Jay Wex: Bringing Back ‘90’s Boom-Bap!

Tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Jay Wex?

I met a friend named E. Harris who made beats in his basement in 2001. He had the original Fruity Loops, and some beat program on Playstation. I sat for months trying to learn from him. We started E&J Music to create a local buzz. Then I installed the music programs on my home computer, locked myself in for days trying to learn the software. From there, I enrolled in music school; Institute of Audio Research [IAR]. I also played some instruments growing up – drums, piano & violin – so I knew as a kid I wanted to be a part of the music business one day.

Now you’re a native of where exactly? And growing up there, who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

I was born and raised in central New Jersey. I grew up on ‘90’s Hip Hop and R’n’B. My first two cassette tapes I bought were Naughty By Nature and Onyx. Both groups had big influences on my style and taste of music. It’s crazy to think how I’m able to work with those same two groups now in 2022. That’s the true definition of full circle!

In having said that, how do you categorize your overall sound and / or style?

I would call my style the 2022 version of Boom-Bap!

Where does your moniker originally derive from?

My first and last name shortened, My whole life everyone called me Jay Wex, so rather than change my name to sound like a deejay superhero (lol!), I decided to keep it original.

You’ve already managed to log in studio time with some real heavy hitters; Fredro Starr (Onyx), Kxng Crooked, Tek (Smif-n-Wessun), Sheek Louch (Lox) and most recently Treach (Naughty By Nature) — What particular string of events actually led you to some of these high profile collaborations?

I worked for N.Y.C. radio and major labels from 2005-2020, so I just maintained a strong rolodex of contacts over the last 15 years and made sure to never take any connections in music for granted. After the pandemic, I realized I needed to start reaching out and networking my own music.

Speaking of Treach, and considering he has still never released a proper solo debut, how did an opportunity like this even come to fruition?

I’ve been good friends with his group-mate Vin Rock. When it was time to put the call in to Treach to work on music, he assisted with that. From there, we linked in the studio and created two albums worth of songs.

In having said that, any specific details; i.e. title, favorite selection(s), cameo appearance(s), etcetera, that you can reveal and / or divulge regarding upcoming said – long overdue – Treach solo set at this particular point in time?

Be on the look out for KRS-One, Mr. Cheeks , Layzie Bone and more!

Take me through a typical studio session from beginning to end…

Not much small talk. We don’t invite crowds. Just the artist, engineer and producer. Once our engineer loads up the beats, the music speaks for itself and the artist starts writing to the beat. Then we record, mix and export for playback within a 2-3 hour session.

Do you have an existing wish list; artists that you definitely would love to work with in the coming months and / or years?

Eminem, Method Man, Redman and Fat Joe.