New years demand fresh tactics. So when Jake the Snake moved to
At this point, Snake has amassed as strong a career as an MC can build in
On the strength of his 2006 album, Strategy of the Crown, which featured guests including Ras Kass, Trife Da God and Devin the Dude, J the S followed up with his DJ Vlad-hosted Year of the Snake Vol. 2. The sequel to his Peter Parker-hosted Vol. 1, the mixtape proved that he could rock consecutive projects with – or without – headliner associates. Featuring limited assists from
In May 2008, J the S drops his most important project yet. Beyond cameos from the likes of Joell Ortiz, Skyzoo, Slaine and Ras Kass, When in Rome introduces rap fans to an MC whose pilgrimage to Hip-Hop’s pinnacle was a long, disciplined and rewarding journey.  Â
Though he was bred in
Despite coming up in
“I’m an intelligent artist, but I’m more about pimping the system before it pimps you than I am about some unrealistic optimism,†J the S says. “I tell stories and innovate too, but I’m not on some backpacker nerd shit either.â€
He might be an anomaly, but J the S is poised to be a factor in roughneck Hip-Hop’s return to form. With his When in Rome (which will feature collaborations with fellow rising stars Skyzoo (“Pumpâ€), Slaine (“Get Low†Remix) and Joell Ortiz (“Do Youâ€) prequel this March and subsequent third album, The Last Days, coming next year, he is determined to penetrate rap music’s commercial consciousness. If he can pull it off in
Tracklisting and credits for J The S’ When In
1.) Right Of Passage
2.) Pump f/Skyzoo & Lord Touch
3.) No Love f/P-Dub
4.) SNZA
5.) Do You f/Joell Ortiz & Lee
6.) Push My Buttons f/The Greater Good & Stacks
7.) Chase Cutter f/Prone 2
8.) Don’t Hear Me f/Annie Lee
9.) Loosen Up f/Amadeus The Stampede
10.) Whispers In The Dark
11.) Roll, Light, Smoke f/Karas & Annie Lee
12.) Get Low (Remix) f/Slaine and Badnewz
13.) Forever Tomorrow f/The Greater Good
14.) A Strange Feeling
15.) The Last Days
16.) Kilograms (I Know) f/Ras Kass
17.) Thirteen f/Noni Kai