Imagine a hip-hop artist who doesn’t brag about having chicks worship his manhood, who doesn’t rock enough ice to give him freezer burn or rolls in a Bentley with 22 dubs. Picture a 20-year old Chicano from the hood lifting up his people through his music. This is the story of Juan Pablo Huerta aka Jae-P, one of the new artists on Univsion Records. He wears his culture with pride and talks about it intimately in his songs. “I know my culture, and I know where I come from and I respect my culture so much and I love it. I want to teach my people my culture, because I just want us to be heard.”
He may be barely out of high school but Jae-P wants to share a progressive message from within. The cars, women and jewelry are a façade that can trap many rappers who soon forget why they got started. Ironically, the homeboy from South Central showed no interest in the rap game. “I just wanted to learn how to rap, I didn’t know how. I was just interested to learn how they do it. I never really thought about being a rapper.” He started rapping at 16 with friends, quickly discovering he had the talent to flow and write rhymes. He met his producer at a birthday party and was signed to Univision at 18. At home he listened to ranchera music. On the street, he savored the descriptive tales from the urban griot of rap Tupac Shakur and his nemesis Biggie Smalls. Being exposed to both types of music influenced his sophomore CD, Esperanza (Hope), creating another genre of music called Urban Regional.
He made his first CD, Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá (Neither from here, Nor from there), which dropped last year, in less than a month. Ni De Aquí mainly explores the American dream experience, shared by Latinos who immigrate to the States. Esperanza, which dropped in September 2004, has an intense focus on Latinos showing respect and support for one another.
Jae-P is acutely aware of the power his music has on his fans. He presents it raw, with no apologies. The message: there’s a better life out there. “I just want them to understand. You gotta have hope in whatever you want to do in your life that’s cool. There’s no right or wrong thing. You got to really think about what you want.”
His music hits home so much that a gang member once came to him in tears, thanking him for changing his way of thinking. His lyrics come from everyday life experiences. Jae-P lets his pen and thoughts flow on what he sees around him, good and bad. “Some of the things talk about my life, others talk about my family and friends and stuff that they go through. They tell me their stories and I go ahead and write it. People relate to everything I have, in one way or another.”
So what’s it like being a new artist on the rise? According to Jae-P, it isn’t as glamorous as people might believe. Meeting new people with a grand interest in you, traveling from city to city not knowing where you’re at, dealing with suits at the label and handling the new found fame, there’s nothing glitzy about it. Especially when you don’t get airplay in your own hometown and have to rely on heavy word of mouth.
“You gotta work hard. You gotta be out there, promoting your music, going on interviews and waking up early. The only difference is fame. People know you. That’s about it. Fame isn’t going to put the steak on my beans. It’s just like any other job”.
The Chicano from South Central stays humble and isn’t fazed with the changes. As long as he helps his parents out, Jae-P is happy.
