J-Live

An integral part of the underground hip-hop scene in New York, Jean-Jacques Cadet better known under the moniker J-Live developed his art whilst at University in the 1990’s. His 1995 release ‘Bragging Writes’ garnered great interest as he featured in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source Magazine which led to him signing with Raw Shack Records. Naturally, studying for an English major at university provided J-Live with the platform and the necessary tools to perfect his reflective stream of consciousness presented through his eloquent and thoughtful lyrics. Recording commenced in 1995 on J-Live’s debut album ‘The Best Part’ but due to complications involving his label, it would take four years to release. During that time he would bootleg his own copies of the album which added to his legendary underground status. Finally released in 2001, the album sold over 30,000 copies. After the label drama, J-Live would go on to write and record a further four albums producing and releasing himself. You’ll more often than not find J-Live performing in small intimate settings allowing the chance for his wise and thought provoking words to be heard. Whether you class it as spoken poetry or rap, J-Live’s performances are full of high end energy levels as he roams around the stage with air of confidence playing tracks like ‘Longevity’, ‘Jook’ and ‘Can I Get It’, reinforcing his stature as a pillar in underground hip-hop.