Get Hype with Virgina Rap-Duo JandTree (J Mask & Tree High)

A year ago, no one really knew of this rap-duo JandTree (J Mask & Tree High) on an artistic level. Fast forward to 2019 and the Richmond, VA natives are making their way to being two of the top rising artists of the year. After signing with talent management, Ten X Talent Inc. based in LA, JandTree released two singles “Yearned” and “All On Us” on all music platforms. Within three months both singles received over 35K streams and 19K listeners on Spotify alone and continue to do well across all channels. Fast-forward nine months, JandTree have recently released their debut album, Neveruary. The journey from VA to LA has been rough but according to this duo, “nothing great happens overnight.” Read our full-length interview below:

Left to Right: J Mask & Tree High

You both are from Richmond, VA, how long have you known one another?

J: Since 95’. Blood couldn’t make us any closer.

Tree: We met when we were 4 years old. Our people still live about a block apart. We’ve been through it all together; Baptism, sports, graduations, even the move to the LA.

When did you all become a rap-duo?

Tree: Since 2nd grade. We both just loved creating music, beats, raps, didn’t matter. Actually, my mom was the one who taught me my first rap. Obviously, it was simple, and I shared it with J.

J: Yeah we’ve always been into music. We both played the drums, well I played the snare-drums, Tree played the drums in general. Like Tree said, he taught me my first rap and in 2nd grade our teacher Mrs. Pierce caught us rapping the bathroom and her form of “punishment” was having us rap in front of the class; We had the entire class going crazy! Shout out to Mrs. Pierce, she’s the one who lite the fire under us!

On JandTree’s IG page people use the hashtag #LAVA or simply drop the volcano emoji. What’s that about?

J: LA to VA. #LAVA is really about bringing that heat! The phrase “lit” is used so often and lets be honest half the shit aint lit.

Tree: Yeah that’s where it originates from but then we decided to use it as a platform. On some real shit, our music and the overall sound is so authentic, we don’t want to be clumped in with the rest. We bring that 500 degree and up type heat.

Speaking of Instagram, JandTree has released their debut album, Neveruary, right? How’s your social media platforms responding?

J: Hell yeah on May 21st we dropped our debut album Neveruary and it’s been going crazy! And just keepin’ it 100 we are still working on our social media presence so to see we went up over 1,000 followers literally overnight, man that speaks volumes.

Tree: Yeah man we’ve been working on this project for so long, trying to perfect each song and the overall flow of the album. We don’t half-ass nothing, especially as upcoming artists. Hence the name “Neveruary,” cause’ when asked what month we were gone drop our first album, we had no idea.

The album has 15 tracks but we prepared over 20 songs and pulled the best. So obviously it took time but fuck it, it’s worth the wait. We’re humbled but still grinding.

Being that JandTree is new on the scene, will we recognize any of the produce(s) on Neveruary?

Tree: We understand it’s important to build relationships and though right now we might not have all the connects, we still have some rocking with us. For example, Cubboom Beats (@Cubboom). That’s Ten X Talent family right there! He’s always coming through with some fire for us.

J: I’m sure y’all are familiar with super producer Mattazik (@MattazikMuzik). He’s produced for artists like Lil Baby, Young Thug, Gunna. Not to mention we still got people back home whose sounds are crazy so of course, we always rocking with them, regardless of famous or not.

It’s clear that JandTree’s bond is what keeps them grounded and focused, and after an exclusive listen to their debut album, Neveruary, it’s clear their motivation doesn’t stem from clout chasing. From all that we’ve been able to gather, JandTree are as real as they come. They’re the type of artist’s we can’t wait to talk about years from now. Be sure to download “Neveruary,” now available on all music platforms!

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