Interviewing Future Rap Royalty - Jazz Prince
This week I got the chance to sit down with my close friend Jordon Buell, known by his stage name Jazz Prince, to talk about his music. During our conversation, I had the chance to get to learn about his inspiration, aspirations, and style. Below is a comprehensive summary of the interview.
- Where are you from, and over the next couple years where do you want to go? I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan! My entire life I was raised in Portage though. My moms side of the family is actually from Canada, so that's pretty cool. In the next couple years, I wanna be wherever my music takes me. I have no control over what happens in the grand scheme of things only God does. I am going to work my ass off to get to where I need to though, which is on tour hopefully, with a record deal. No matter what I will always live in Michigan; so maybe I'll end up somewhere near Detroit?
- What first got you interested in writing songs, specifically the hip-hop genre? Ginuwine. He was the first artist/music I ever heard growing up. He’s probably my biggest influence musically as well. That sound Timbaland and him made is something that can never be duplicated. What got me into hip hop though was just the culture, breakdancing, the clothes, and just about everything that revolved around it. I just grew up in hip-hop. I never grew up listening to anything but hip hop and RnB. No bands, just hip-hop. It's in my blood. I just love the rawness and passion in it. Its changed my life as well as saved it. - Who or what inspires your music? Experiences, love, pain, anxiety, family, women. It really just depends. I wanna be the most diverse artist that I can be. I love being able to put my exact thoughts on a paper and challenge myself to be the most clever person I can. The artists that inspire me the most are Ginuwine, J.Cole, Drake, Tupac, Biggie, Jodeci, New Edition, etc. It just really depends on the vibe. - What’s your favorite style of hip-hop/sub-genre and why? I love gangsta rap. West coast stuff specifically. Although, Get Rich or Die Tryin is one of my fav albums of all time and that's an east coast album. - As a hip-hop artist, where did the name Jazz Prince come from? Well, Jazz comes from the melodic sounds I like to experiment with. I love the sounds of a sax or trumpet being used in a sample, which you’ll hear in my upcoming project. Prince comes from Prince, the artist. He is one of my biggest inspirations ever. Also, just royalty.
- What are your upcoming projects and where can people find your music? Currently, I am in the process of working on my debut album “ The Long Way Home” which will be on every platform you can stream! You can get my music on basically any streaming platform, but the majority of my music is on Soundcloud currently. Stay Tuned! - What’s something people don’t know about the Jazz Prince that they should? I can break dance probably better than 90% of people I know. I'm also a really chill, laid back, guy. On top of that I am really into sneakers, but something that most people really don't know, (because it can be embarrassing) , is that I’m a mamas boy.
