For the last decade and a half, Jay Burna has been quietly creeping up the charts.
One of the greatest things to see from an artist is their evolution from a version of themselves that once served them to the version of themselves that serves their fans and the world. It takes time, commitment, and self-awareness to achieve this feat, but when it’s done, it’s one of the purest things to see and hear. Jay Burna’s spent the last decade and a half doing that.
Ever since he burst on the scene with his project, I’m A Beast, he’s put in the work to lift his brand up and in the process showed the music industry how skilled he is. Standing alongside one of rap’s most accomplished hustlers, Jay is poised to make even bigger waves and represent Fort Lauderdale.
Born in Inglewood, California, Jay was raised and introduced to the entertainment industry before he had any real conception of what it was. His father, who worked as a limousine driver, worked around some of the industry’s elite from Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye Sr, and though he was too young to grasp the weight of it, seeing success at an early age planted a seed in him.
“It was eye-opening. You don’t realize what it is until you get older. I got to meet Michael Jackson but was so young I was crying about having to take a picture with him. But in hindsight, I’m grateful my dad introduced me.”
Jay spent his early years in California, but at eight, Jay moved with his mother to Fort Lauderdale. It was here that he embraced the parts of Florida’s rich culture, including his Haitian lineage. His cousins helped solidify his identity and supported him until his father could reunite with Jay and the family, but despite how many Haitian American citizens Florida has, Jay still dealt with ignorance and intolerance from his peers.
When asked about what he experienced, Jay said, “I remember my senior year in high school we got into a big fight just for being Haitian. I was one of the Haitians who had to fight for it to be a cool thing. Now it’s a cool thing, but back then it was used as a joke.”
Despite the tension, Jay found himself drawn toward rap and in particular the rap styles of artists like 2Pac, Jay-Z, Nas, Andre 3000, T.I., Kanye and more. Their ability to tell vivid stories about their life and the world at large inspired Jay. As a high school student, he began dabbling with the craft, adopting the moniker Jay Black at first before shifting it to Jay Burna.
A nod to his love for weaponry, it would become a defining trait used to describe his lyrical skill and passion. Rap and baseball fought for a starring role in his life and in the end, rap and the streets won.
“I was playing baseball. When I got to high school, it wasn’t cool to play baseball anymore. It was about getting fly. My love for music got stronger, but also my environment had me playing in the trenches. It became sports, streets, and music.”
Eager to get his feet wet in the game, Jay began working with some of the industry’s players, including DJ Rockstar and Kid Ink, behind the scenes as they crafted music. By senior year, Jay dropped his first mixtape, I’m a Beast, and after high school started his own label, Black Congress Music Group.
“I started my own business and had my own publishing company since I was 18. I went to a college for a year and a half before focusing on music.”
Persistent, Jay got on his grind and began campaigning MTV Jams to play his 2015 video, “Ready“.
The moment helped speed up Jay’s career trajectory and kept him hungry.
“It shifted my career. I was the only one from where I’m from on tv. No deal. It showed that I knew what I was doing and that I was more than a mixtape rapper., says Jay.
Jay’s persistence and ability to leverage relationships have proved to be his keys to success and over time have led to collaborations with everyone from Trina to Fetty Wap and most recently T.I.
It’s been fourteen years since Jay came on the scene and his evolution from mixtape rapper to song maker has been commendable. Aligned with T.I. and his label Hustle Gang, Jay has the momentum and the attention he’s fought to garner. Most of all, though, he has the resume and mindset needed to expand his brand.
“Back then I was trying to out rap the best. Now I’m more of an artist. I’m making records for the radio and stadiums. I started off wanting to be the best rapper, now it’s about being a fire artist.”
Wright World 