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Jay 305

Signing Story: Jay 305

In 2012, Los Angeles native Jay 305 leapt to prominence with his single “Youzza Flip.” He built on this success with follow-ups that included feature spots on DJ Mustard's “Ghetto Tales” and YG's “Blame It On The Streets.” Such work doesn’t pass unnoticed and it helped him forge crucial relationships, notably with OPM’s (Other People’s Money) Archie Davis and Interscope’s Ray Alba.

His nascent career burned bright with promise. But a year-long hiatus in the hoosegow conspired to rock block him. Such challenges, though, represent a mere inconvenience for the determined artist. Shortly after his release, he made for New York where a deal with Interscope affiliate OPM was inked.

But even before he was signed formally, he’d cemented a strong bond with OPM, the Interscope affiliate launched by Dom Kennedy. “I got a lot of attention [for my previous work],” the rapper says of the days before he closed his deal. “I was already part of OPM but I wasn’t rapping yet.    When I started, automatically––since we were friends already––Archie [Davis] took me on, basically. I never asked him to be my manager [and] he never told me he was. But it happened to click like that. We just all came together since we were already together.

“Archie was at Interscope,” Jay continues, “and told [label group executive vice president] Joie [Manda] about me all the time. I got lots of recognition and was blowing up so much in the city. I started to expand outside of [Los Angeles] and then the state, and then Wiz Khalifa and YG got in on remixes. All my relationships––rappers and record execs—a lot of that energy got me signed. When I got out of jail I [already] had [song] placements with YG and DJ Mustard.”

Jay’s Taking All Bets dropped on July 14, mere days before Music Connection spoke with the newly minted rapper. The record features YG and Travis Scott, among others. Less than a week after the release, Jay and his management team were busy assembling a tour. Videos are also in the works.