JumpMan on Life in Houston, "Early Retirement" & Self-Discovery
Recently we chopped it up with rising Houston-based emcee, JumpMan. A California native who has made his was to Houston, JumpMan is fully immersed in the rich culture the city has to offer, as you will see below. Aside from offering a fresh new take on Rap with an old school Hip Hop feel, JumpMan's music is packs a punch, both in production and sheer lyricism.
Coming fresh off the release of his debut mixtape "IDTIDM" , which stands for I Don’t Trap, I Don’t Mumble, JumpMan is ready to make his mark on the game. During 10 tracks of dope rhymes and classic samples, JumpMan offers up his brain child as an opportunity for listeners to see the world through his eyes. He takes us through highly relatable struggles he faces on the daily, sharing not only his success, but failures as well.
In JumpMan’s words, “It’s 100% whatever the hell it is I’m going through…And you hear it in every track.” Hosted by WayneInDisThang and featuring Houston native Ben Lethal, Bay Area artists Shaedy, Keme Davis and Jersey born emcee Legacy, this tour de force is a welcome addition to any true Hip Hop lover’s playlist.
So, it was only right that to catch up with the budding emcee for the latest installment in our 2020 interview series. During our time together, we discussed how JumpMan got his start, his thoughts on Trap and mumble rap, which emcees he wish still made music, as well life in Houston, making for a very thoughtful interview. So, get a firsthand glimpse of one of the forerunners in the next new wave of Hip Hop: JumpMan. Right now and only on Hype Off Life 👊🏾
Photo credit: Anthony Juarez
One thing that’s evident is that you’re a gifted emcee. How did you get your name and start in writing raps?
Well, thank you first and foremost. I didn’t start this journey with a whole lot of confidence in my lyrical ability since we’re speaking of starting out. I just wrote for my therapy and to Logic beats when I first got the writing bug. But musically I got my start by blood. My parents are a writing and production team that go by the name The Frontrunnaz.
Once they realized that I wasn’t playing when I said I wanted to do music my pops put me through a sort of trial run. I had to write 10 songs in 2 weeks and if I met that deadline then we would go from there. I shocked both myself and my parents by completing that task and we started working to build me as an artist.
I got my name way after I had started writing though. Probably a full 3 years after actually. When I started writing it wasn’t a forgone conclusion that I was gonna have the need for one. But one day while my dad was in the studio with a DJ friend of his, she heard one of my earlier songs. She then proclaimed I should be called JumpMan and the rest was history.
What is the music scene like out there in Houston?
It's amazing and filled with a lot of raw talent. I love the competitive and supportive artists that I've met since moving out here. Hip Hop is deep-rooted here, but my musical tastes have completely changed since I started living down here. The Houston lifestyle influences the music and the culture so much that it can damn near rub off on anybody in my opinion. I think that's why Drake raps about it so much. Houston will always get a lot of credit for developing my sound.
A lot of artists eventually make their way to LA. Is that something you see yourself doing?
I was born and raised in California. Moved all over the bay and even lived in LA for a couple years. So, I myself am deep-rooted there. A lot of my friends and family are there just waiting for me to move back, so I do see it happening eventually but I have things that need to be done before I can feel good about going back.
I feel like there's something pulling me into Houston at this moment. I know there's a reason I'm here and there's things I have to accomplish personally in order to attain the level of success that would justify moving back. Because living in California is a huge ass investment. One that I can't yet really afford. So, I want my music to take me back there. I don’t want to force it.
Your music is an artful mesh of Neo-soul, R&B and Hip Hop. Which album from each genre had the most impact on you?
Thank you so much. And damn you put me on the spot. I definitely had to do some searching and coin flipping but Neo-soul probably has to be Dwele "Some Kinda". R&B was tough but Musiq Soulchild "Aijuswanaseing" just barely beat out "Luvanmusiq", and Hip Hop is like impossible for me. I can give you my top 10 but that might change at any given moment. For the purpose of answering the question though I'll say the album that made me start writing and that's Logic's "Under Pressure". Without that specific album I'm not sure this interview would be taking place.
So, you just dropped your debut mixtape, ‘’IDTIDM’. How long did it take to put together?
It took about 2 months to put together fully. The bulk of it was done in the first month and the last 2 songs took the longest to finish how I wanted them. I can be my own worst critic at times and that isn’t always good for deadlines.
What type of sound were you going for?
I was really just trying to experiment with new cadences and different styles than my normal just boom bap Hip Hop preference. I wanted it to have something people with different tastes could pick their favorite song from. And I wanted to show I could be lyrical without the overuse of words. Overall though whatever I was feeling the moment that the instrumental was playing is what got recorded. I wanted people to get where my music comes from and that's solely from my experiences. Authenticity was the dart board I was aiming at when we were creating. I just hoped "IDTIDM" was able to hit it.
The “I don’t trap. I don’t mumble” tagline can be found throughout the project. Do you think Trap or Mumble Rap will fade to background in favor of more lyrical content?
I don’t want people to think I'm a Hip Hop snob or anything by that tag. I just wanted people to understand that's not authentic to me, so don’t expect to get any of that from my music. It doesn’t mean I don't enjoy or listen to it. I believe whenever music is authentic to its creator it breads great things. I care about the storyteller actually having lived the story, over how the story is delivered.
There's nothing wrong with Trap or mumble rap besides the fact it's overused. If we just had everyone being themselves I think all branches of the Hip Hop tree could thrive. There's enough room for everybody. But, as we see right now we’ve been flooded with it for so long people are craving something different. I was one of those people. I just want to be the change I want to see.
You also have another project dropping soon, ‘Early Retirement’. What does that title mean to you?
"Early Retirement" means retiring from everything that I was made to believe was the path I should take. I quit my job and uprooted my life for the thousandth time to come to Houston and start my new life and musical journey. Music is my purpose now. I wanted to retire from everything that didn’t align with it. So, that's what I’ve been doing.
Which emcees do you wish still made music?
Andre 3000, Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, MF DOOM, Talib Kweli. It's funny that you ask this question though because this list was a lot longer, only recently a bunch of them either released something or are about to release something so the market is about to be flooded with straight Hip Hop. Cole coming, Logic and Lupe Fiasco just dropped, Big Boi has a project coming, Big Krit and Joey Badass just dropped too. The list goes on and it is crazy.
What is the main message you want fans to take away from your music?
I really just discovered this if i'm being honest. All my music is about me learning and getting to know myself. I want people to take my introspective music and apply it to themselves. I feel like knowing self is incredibly important the older I get. My favorite artists helped me in that way, so I want to do the same. Self discovery is key to moving forward in life and I want my music to be the score for people trying to do that in their lives.
