Jehry Robinson doesn't just jump between genres. Rather, he integrates raucous reggae, raw rock, rapid fire rap and dexterous pop into a bold Brooklyn blend with the dynamics and diversity of a one-man music festival. Meanwhile, he speaks candidly in the lyrics, making an emotional connection with relatable confessions. Racking up nearly 1 million cumulative views and streams and garnering positive praise, he presents this expansive and all-encompassing vision in widescreen on his full-length Strange Music debut album, 20/Twenty.
"I'm taking all of those genres and emotions and fusing them into one sound," he explains. "You'll get the happy side. You'll get the depressed side. If there's a reggae vibe or rock energy, that's just how I felt that day. My job is to literally take my good or bad day and translate it into a record. Whether I just played a sold-out show or I'm dealing with family issues, you'll hear that in the music. The glue is me and my life. That's the blueprint of what 20/Twenty is. I'm leveling up this hybrid and bringing it to the next plateau."
He's been leveling up one step at time since his childhood in Long Island, NY. For Christmas one year, he expected a Playstation 2, but mom surprised him with a karaoke machine. Even though he "felt a little heated not getting the Playstation," it would be the best gift ever. He spent countless hours recording over instrumentals in his basement and cooked up his own tapes. One particular tape popped off at his high school, going "viral" the old-fashioned way among classmates and confirming to Jehry, "Damn, I've got to do this."
When Jehry developed a friendship with GRAMMY® award winning artist Macklemore it encouraged him to move forward in the music industry. Inspired musically by the likes of Bob Marley, Eminem, Mos Def, Black Thought, Macklemore, Tech N9ne, The Beatles, and The Doors, he crafted a style of his own. At the same time, he made waves as a songwriter behind-the-scenes. He landed placements for the likes of Dutch star Ralf Mackenbach and worked on Mika's gold-certified smash "Popular Song" [feat. Ariana Grande] with producer and songwriter Jason Nevins.
In 2016, he committed himself to his own artistry. Teaming up with manager and creative director Tara Ennis, he co-founded FBA Management and dove headfirst into launching a solo career. Building an infrastructure, he amassed an impressive mailing list of 2,000-plus fans and sent out hard copies of his independent self-titled Jehry Robinson EP to all of them. In between selling out shows locally, he unleashed his debut self-titled album, Pt. IV, V, VI.
After reading an article about Strange Music on Forbes, he urged Tara to reach out to C.E.O. Travis O'Guin. After months of persistence and diligence the label head surprisingly returned her direct message. The two got on a plane to Kansas City with hopes of Jehry joining the Strange Music family. After more months of planning, and many conversations with O'Guin, they collectively decided to move to Kansas City. As soon as he landed Jehry got right to work on 20/Twenty. He also teamed up with Tech N9ne and Flatbush Zombies on "Look What I Did" from Tech's ENTERFEAR album.
Simultaneously, Jehry introduced songs from his album via three chapters: 20/Twenty Chapter 1, 20/Twenty Chapter 2, and 20/Twenty Chapter 3, with all garnering spots on iTunes charts. The first release "Daylight" [feat. Tech N9ne] burst out of the gate with 171K Spotify streams and 127K YouTube views.
Now, the single "Closer to the Sun" hops along on sun-kissed reggae guitars as Jehry's nimble rhymes stretch towards a bright and bouncy refrain. Produced by GRAMMY® nominated Wyshmaster [The Lonely Island, T-Pain, Pitbull, B.o.B], it illuminates the scope of his sound.
"I wanted to make sure the tone was super happy, joyous, and vibrant, but the words are actually cynical," he reveals. "It's a trick. Even if you get what you want, life is probably going to burn you out."
Meanwhile, finger-snaps underscore an impressive vocal performance on "In My Feels," which "is about saying, ‘Fuck it' and tuning out for a day." Whether it be the emotionally charged message of "Daddy Issues" [feat. Jelly Roll] or the island swing of "No Refunds," he effortlessly bounces between styles. Everything concludes on "Say Less" [featuring Justina Valentine]. Locking into undeniable chemistry, he tears through the production alongside Justina.
"It's a fun one," he adds. "The message is, ‘Stop talking shit, say less, and just work together'. Justina and I came up together. We've been in the studio for years, and we really got into it."
In the end, Jehry brings people together through his hard-hitting genre alchemy.
"I want everyone to think a little differently after hearing my album," he leaves off. "I hope they knowthey are powerful and strong enough. If you fight a little bit and allow faith to come in, you'll get where you want to go. We are way more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. It's really all in our minds. You can do things you never thought of. It's not about me; it's about somebody else discovering their power. That's 20/Twenty."
Follow him at:
https://www.strangemusicinc.com/artists/jehry-robinson/
https://www.instagram.com/jehryrobinson/
https://www.facebook.com/jehryrobinsonmusic
https://twitter.com/JehryRobinson