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LIT October 2011

BackstageArjay talks to Lit Lifestyle about his own unique style of Urban Latin music

“We receive flowers and bullets in the very same heart”. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit STR/AFP/Getty Images).

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HAVANA — Puerto Rico’s Calle 13 brought its edgy mix of reggaeton and hip-hop to Cuba’s capital last year, rocking thousands of screaming fans from an outdoor stage while serving up a heaping dose of bitterness toward U.S. policy.

ArJay has been developing his own unique style of Urban Latin music since he was a child. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, ArJay is now poised to spread his music worldwide.

Recently, we interviewed ArJay via email, where he discussed freestyling in Puerto Rico, his thoughts on mainstream music from the U.S. and why you should squeeze everything you can out of life. ››

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Lit: Tell us a little about your background. Both personally and professionally, how did you get started in music? Who and what inspired you to make music?

ArJay: I was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and raised in Humacao, Puerto Rico. I grabbed the mic at the age of five and was the master of ceremony for a graduation. I’ve been the spotlight and the center of attention ever since.

I started back in the day, just kidding with my friends in a class in junior high school. Everyone was doing it and so I gave it a shot noticed that I was able to rhyme without hesitation and had an ease with metaphors and similes, so I just began doing it and battling here and there and freestyling. I saw it as a means of letting go and as an art.

I cannot say I was inspired by anyone in particular, but rather a movement, which included artists like Tupac, Big Pun, Notorious Big, Tempo, Ruben Sam, Vico C,

Point Breakers, Kriss Kross, among others including outside the genre like Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, Eminem and others.

Lit: Other than language, do you feel that being an artist from Puerto Rico influences your music and lyrics in a way that may be different if you were from the States?

ArJay: I believe culture is everything. The way I was raised, the way I speak, the codes I say in my rhymes—everything that has to do with me has been influenced by my culture and society.

Lit: I assume there are some definite differences in musical followings in Puerto Rico and the U.S. What differences do you see

in the musical cultures of the two locations?

ArJay: In the United States, music is a big mainstream society where most of the music people know and follow is what is mainstream and on the radio, but there is so much good music that isn’t on the radio, and

sometimes not even discovered. ››

Culture is everything. The way I was raised, the way I speak, the

codes I say in my rhymes — everything

that has to do with me has been influ-

enced by my culture and society.

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Rather, in Puerto Rico, a lot of the music that is underground doesn’t get heard on the radio, but people do spread the word a lot faster and it becomes more readily accessible. Additionally, a lot of mainstream commercial acts stray away from their reality and most of my lyrics stay in what is going on.

Lit: Do you worry about how your music will be received in other locations (U.S., Europe, etc), or is it more just about making the music you want and getting it out to the public?

ArJay: Do I worry? Yes, just like any artist does, but the team I have with me supports me a lot and I believe, for me, it’s more about making good music.

Lit: Tell us about some of your influences. Not only artists that inspire you, but also what kind of things from your life that inspire your lyrics.

ArJay: My influences, a majority of time, come from within—the anger I feel towards certain aspects of society, government and certain things about life which are out of our control. The joy I have for life and squeezing every drop of juice it has, the ups and downs I’ve been through, everything I’ve lived, or learned from others, everything I wanna do, everything others wanna do, movies. I just have the ability of grabbing an idea and a subject and turning it into stories or just complete metaphors.

Lit: What new artists are you excited about and listening to often today?

ArJay: I’m not really paying attention to who is new or old, but yet I consider everything that is good another opportunity to learn about music and different styles.

Lit: What’s next for you? Anything coming up we should know about like new records, tours, etc.?

ArJay: We are looking at releasing a lot of material that was never released in the form of free downloads and free material to express the versatility and talent. As well, I have been working day in and day out on new material ready to release in a form of singles and new promo material. Tours, that is up to management and availability, but we have a lot of projects on the way. David Rogers

My influences, a ma-jority of time, come from within—the an-ger I feel towards cer-tain aspects of soci-ety, government and certain things about life which are out of our control.

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