Jayarson’s “Murder Cappy,” Album Pushed Back; Picked Up By a Major!

Jayarson’s anxious to deliver his “Murder Cappy” album in a major way!

All delays aren’t a bad thing. Especially in the case of New Orleans standout rapper, Jayarson. Jay recently announced on Instagram that his highly anticipated album, “Murder Cappy,” would not be released on the set date. However, after popping a bottle of champagne and taking a toast, straight out of the bottle, Jayarson announced that the delay was because the album was picked up by a major. Still finalizing the particulars, he couldn’t reveal what major, but promises the delay won’t be much longer. “Murder Cappy,” is an ode to New Orleans album. All of the track titles are named after New Orleans legends and that track pays homage to that legend.

During our recent convo, I get into Jayarson’s thought process that went into creating a classic tribute album, we discuss him being picked up by a major and much more.

You had a release date for, “Murder Cappy,” but then the project was pushed back, but for good reason. You have a major behind you now. Tell us about it.

Jayarson: Facts! I still can’t disclose exactly who and the dynamics of it because the ink still fresh. I’m waiting for it to dry really. That shit take… people don’t even understand how long all this shit takes from a legal standpoint. You can actually verbally commit and sign some papers, but it actually takes the lawyers weeks to clear all that shit. Soon as the ink dry, man, I’m going to call you personally. Yeah man, so that kind of been in the air. I had got offered a situation and I was like, “Nah, I don’t want to take that situation. This the only type of situation I’ll take,” and they bit it. I was like, “Oh Shit!” I never pictured myself even being in a signing situation really. I always thought I would bully my way to the top. The shit kind of surreal. To be putting in all this work for all this time, and damn near be borderline about to quit, and shit happen. It’s like a movie or some shit.

Were you actively shopping the project?

Jayarson: No man! I really wasn’t shopping it. It’s crazy. I think my music just that profound. That’s why I sent you a leak of it. I’m glad it’s like this because the marketing for it is crazy. Even though it’s not out, I pretty much got the logistics of it together. So, now I get to send the people the music and I’m not advocating for myself. People are actually in the mud getting this together and handling it. To be able to get people to hear the music, and be like, “Listen, this dude is not just saying what he’s saying,” and to get the media and sources involved. Letting them know that this is serious when ya’ll hear this. This dude is not just saying that. This situation didn’t just happen. The music is that serious for that to happen. And mixed in with it, the grind was just that serious. Yeah, that’s why I had to send it to you.

I’m telling you now, that album is crazy. Tribute records are always tough, especially when you’re dealing with the rich musical history that New Orleans carries. Any pressure on you to make sure, “Murder Cappy,” reached a specific standard?

Jayarson: You know what, bruh… let me tell you why it wasn’t that much pressure on me creating it. It’s probably more pressure for me dealing with the people that don’t understand what I created. It was no pressure on me from what I created because I didn’t try to duplicate what they did. I just showed my influence. I didn’t get into the, “I gotta make this a hit.” I just really tapped in creatively on what I was doing and used my creativity as an artist. I put my spin on the records that I really liked growing up and shit like that. I did a lot of things on that album that people won’t really catch on too. I used, Skip flow on the “LOG” record. I shout out, Marcello in the middle of the record. Just lil things I did on the record in the music. I took Weebie flow on purpose on a couple songs. It was well thought out.

Just because you didn’t name a song after them didn’t mean you didn’t use their influence on the record.

Jayarson: Yes! Yeah! It’s so many people like, Mia X, Mr. Magic… C-Murder, Mac. So many artists that I was influenced by. Gregory D, G-Slimm, the list goes on and on. It would have been impossible. Even groups like, Da Squad. Them dudes had a helluva influence on me. Even my peers, Raw D.I. I fuck with D.I. but it wasn’t enough room for me to incorporate everybody. I definitely put every aspect of New Orleans that affected me on that album. So, it wasn’t more or less me trying to duplicate the music, it was me really paying homage. I think the way that I organically did that, created that sound. I wasn’t forcefully trying to do that or trying to make this sound a certain way. That’s where the pressure comes in. Everything was organic, man.

I even thought your snippets were well thought on and had great placement on the record.

Jayarson: Oh yeah! Right! It was man. People not going to have a clue what we’re talking about until the album comes out, but yeah, I call Fila Phil in the middle of the album in the studio. I called him and let him know that I named a record after him. Phil always give me the green light, man. He’s always telling me how much he’s proud of me. We even had a phone conversation with me, him and LOG on 3-way one day, and they told me some deep stuff that really stuck with me. They were like, “You got the direct blessing from the ancestors.” I’m like, “Damn!” For them dudes to tell me that and they alive, let me know I was headed in the right direction.

You created a very 90’s New Orleans vibe on this album and your supporters will appreciate that.

Jayarson: It’s not easy, man. I had a lot of beats that I was playing with and trying to fit the vibe. There were a lot of producers who I could have gotten beats from, but I had just created a certain vibe. That goes to Niyo… RIP. Me and him just created a certain vibe and A.D. and Duff really like came together and… I don’t know how the hell they did that, but I’m thankful for it. I think I had a little bit to do with it, understanding the direction I was trying to go in. It does have a 1990’s vibe while still being clearly a 2020 record. It’s an amazing combination. I really think this is the project that’s going to solidify me as an artist nationwide.

I love the fact that you kept the Niyo influence on the album even though he’s no longer with us.

Jayarson: Right! Even the production and the mixing was influenced by what he laid out. Yeah man, as long as I’m here, that man gon live forever through this timeless music that we creating. Everything we are doing is from being influenced by what he did. I’m going to forever be influenced by that dude. What me in that dude did in a short amount of time is crazy. I’m just thankful that I was able to wrap this project up and still keep the same ingredients that we created initially. And pay homage to everybody even him. The song, “Juvie,” I had initially named that, “Niyo,” but marketing wise, nationwide people wouldn’t understand what I was talking about. It’s a lot of things I had to think about when naming the songs. Somebody asked me why I named a song, “Hot Boy” and then another one, “Juvie,” and I got another one named, “Tunechi” on there. Because collectively the, Hot Boys sound affected my different from what Juvie sound solo did. They were individuals but the group was the group. It was different. It was different sounds. I probably was more musically affected by The Hot Boys and Cash Money whole push more than anything came out of New Orleans. The second thing closer to that that I was affected by was, PNC [Partners N Crime]. That’s what influenced me. That’s why I have a sharp balance on my album. It’s really street, it’s really party and it’s poppin. It’s probably the perfect analogy of what I was influenced by, Partners N Crime, making pop music, Juvenile with, “Back That Azz Up,” party music, and street music. So, it’s just a combination of all of that together.

And you left the door open for, “Murder Cappy 2,” because there are so many influencers and inspirations that you can name songs after.

Jayarson: Exactly! I left the door cracked for it. I can go down that road forever if I need to. I’m willing to close the chapter also. I made it to leave the door cracked. If people demand it on another level, or if people be like, “I can’t see you making another one like this again,” I probably won’t tamper with it anymore. I’ll probably just do songs for that creative outlet. I left the door cracked for that. It’s business. You gotta understand what you’re doing and why you doing it. Everything gotta make sense. That’s one of the things that I know separates me from my peers on another level. You dealing with me, you not just dealing with an artist. You dealing with somebody that actually sees things on a wider scale.

The hundred-million-dollar question, now that the album has been pushed back because we are waiting on the news of the major who is carrying it, when can we expect, “Murder Cappy?”

Jayarson: Honestly, it’s going to drop before September is over; the sooner the better. I’m trying to push the envelope in a week or so. We doing this interview on the 6^th, I’m trying to have it out before the 14^th. I don’t see it going past the 21^st. So, it will be soon. Just a couple of weeks, man. I’m such a perfectionist, there is a lot of stuff I didn’t do within the process of it dropping. I was just going to let it fly anyways because it was professional enough to let it go, but I’m going back in the lab and tweak a few things, so everything happens for a reason. I’m just that type of artist. Perfectionist. I wish I had Kanye [West] access. I’d be fucking doing what he doing. I would always be pulling off records and making them sound better. I don’t have that type of access though (laughing). That’s my goal to have that type of access because I’m just that type of artist. When new technology come out, I want to enhance the quality of what I’m doing to that level.

Everybody gotta hear this one.

Jayarson: Let me ask you, what was your standout track that you heard that had you like, ‘Ah man!’

I think the way you started the album off was perfection. That “LOG,” and mainly because, I think that “G’s & Soldiers” beat may be one of the hardest to come out of the city. “Fila Phil” is dope… the entire album, but that, “LOG” takes the cake for me.

Jayarson: Right! I opened like that. That was going hard. I remember the first time I heard that beat, so I get it. Yeah man, listen, it’s always a pleasure to talk to you, man. I appreciate you.