When people think of Strange Music, West Coast hip hop does not immediately comes to mind. This has not deterred Jay Rock from showing his appreciation to the Technicians, Juggalos, and Juggalettes that have come his way on the tours to show him love for his music and live performances.
We asked Jay Rock if he felt any pressure to cater his debut album Follow Me Home to the tastes of the Strange Music fans and he said the following:
What’s crazy is that when I went on my first run with Tech N9ne, I didn’t know how they were going to respond to me–Tech N9ne’s got a different fanbase. It turned out a lot of his fans already knew my music and knew who I was before I started hanging with Tech N9ne. There were people like “I remember your song ‘Lift Me Up’!” That’s an old school record right there back when I first got started. Shout out to Juilo G, he was one of the first DJs to spin my record on the radio when he spun that record and that gave me a good buzz everywhere. It’s crazy for them dudes that say “Man, I”ve been messing with you since day one.” I was like “That’s a blessing.” Shout out to all the Juggalos and Juggalettes because I didn’t expect a lot of them to know my music and it’s a beautiful thing.
If anything has been established, it’s that the fans of Tech N9ne and Strange Music don’t only like him and label because the music is different, but also because it’s real. Jay Rock, by taking his life and putting it into his music without filter is beautifully following in the footsteps of his label-mates. Strange Music fans are going to relate to his struggle to overcome demons in himself and his environment just like they can with Krizz Kaliko, Tech N9ne, Kutt Calhoun, or anybody else.
Fans of Strange Music who are accustomed to Tech N9ne will be able to get their fix on his appearance with Krizz Kaliko on Follow Me Home. The track is called “Kill or Be Killed” and Tech N9ne himself had much to say about it. Stay tuned for his explosive revelation about the song featured on Jay Rock’s debut album.
Click here to pre-order Follow Me Home.
Do you think Jay Rock fits well into the Strange Music label? Are you a fan of Jay Rock or Tech N9ne first? What do you think makes Jay Rock’s music relatable to everybody?
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