Those familiar with the rap and hip-hop scene in America, know that there is a certain persona that goes with it. We see rappers in fancy cars, wielding guns, or in gang colors. We see them with tons of money, plenty of gold bling, and the finest men and women on their arms. We see all of this, and we get a little bit jealous.
Worse than the jealousy though, is the image. What this projection does to the youngsters that engage with it, that's where Jay Pareil reckons we should be putting the focus.
Jay is a double EP holding rapper who burst onto the scene in 2019, at only 24 years old. He has had his fair share of success due to his own image... and he doesn't ignore his privilege in the matter. Rather, he embraces it.
"I go out and I put on the show - just like every other rapper that came before me. I put on the show for the audience, and that involves the fast cars and the beautiful women and the bling. It's not about that though. Not really. It's about the music. If I didn't love music, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing." He said when asked.
"It's About the Music"
And there is where the heart of the matter is. Thousands of young teens see him living the lifestyle and see their favorite rappers getting into drugs and guns, and they glamorize it. The glamorization in itself isn't a problem, it's the susceptibility of the audience. Before they know it, there is a culture developing that is urging them towards a similar lifestyle... but the only people who have this lifestyle and aren't rappers? They're not the kind of people you want to be associating with.
It's about the music, not about amassing Instagram followers and certainly not about brandishing guns all over music videos. It's not about acting hard, Rolex watches or bling.
It's about getting in the studio seven days a week to work 10-hour shifts. It's about listening to the same rift five hundred times just to tweak how it rises at the end. It's about scrawling lyrics on napkins because your phone ran out of battery and you're eating. These are all the parts of a rapper's lives that we don't get to see.
That music has to come from somewhere. You have to produce rap in order to be a rapper. You can't show up for the parties without putting in the work. If you are willing to put in the work, on the other hand, then the whole world is your oyster.
Catch up with Jay Pareil
Where can you catch up with Jay Pareil? If you want to follow in his footsteps, or if you are interested in staying tuned to see what he does next, you will find Jay on Instagram. If you want to listen to his music, you will find it on his official YouTube channel, and if you want to buy it, you will find it in the Spotify store. Spend freely... that lifestyle you all want to see doesn't pay for itself.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of musictimes.com
