Song: Jahzel – “Who Is You”

With His Album, The Wake Up, Releasing Next Month, the Chicago Rapper Shares a Drill-Induced Second Single via EARMILK

09.26.2014

Critical Praise for Jahzel:

“Jahzel’s first impression is a solid one.” – The Smoking Section

“This is music with few hang-ups…perfect for a summer hip-hop playlist.” – PrefixMag

“Jahzel’s future brightens with every new release… we’re excited to hear more.” – HotNewHipHop

The Song:

Jahzel returns with the release of the second single from his forthcoming album, The Wake Up, which is set to drop next month. “Who Is You,” follows the release of the first single and title track of the album, “Wake Up.” The song premiered via EARMILK and distinguishes itself through its drill-induced production style. The track provides further insights on Jahzel’s experiences growing up in Chicago, rapping, “You really can’t fake it there, it’s a slim chance to make it there, but somehow I got paper here.”

“I just threw out caution pretty much,” says Jahzel of his writing process for the song. “We had a lot of fun creating this track because we got to do a Chicagoans favorite pastime, which is talk shit! We’re happy with how it turned out and the energy the song carries.” Like much of The Wake Up, “Who Is You” was produced by CJ of Flawless Trackz.

Jahzel’s vision for The Wake Up is to present a worldwide “awakening” on the complexities of growing up in the inner city of Chicago. Through his lyrics he intends to tell his story of life in Chicago, stepping away from the stereotypical views of “ultra-violence” and “gun-fights.” Throughout the summer Jahzel promoted the album with a marketing campaign involving breakfast meet and greets to create the sense of a “wake-up event.” Speaking with HipHopDX, Jahzel stated “We hope that your memory becomes triggered to remember us and the project when you see things in relation to breakfast, Starbucks, or McDonald’s. We also wanted to offer a trade off, to get an immediate return on our investment. We figured instead of pouring money into another avenue to acquire new fans which may not work or have a tangible way to measure success, we could spend that same money to offer our target audience another product that we know they like,” in reference to breakfast food.

Listen to “Who Is You”: https://soundcloud.com/jahzelmusic/who-is-you/

Read the EARMILK premiere: http://www.earmilk.com/2014/09/25/jahzel-reps-chicago-hard-in-who-is-you-premiere/

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Jahzel – The Wake Up, tracklist:

1.Wake Up
2.Who Is You
3.John Stockton/Radio Raheem
4.The Vision
5.Trapt
6.Crazy
7.Seedlings
8.No Tears No Tissue
9.Scriptures
10.Faithful

Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Jahzel.

Jahzel Background:

Only a true Chicagoan can fully understand the city’s hustle mentality – simultaneously holding down multiple jobs while going to school, taking care of our families, and being active in our communities, all while pursuing our dreams and goals. It’s the Chicago way. Chicago-born musician Jahzel, eats, sleeps, and breaths that mentality: “We [Chicagoans} are hustlers in general; we get it done,” he says proudly. “I am telling the story about Chicago that hasn’t been told – that along with the bad things that are happening, there are plenty of positive things going on. This is the real story of Chicago and I think people can relate to it.” Jahzel has always been a proud Chicagoan, and his most recent project, The Wake Up, is an ode to the city he holds dear.