. Before I even started making music, I was heavy into Kano and Ghetts. Those two artists in particular epitomise London for me, for the simple fact that they’re from where we’re from, they’ve stuck around and at so many points in their careers they’ve spoken for the people. Skepta comes to mind too. When I was growing up in Tottenham, I used to see him and JME about on the high road and I think that peripherally inspired me to get involved with music in the beginning; bearing witness to what they we’re both achieving at the time.
EQ: Tottenham has always been a hub for great music coming out of the UK. I’m guessing you’d say that your time spent growing up in the area had a part to play in you pursuing music yourself?
J: Definitely. I think Tottenham and music just go together. I’ve never heard of a Tottenham artist that’s rubbish! Even when I moved out of the area when I was in Year 8, I would still listen to the artists coming up in Tottenham at the time because I just thought they we’re top tier; people like Chip and Double S. There’s even a female rapper from Tottenham coming up now who I rate highly, she’s called SB 2 Times and I can already tell she’s gonna be a problem.
EQ: Yeah – SB’s too cold! I want to talk about something you said on the track Dark & Light. In the lyrics, you make it very clear that you see yourself as not just as a rapper, but as an artist. Is there a reason why you don’t you want to be boxed in as a rapper?
J: I don’t think anyone should be boxed in as anything. I don’t even want to be boxed into a genre because what if I wake up one day and decide I want to do something different? Would I not be allowed to because someone else has already defined me as a rapper? I think it’s better if people just think of me as a musician - I don’t think it you’re boxing me in if you call me that. The way I see it, Tion Wayne and Elton John are the same thing – they’re both musicians, you get me? [laughs].
EQ: I’m dead [laughs]. You’re not wrong though.
J: I know it sounds wild – but for me putting people in boxes is just lazy and presumptuous.
EQ: I agree. You know? You strike me as quite a light-hearted guy in conversation, but on “SMH” your lyricism can sometimes come across as quite melancholy. Where did you draw from for tracks like “Cynical” and “Dark & Light”?
J: I think for Cynical I drew a lot from feelings of frustration. I opened the project with that song because it highlights how I felt whilst making SMH sometimes, when I was in a limbo between wanting to have it finished but also not wanting to rush it and end up getting it wrong. Dark & Light is a bit of that same energy – just more braggadocious. I’d say melancholy is actually my go to tone, it’s kind of where I feel at home sonically. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a party guy when I’m in the right mental space - I can make a happy song in no time. I can write a jumpy tune in half the time it takes me to dig deeper and write about the grittier stuff. For me, getting deeper on tracks takes more tact and I appreciate that in other artists, which I guess is why I’m drawn to writing like that more. I think Dark & Light is my favourite track on the EP because of where it took me when I wrote it.
EQ: Where did you go when you wrote “Therapist”? On that track you say “I don’t need P’s; I just need peace”. Is that a philosophy of yours?
J: I grew up with this mindset that I always had to chase money. As I got older, I realised what I should have really been chasing was peace. I actually wrote Therapist back in 2017; we re-worked it for this project because it just fit. I guess, on that track I’m just talking about the pursuit of peace and learning how to protect it. After all, I think if you have your peace, you’re rich anyway. Everyone has their own way of protecting their peace, and when you figure out what that is, I think you should use it – that’s your superpower.
EQ: I also noticed that the topic of brotherhood is a recurring theme across the project. You just dropped the visual for “Die 4 Bro” featuring your cousin ELT CHEEKZ. Can you speak more on that collaboration and what it means?
J: It’s more than an artistic thing. I think on a human level I naturally want the best for others – especially if they come from where I come from. Obviously, Jojo produced the song and like you said Cheekz is featured on the track. I see them man as more than cousins because we grew up together so in a way we are more like brothers. So, when I’m coming through musically, I want to bring them man with me. I always tell Cheekz that I believe he’s the best, that he’s talented, even more talented than I am - I think it’s important to do so. I think he’s incredible and I want people to hear him. Same with JoJo, in my mind he’s the best producer there is, that’s how deep we run.
“I don’t even want to be boxed into a genre because what if I wake up one day and decide I want to do something different? Would I not be allowed to because someone else has already defined me as a rapper? I think it’s better if people just think of me as a musician - I don’t think it you’re boxing me in if you call me that. “
- Jordy
EQ: I do think brotherhood is important. It’s always positive to see men co-existing without being in competition with one another. It creates an environment where everyone can thrive and focus on their own thing, you know?
J: I could never be against someone who looks like me or who has walked the same path as me – it just doesn’t make sense. That’s insane. What would I look like keeping my brother down knowing that we’ve had the same struggle – man that think like that are mad to me.
EQ: Yeah, that kind of attitude is toxic. Did you have any idea of who you wanted this project to reach when going into recording?
J: Not when going in, but when I wrapped it up, I decided this project was intended for the people who were asking about me during that year-long hiatus. It’s for the people who waited, and I know I banter them sometimes, but this really turned out to be a ‘thank you for waiting for me’ project. I’d like to think that I know my core fanbase well enough to know what they expect from me and hopefully I’ve delivered; if it reaches anyone else that’s a bonus!
EQ: I think it’s safe to say you’ve delivered Jordy. What’s next after this?
J: Just know, I’m going to be back with more music soon…before the year is out. I’m not finished by any means. So, the stamp on this project is that I’m here now. It’s the re-introduction and I’m staying this time so make some room.