J-Zone was one of the most creative individuals to gain underground notoriety in the early Aughts and yet, I get the suspicion that our readership is most likely scracthing thier heads at the name. His first two records (<em>The Bottle of Whup Ass EP
and Music For Tu Madre) are unsung classics that remain in print. I ordered a copy of each a few weeks ago, original pressings even, and there was little struggle nor dent to my pockets.J-Zone was on the verge of success when the entire red carpet was swept from under him. Thirstin Howl the III once wrote a song called “I Still Live With My Moms”, but J-Zone can one up that as he still lives with his grand-moms, Evil E. As he states, “I witnessed my life-long passion for music dissolve in 12 hours and my final album sell a whopping 47 copies in its first month for sale. I left my little-known spot in a small, niche quadrant of the hip-hop world and joined my fellow overqualified stiffs with useless college degrees in the world of dead end jobs. For some sick reason, I find all of the above hilarious and have made an omelette out of any egg that wound up on my face.”
His ability to process the foul cards he's been dealt was one his most endeering qualities on record and made tracks like “Smurf Syndrome” relatable and memorable. He has channeled that self-deprecating candor into a memoir entitled, Root For The Villian: Rap, Bullsh*t and A Celebration Of Failure. An excerpt from the first chapter, “Go Go Gadget Ho,” is available at Ego Trip Land.
J-Zone's Root For The Villian: Rap, Bullsh*t and A Celebration Of Failure is available November 11.
