Meet Jay Cinema

With better days on the horizon, Jay Cinema takes us through a bevy of tumultuous emotions from the past in their latest release ‘Beter Days Ahead’

His writing is all kinds of amazing. It's cathartic, it's tender, and a little bit sad. Still, there are better days ahead so let’s get to know this wonderful person in our latest interview.

A self-portrait by, Jay Cinema

Would You Rather

your skin flash like a fast strobe light, or be incredibly slippery? Why?

Damn, both of those scenarios aren't appealing at all man. I guess be slippery. If I'm flashing like a strobe light all the time that's going to bring a lot of unwanted attention and shit.

Some questions with Jay Cinema

You worked with a number of different producers on your latest release “Better Days Ahead”. What was the creative process of that like? 

"Better Days Ahead" was just the culmination of months of working a bunch of different music at one time, then realizing I have several songs that go together very well. Some songs on there are from July, August, it isn't all that recent. All the instrumentals on there are just ones that I was able to talk about certain feelings over, and i just put them together for a project.

Are there better days ahead? Why?

Without a doubt there are better days ahead. One of the reasons why I titled the project that is because even though based on the theme and content of the songs it may seem like I'm stuck in a bad place, I'm truthfully not. Day by day, new opportunities, new blessings, new people enter my life, and that's just a result of manifesting beauty in the darkness that I was in. There's better days ahead for everybody, as long as people are willing to be patient and have the willpower to endure the gruesome times. But yea, right now I'm at the best place I been in for a while, mentally.

What three items do you never leave the house without?

A book to read, some shea butter for my skin, and water. I always carry a variety of items with me, but those three are most essential.

Do you have a favorite family tradition?

Thinking about it, I really don't. Me and my family never really have traditions or anything of the sort. It's just all love between us, of course.

What are the topics that you see come up the most in your writing? Why?

It's funny you ask this because I was thinking to myself how a lot of frequent topics come up in my writing. I often talk about the pressures of being young with your future ahead of you, the lack of funds many people my age go through, the awkwardness of developing and becoming grown, being poor and never having much, the anxiety and depression of being black in a world that hates to see you embrace and be proud of being beautiful and black. Other things as well, but mainly those. I feel like I talk about these topics a lot because well, it's all I know. These are the topics around me. These are topics and situations I know about, I read about, I see about, I watch about, I learn about. These are things that directly affect me, things I'm a product of, things I care about.

What would the title of your memoir/biography be?

Damn, that's a hard ass question. That's something I never gave thought to. I really don't know. If I'm ever blessed to be in a position to have a memoir or biography, my simple ass would probably just call it some regular shit like "The Life I Lived" or some bumass shit like that.

What are your most important values as a musician?

Honesty. I'll always value honesty over anything as a musician. When I'm listening to other artists, I'm listening to them for their truth, for their story. So whether that artist is someone like Earl Sweatshirt or Playboi Carti, I'm listening to them for their unique perspective and the life they lived. I hate fake shit. Just be you and keep it real. Don't be someone you're not. If you're happy as fuck, make happy music. If you're sad as fuck, make sad music. It's real simple.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

All in all, I'm just excited to be in a position where a certain number of people give a fuck about the things I have to say. It's still unreal to me that I'm meeting so many people from all over the world just off a similar love for music. Shit like this is amazing to me, and has me appreciating shit way more. "Better Days Ahead" was just a timestamp on a certain period of my life. I can't wait to add more as the days pass.

Jay Cinema