An immense repertoire and distinct vocals and creativity speak for themselves, as rapper and comedian Ju$t Tha Realne$$ continues to strengthen his presence in the modern scene.
We caught an interview with the indie hip hop artist, to find out more about the music, his journey so far, and his plans for the future. Here’s how it went.
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Ju$t Tha Realne$$ – Jermaine – great to connect with you. To introduce things, where are you based, and who or what first inspired your passion for hip hop?
I was born in the Lower East Side and was raised in Astoria Queens. I grew up on 9th Street in Astoria Queens, It was one block away from Queensbridge projects. 9th Street was actually called the triangle because we were in the middle of three projects: Queensbridge on your right, Ravenswood up ahead & onto your left the Astoria projects, and I hung out in Queensbridge a lot. I got jumped a bunch of times- My blood is literally on the concrete in Queensbridge from getting jumped but that’s all hood s*** and I’m cool with it. So I rep Queensbridge because that’s where I wrote my first rap song: “Lies In Front Of Your Eyes” and I feel like that’s where Ju$t Tha Realne$$ was born.
The first rapper that inspired me was LL Cool J. I was 6 years old, it was 1988 and I saw the music video “Bad” ! I was seeing how LL Cool J was so confident, speaking freely that he inspired me. I just wanted to be like that! I just wanted to be someone that can express themselves freely and look cool doing it.
In what ways did growing up in Queens impact your creativity and drive as an artist?
“Now this is going to sound a little dark. But I feel that the creativity impacting my music is from being abused when I was a child. It’s like when I’m rapping I’m not that scared little kid anymore, I’m this “Superhero”! in my own story. Also in my high school days, I was a battle rapper so battling became the start of me becoming a Songwriter.”
You’ve written some catchy rap anthems with gritty bars in recent years, ‘Get Dat Bag’ is a heavy earworm. How does the songwriting process roll out for you, and do you produce your own beats?
I produced some of my beats on the second album but I don’t enjoy making beats, I enjoy the writing. My writing process is: I think of the concept first, then I think of the flow & cadence I’m going to use, next I try to find unique words to use to express what I’m thinking and find creative punch lines to blend in with my thoughts. This is so the listener will be more drawn to my lyrics. Finally, I look at what instruments I want to flow on or where do I want to switch my flow. My mind is really just all over the place when I’m writing.
Tell me about this year’s album ‘Leistung Musik’ – a huge project, great musicality and distinct, smooth vocals throughout. What was the idea behind this album?
The album was originally going to be a solo project Produced by Alias Molombo, but me and Raxiel had made so many dope tracks together, I felt like a joint album would be better! So I told them about it and we just started cooking. I wanted the album to be quick and fast for the listener, giving them 21 minutes to enjoy some real dope Hip Hop music! The title “Leistung Musik” is German for Power Music!
Clip Yo Nutz is a total jam, so creative and catchy, lyrically sharp. How did you come to collaborate with Raxiel, and what does that process look like when collaborating?
Thank you for saying that this song is your jam! It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album. Our creative process is very unique. We have actually never met in person for over the past 10 years! We’ve been communicating only through emails, texts and phone calls because with our busy schedules and us having our own families, it’s just really hard to meet up especially since we live in different cities (Raxiel lives in Atlanta and I’m currently based in Los Angeles) but through collaborating this way, we’re able to create great songs together! And I’m sure when the time is right, we will meet up and it will be some epic s***!
Your lyrics are sharp, storytelling on point and clever. Aside from your clear work ethic, how else do you think you will make sure your music is heard over the coming months and years?
I feel like building business relationships with bloggers like yourself and podcast influencers is what I’m really aiming for. I want my music to get more attention, creating a bigger presence on my social media platforms.
How do comedy and music connect with one-another and which discipline do you find the most engaging?
Ever since I was a young kid, I’ve always loved Comedy. I would see comedians always hanging out with hip hop artists and generally musicians of all genres. Ice Cube definitely inspired me with the Friday franchise, and I wanted to create my own. I did stand up once and I did pretty good since I got quite a few laughs, but it just wasn’t my thing to make a career. I have a passion for writing! I created, Directed, Produced and Executively Produced my own franchise as well called “Joke’s N Hip-Hop”! You can find this on my YouTube channel. I’m currently working on creating a second installment called “Joke’s N Hip-Hop Remixed” that will come out at a later date. At this time, I’m focusing on Hip Hop music! I’m working on my upcoming albums “Stranger Introspection” which drops early 2026 and My two disc album “God Was Showing Off When He Made Me (Sinner Vs Saint)”- The first disc is a hardcore boom bap album and the second disc is a Christian hip hop album!
What’s one of your favourite tracks of yours to date, or which would you play for a new listener if they only had time for one, and why?
The track know her worth. A lot of people think I made that song because I was standing up for women, which is The track “Know Her Worth” – A lot of people think I made that song because I was standing up for women but that is just a part of why I made that song. The main reason I made that song is because we live in a very lustful society where men look at women and all they want to do is have sex with them.
“We have to understand as men, that just because a woman wants to do business with us doesn’t mean she wants to have sex with us and just because a woman has respect and admires what we do doesn’t mean she wants to have sex with us.”
I grew up admiring a lot of people and looking up to them but so many have fallen because of their lustful behavior! A lot of people are destroying their own careers because of lustful behavior! So I feel like in the Hip Hop industry, a lot of men encourage & indulge into lustful behavior instead of putting it in check which is has crumbled a lot of men & women’s lives throughout the years, so we need to start self-evaluating and start to see that this is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed.
How has your approach or style evolved since the release of ‘Citizens Against Poverty’ in 2021?
My confidence! I feel more confident in my songwriting now than I did when I first started. The album was called “The introduction” and it was recorded in 2001 but at that time, I didn’t feel like music was a career that I could take seriously. But something kept calling me back! so that’s when I decided to release the album in 2021 under the new title “Citizens Against Poverty” and to introduce my brand: C.A.P Entertainment!
The clarity of your recordings is amazing now, and the fullness and songwriting. You’ve honed your craft over time and it’s paid off. What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Do not look for validation in your craft, learn to respect and love your craft but also to accept constructive criticism, just take it with a grain of salt and make sure it’s valid. Also, Respect your failures because your failure is what molds your success: Withdraw from Failure- Deposit Success.
How often do you hit the stage, and is live performance a big part of your plans?
I don’t really perform much like I used to because I do shows based on how many fans are willing to come. Promoters always want you to “pay to play” and fans don’t really come out to buy tickets nowadays maybe because of the economy or whatever. But I do my own shows and learned to be my own promoter from Snow Tha Product. I went to her show years ago in Tulsa Oklahoma and was able to watch how she just sets up her own shows with her family and taking sales on her website, and it inspired me, so I started setting up my own shows. Lately I have not set up anything because selling tickets is hard, you really have to work hard on getting people to spend the money and want to go out to see you, so right now I feel like I need to grow my fan base more before I start performing again.
You’ve released a tonne of albums, singles and projects – what keeps you motivated, and how do you decide on the concept or style every time?
Most concepts come from movies I’ve watched or conversations I’ve had with people. Concepts can also come from things I see on social media or people in the world and even things in my own personal life! This has all inspired concepts. I just do my best to keep it authentic and to not be selfish with my writing- just writing about me and not about the problems I see other people going through, for example- my song “No L.O.V.E.”
What’s your biggest ambition right now?
My biggest ambition is to have a breakout song! I’m trying to find my “Juicy”, my “Gin N Juice” so I’ll keep working until I can make a hit record.
Is there anything else we should know?
I just want people to know that working a 9:00 to 5:00 is cool but if you have a Talent or a Gift: You must protect it and nurture it to create something that you can share with the world! it doesn’t have to be music or anything that involves entertainment!
“Martin Luther King said “if you mop floors, mop floors like Picasso painted paintings”. Be great at everything you do! Don’t settle for mediocrity!”
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Find all things Ju$t Tha Realne$$.
