Raw Roots - Rap News, Interviews & Reviews

Jai Boo

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Written by Brendan Deane

You first signed to Wolftown in 1999 and come into the game as a member of the Wolftown Committee. Was being a solo artist something that you always wanted to do?
No, not really it started off as just a hobby thing then, it just evolved from there!! I hosted a show for 1Xtra from the Urban Music Seminar with Ras Kwame where I interviewed various people from the music business including Kwame Kwaten who set up the Seminar. I appeared on a tv show called Exposure, did videos worked with other artists appeared in magazines etc. Now here I am!!

In 2006 you hosted two big mixtapes. The Mob Desinz Clothing Mixtape in the US and Volume Five of Tricksta's UK Runnings Mixtape back here in the UK. How did this come about and what has the response been like?
Well, Mob Desinz sponsored Late with their clothing and he hosted their first mixtape. Then they asked if I would host their new mix tape. It's was good doing that, I've had a lot of good feed back from the States. While I was working on my own mixtape, Tricksta asked me if I'd like to host Uk Runnings Vol 5. Which was a good opportunity for me to do that, a bit of double exposure and to let people know that my mixtape soon come!

Your mixtape 'The Lioness Ya Car Tame' is a real diverse selection of moods, styles and vibes, not only in the production and beats used but also in the subject matter. Was it a deliberate move to be so diverse to touch more people? Tell us more about the vibe of the mixtape.
It's got a mellow vibe to it with a few hard spits, I sing the hooks on some of the tracks. I tried to keep it diverse because I'm not a 1 dimensional artist, I'm inspired by a lot of different artists, styles and music. I'd like to think there's a track for everyone on there but it wasn't a deliberate thing that's just me!

There are some hefty Wolftown tracks on there. Tell us about the collaborations with your label mates.
Yeah for true!! I've got tracks with my boys LATE, Reload, 10 Shott and Conman. Not forgetting production from Tricksta and Juttla.

On the mixtape you sing a couple of really catchy hooks. Can we expect more of this from you in the future?
Yeah, I enjoy singing even though I wouldn't say I'm a singer! LOL! I have to hear the music then the hook comes into my head first. That's how I came up with the hook for "Lioness Ya Car Tame", and "I'm The One".

You touch on a wide range of things on the mixtape, but to me I must admit I love the spirit of some of the tracks. They seem humble but uplifting. Do you see it important to get messages through to the young generation about all the badness that goes on?
Of course man! I don't think the younger generation get to hear much positive vibes, so I try in my music to make them understand about certain situations like how a whole heap of people in Wolverhampton are mentally ill because of weed! And that ain't no joke. Man, kids as young as 16 are just mash up because of it! I'm just trying to make people aware that weed is being tampered with and it ain't a good look. People aren't using their fists to fight with anymore, they're just quick to kill up each other and go to prison for killing someone who has looked at them in a certain way or because they've got something that they want etc! Its madness!! Go look job!!

So who exactly features on the mixtape and what would you say are the biggest highlights of the mix?
As well as Wolftown artists I collaborated with some US artists, Brick Savvy from Virginia, Garcia from Miami, Tre Dubb from Texas, longtime Wolftown affiliate Cee Rock "The Fury" from New York, Jokaman from Houston, Jade Foxx from Florida and not forgetting Dj Slice from Houston Texas. One of the biggest highlights of the mixtape for me was having Dj Slice, Mike Jones' official Dj, Slicing and Screwing a track and introducing the whole mixtape. I enjoyed working with all of the artists that featured.

What's the connection with Mike Jones' Dj, DJ Slice? Have you met him?
I've been talking to Dj Slice for well over a year, I interviewed him for Rago Magazine, we just kept in touch. I asked him if he would slice and screw a track and he did! I've been a fan of Dj Screw (R.I.P) from Houston Texas who was the originator of Chop and Screw music, so it was an honour to have a track sliced and screwed by Dj Slice. I actually had the chance to meet Dj Slice, when I went to Houston and just as I expected he was really nice guy!

You say you went to Houston? What was the vibe like out there?
Yeah, I went out to Houston for 10 days, at the end of November beginning of December 2006. It was like an Elvis fan going to Graceland, Memphis, that's what it was like for me going to Houston! I experienced the term "Southern Hospitality" for true! I went with LATE and Tricksta, we did Damage Control Radio out there twice, and filmed a dvd. We met legends like K Rino and some of SPC, Devin the Dude, The Coughee Brothaz, Michael "5000"Watts, The Grit Boys, Kool Herc, Kb da Kidnappa, Circle G'z, man, the list goes on, and I can't forget Matt Sonzala and Dj Chill! Thanks for the love! The vibe out there was awesome, I had people recognise me in the mall out there! Plus I had a grill made at TV Johnny!! I wanna big up Taylor at TV Johnny he looked after us man he was a safe guy!! And we ate some big ass wings in the famous Timmy Chans in South Park!

So,you're feeling the whole Southern movement in the US? What is it about the scene there that you love?
I haven't just jumped on the South like some people have, I've been into the South since The Geto Boys, about the early 90's, everything that Rap A Lot Records put out that you could get over here! Dj Screw, ESG, UGK etc. So yeah I'm feeling the Southern Movement it's about time! Those guys out there have put in some work! I love the laid back sounds of both the West and the South and always have done, they seem more together, it's taken a lot more seriously out there compared to the UK and there's an industry there. There's a lot of talented artists in the UK and if we had what they have out there!? Man we'd be making a good living.

Some of the collabo's ya done have been overseas projects. What's the deal there? You getting a buzz over there?
Yeah, I've done a few overseas collabs. I just get people asking me to work with them. I haven't really had any British artists asking me to feature on their tracks so I don't wanna hear anybody saying oh you should keep it British blah blah blah, I'm up for working with anybody, I'd love to work with more UK artists not just my Wolftown lable mates! But yeah, I've worked with, Jokaman from Houston, LATE and I featured on the UK remix of "Feel Good". I've worked with Tre Dubb from Texas, Dawg Wonder from Dallas, Jade Foxx from Miami, Miami Mac and Freddy from Miami, Lil Tec from North Carolina. I get my tracks played on a station called toohotradio.com and on a mixtape series called Worldwide by Kd aka Han d Man, just had a track featured on a mixtape by Big Tex who promotes for TVT Records, featured on Dj Loon's new mixtape from Kansas. I'm working on a remix track by Big Mex and Kiotti from Texas, doing a track with Kuwait from SPC, Houston, J Sin from Houston. Hosted a mixtape for Mob Desinz….I think they like the accent!! Oh and I'm part of SPCUK (South Park Coalition UK) along with LATE and Tricksta. SPC is K Rino's crew, from Houston Texas and we're his Uk affiliates!

So what's next after 'The Lioness Ya Car Tame' Mixtape? Another mixtape or an album?
I want to do an album, so if there's any producers out there hit me up!

You have been known to collaborate a lot, how would a rapper go about getting you on a track, or how would a DJ go about you hosting their mixtape?
My email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

So do you have a direct link where people can buy the mixtape? Also what are your website details?
Yeah here's the link to the page http://www.wolftownrecordings.com/page_display.asp?PageID=207&PageType=shop
Also check out www.myspace.com/jaiboowolftown and www.wolftownrecordings.com

Thanks for taking time out to do this interview. Is there anything you'd like to mention or add? Is there anyone you wanna shout-out?
Big shout out to LATE, Tricksta, Juttla, Dj Slice and Cynthia, Yummyness and the rest of the Wolftown Crew. Thanks to Kellenkash, Tre Dubb, Kb aka da Han d Man, Matt Sonzala, K Rino, Kuwait and the rest of SPC! Thank you also for the interview! Don't forget to log on to the link above to buy my mixtape and hit me up on myspace! Much Luv to any body reading this that I've missed out!

Brendan Deane - RAGO Magazine