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Hailing from a small town just outside of New York City, rap has always been an integral part of Jswiss’s life. He’s been writing lyrics since he was twelve and been making beats since he was fourteen, but it wasn’t until last year when he came to UNC that he began to really get into recording and sharing his music with people. “Once I started to show people the stuff that I was doing and they said they liked it, that really gave me the motivation to keep going for it.” Now a year later JSWISS already has a few mixtapes out and a devoted fan base, a testament to the dedication he has for his music.
Drawing influence from 90’s era hip hop artists like Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Roots, Jswiss crafts verses with a laid back delivery and a focus on lyrical wordplay. He says that he begins the writing process by first freestyling a bit over a beat. From here he gets the ideas for his raps, each line bursting with J’s unique personality. Take for example his impression of artists using autotune; “Oh you scared of your own voice/well autotune’s a bad call like Jim Joyce.”
One of the highlights of this EP, “Role Play”, tells a story from the perspective of three different characters; a drug dealer, a burglar, and a crooked cop. The song weaves parallels between the three all over a dark, minimal pad and drum beat. It’s a good example of how Jswiss is able to express universal messages while still keeping things personal and simple.
This new collection of songs is a great introduction to Jswiss’s sound, with each one showcasing a different aspect of his style. So give it a listen and hopefully you enjoy what you hear.